New money to attack the high school dropout rate in N. Ga.

DAHLONEGA - The Georgia Appalachian Center for Higher Education (GACHE) at North Georgia College and State University is awarding 16 competitive grants totaling $98,000 to area high schools on Wednesday to support strategies to assist and encourage students to finish high school and pursue a college degree.

The high schools receiving the grants are: Banks County, Chattooga, Commerce, Elbert County, Fannin County, Franklin County, Gilmer, Gordon Central, Gordon Lee, Jackson County, LaFayette, Lumpkin County, Murray County, Ridgeland, Sonoraville and Woody Gap.

"We are excited that so many school principals, graduation coaches, counselors and superintendents are willing to step up to the challenge of ensuring that their students graduate ready for college with real postsecondary choices," said Shirley Davis, director of the Georgia Appalachian Center for Higher Education.

"We know the economic consequences of leaving high school without a diploma are harsh, and, in today's world, stopping short of postsecondary education is equally grim. We want every student to graduate from high school and have college as a viable option."

GACHE is housed on the campus of North Georgia College and State University in the School of Education and is funded by NGCSU and by the Appalachian Regional Commission.

As part of the Appalachian Higher Education Network and one of 10 centers in the Appalachian states, GACHE provides resources to schools to increase student opportunities for pursuing postsecondary education. GACHE is modeled after widely acclaimed programs operating in the Appalachian regions of Ohio and West Virginia that have boosted college attendance rates by as much as 20 percent.