Columbia County School District’s “TAP” program to help high schoolers with college credits

Evans, Ga. (WJBF) – Columbia County Students have a chance to earn up to 12 college credits towards a degree in education from Augusta University before graduating high school. It’s all through the school system’s TAP Talks.

“People like you are innovative, creative, and you have a desire to help others make a difference,” Columbia County Teacher of the Year Crystal McDowell said.

“I really tapped in. Realized how much a male figure has in a business like this and can inspire someone to do great things. Looking back, I didn’t have a male figure until I got to high school, and it was a coach, and to want to be someone like that and to put a powerful impact on a group of people – male and female, some that might not even have a father to do that – it really does mean a lot to me,” Evans High junior Elijah Briley said.

Elijah Briley is just one of the many students in Columbia County School District’s Teaching as a Profession program who are hoping to inspire the next generation the way they were inspired.

“Every educator that I have ever met has a unique story and it’s always fascinating for me to sit down with a cup of coffee and just find out why did they become a teacher,” Augusta University’s Dr. Wilson said.

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“In elementary, my music teacher Ms. Tucker,” Greenbrier High School junior Khord Cooksey said. “She was like the first spark for me to really get into music, and I think that it’s important for people to know that education is basically something that makes you light up. It gives you that passion, that flame, it makes you want to do something bigger than who you are.”

The program creates an avenue for high school students in education and is open to anyone interested in the education pathway as an elective they choose freshman year.

“The best thing we can do is make sure we continue to have the best teachers in front of every student in every classroom in Columbia County Schools. So, right now we have very talented young people that are in our high schools, and we want to ensure that they know that being a teacher is a great profession and a great opportunity for them,” Columbia County Schools CTAE Brooks Smith said.

A total of five seniors in TAP, one from each high school in the School District, will receive a $1,000 scholarship from Georgia’s Own Credit Union.

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