Cumberland County Schools hosted a choice fair at E.E. Smith High School to kick off the district's choice program application season, Assistant Superintendent Lavette Braswell said.

The event was meant to let families learn about the district's K–12 choice programs — from elementary through high school — including STEM, fine arts, green technology, finance and accounting, health services and a fire academy, officials said. "This is an opportunity for families to be able to come and visit and learn more about all of our choice programs in the district," Braswell said.

Braswell, who identified herself as the assistant superintendent of K–12 instructional programs for Cumberland County Schools, said the district intended the fair to be a "one stop shop" where families could visit tables set up by each choice program and gather information. "We really wanted this to be a 1 stop shop," she said.

"Well, our choice programs offer diverse learning opportunities for all students," Braswell added, saying the district aims to provide rigorous curriculum while allowing students to pursue their interests so they are prepared for college or careers.

Dr. Doug Massengill, principal of Massey Hill Classical High School, encouraged families to attend school-specific choice information nights to get more detailed information about program differences. "I think it's really important to attend the choice information nights for the schools that you're interested in to really get an in-depth perspective of their programs," Massengill said.

Braswell said turnout was strong. "The last I checked, we had over 700 families and people here and walking around getting information about what's going on," she said, thanking E.E. Smith for hosting and adding, "It's not too late to get here, to be able to see all the great things that are happening."