State Superintendent Eric Mackey walked the hall of Tallassee schools Thursday, and got an inside look at what the schools offer.
It’s all part of the state’s plan to continue to improve the school system statewide. Mackey spoke with school leaders about the school’s programs, like STEM labs and A.P. classes. He began at the middle school and worked his way around to the high school.
“It’s really the perfect progression to see how students start out with great classrooms, with engaged teachers,” Mackey said. “They’re down in the floor working on building robots and skyscrapers, and you see that progression on up.”
Tallassee schools offer dual enrollment options, choir classes, A.P classes and stem labs– each serving its own important role leading to higher education.
“These programs encompass four hundred and fifty to five hundred of those kids,” Tallassee High School Principal Matt Coker said.
The main goal for the tour is forming a better overall educational system: “I think we’re going to continue to see this kind of interactive personalized growing across the state, and its something we support,” Mackey said.
In addition, choral director Kelley Hill said the school offers a variety of lighter activities, like choir, which give students a creative break.
“It gives them an opportunity to strive towards something outside of themselves, and it gives them some time to relax from some of the rigors of other classes,” Hill said.
Mackey says these initiatives at Tallassee high help students more than they may realize.
“What they’re really learning to do is to think for themselves. and they’re learning to apply what they learned into real world situations,” Mackey said.
Mackey says the state has two more scheduled tours this fall but is expected to add some more schools to the list.