What’s Right With Our Schools: Twiggs County High School offers vocational training to students

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Some teachers believe hands on learning helps students focus more on the material.

Twiggs County High School is helping their students understand potential job skills needed for the real world.

“Some of us are not going to go to college. Therefore, I want them to be able to go out, have work ethic skills, punctuality and things of this nature and be able to do a job and do the job well,” says Agriculture Instructor Reicarido Glover.

The school is giving students options to become successful after receiving their diplomas. Instead of joining the military or going to a four year university, they’re offering vocational training. The school offers classes including landscaping, cosmetology, business and technology.

The agriculture program is getting students ready for life after graduation. They start off with small flowers and monitor the growth over a period of time.

Glover explains they do work in the classroom first, then they go out to the greenhouse.

“They have to design their house and visualize what they want it to look like; put in the plants and go from there,” he continues.

Eleventh grader, Tyrik Anderson says,”This class teaches us to go outside and get our hands dirty every once in a while.”

“It’s preparing me for many things of like knowing the basic things to live and survive around my house,” tenth grader Richard Burnhan adds.

“It teaches me to do things that I have never known how to do; planting and gardening, stuff like that,” eleventh grader, Austin Mcfarlen, continues.

Kurtis Bennett graduated from Twiggs County High last year. He took the agriculture and landscaping classes and now owns his own landscaping business. He says the class prepared him for his success.

Bennett adds, “Not everybody is meant to go to college and read books and everything. I’m more hands on. And it just gave me an opportunity to get out and you know, help people take care of their houses and make the community look better.”

After the crops are grown, they are given to the community for free. School officials believe it’s not just a class that needs to be taken for credit.

“They’re actually getting that experience right here in high school on high school level. A lot of times they can’t get it. They have to build a resume, and it’s assisting with building their resume,” says Assistant Principal Mozell Smith.

For some students, if this training isn’t their first choice, it’s a job they will likely consider.

“If nothing works out for me in football and going to college, I’ll just work on a farm or be like Kurtis and own my own landscaping business,” says Levi Thompson, who is also attending Twiggs County High.

At the end of each class, the students get certified in the area of study.