March 14, 2007 – Putnam County – Applications for students enrolling in Putnam County’s first-ever career academies at Crescent City Jr/Sr High School and Interlachen High School are now being accepted.

Only students entering the ninth grade in the fall of 2007 at Crescent City High Jr/Sr High School and students entering the 10th grade at Interlachen High School can apply to enroll in the academies. The deadline for applications to be turned in to the schools’ guidance departments is March 22 for IHS and March 27 for CCJSHS.

Crescent City students can choose to enroll in a Criminal Justice Academy, a Teaching Assisting Academy or an Academy of Health and Human Services. Criminal Justice and Health and Human Service academies are also being offered at Interlachen, along with an Academy of Business and an Academy of Culinary Arts.

“We are working to make sure that when our students leave high school, they are prepared for what they want to do next,” said Grace Smith, director of Career, Technical and Adult Education for Putnam County Schools.

Information about the academies was sent home to parents through students’ English classes at the two high schools. Parents who attended Parent Night at IHS Tuesday night and CCJSHS Wednesday night also received information about the academies.

A career academy is a small, personalized learning community within a school that focuses on careers. Academy programs are designed to lead students into their future career goals with rigorous, relevant college-preparatory curriculum that is integrated with the students’ career education major.

Academy teachers work in teams with small groups of students in each career academy, providing students with individualized support and extensive career counseling. Academic teachers and career education teachers work together to design course work to increase the relevance of each course subject.

Dual enrollment courses will be a part of the academy, allowing 11th- and 12th-grade students to simultaneously earn credit toward a high school diploma and a career certification, associate of science degree or associate of arts degree. Because students are in high school, the state pays for their tuition and books. All dual enrollment classes are weighted and count toward high school graduation requirements.

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For more information, contact Kirk Collier at (386) 937-9346 or kcollier@putnamschools.org.