DCSS REACH students announced

During the Statewide REACH Signing Day on Thursday, October 5, 2017, Superintendent Trent North welcomed seven Douglas County School System students to the Realizing Educational Achievement Can Happen (REACH) Georgia program, a needs-based scholarship designed to promote academic success and expand access to higher education.

The Realizing Educational Achievement Can Happen (REACH) program is a strategic investment in our students and our state, opening doors for youth in Georgia who may not have the opportunity to seek postsecondary education due to financial constraints. Mitzi Teal, Executive Director of Communities In Schools of Douglas County coordinates the REACH program for the school system.  She stated, “As a part of the program, the students signed contracts to maintain a certain grade point average, remain crime, drug, and behavior issue free and meet with a volunteer mentor until they graduate from high school. Their parents or guardians also signed contracts to support their student through their education. When these scholars graduate from high school, they will receive up to a $10,000 scholarship — $2,500 each year for up to four years — to be used at a HOPE eligible Georgia two or four-year college and university. Many colleges are matching this scholarship and some are double matching the scholarship, providing scholars addition resources for their college education.”

“Douglas County Schools is honored to have been selected as one of the REACH School Systems to participate in the REACH Georgia Program for the 2017-2018 school year and thereafter,” said Mr. Trent North, Douglas County School System Superintendent. “We appreciate the community, civic and corporate leaders for helping us recognize the seven deserving 8th grade students who will serve as our 2017REACH Scholars and join the 30 other students from the last four cohorts started in 2012.”  The scholars for 2017-2018 include Maegan Davis, Makaylee Gilley, Daisy Ixmay, Elizabeth Romero and Alan Martinez.

At the event Superintendent North congratulated the scholars and the school system for their efforts and explained how REACH Georgia is a key component of the governor’s Complete College Georgia initiative, which calls for and identifies strategies for the state’s public and private colleges to add an additional 250,000 college graduates by 2020 and ensure these students graduate with relevant postsecondary degrees in a timely manner.

 For more information about the REACH program in Douglas County please contact Mitzi Teal, Executive Director of Communities In Schools of Douglas County at 770-651-2039.

Click here to find REACH on Facebook and here to follow REACH on Twitter. To learn more about the REACH Scholarship Program, visit our website.www.reachga.com