AMERICUS — Before the District Accreditation Team from The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools visited Sumter County Schools to interview stakeholders, teachers, parents and students in Sumter County, Superintendent Dr. Dennis McMahon was considering the concept of highlighting the programs of each school at monthly school board meetings.

“Before coming to Sumter County, I had invited schools to visit school board meetings to share some of their programs. The SACS team was captivated with our Academy Programs, and tonight will be the first school to visit board meetings and share information about their school,” said Dr. McMahon.

To introduce the Real World Academy from Sarah Cobb, Principal Thelma Owens said, “At Sarah Cobb Real World Academy, our goal is to serve all students. The Georgia Performance Standards are taught in all classrooms. Additionally, students are provided differentiated instruction to address needs. This may take the form of needs based small groups, or extended learning sessions where struggling students have the opportunity to work on deficit skills. High achievers, or students who excel, are also provided opportunities for more challenging academic experiences in the small group classroom settingand through extra-curricular activities. At Sarah Cobb, we carefully and frequently monitor progress for all students. We are building foundations, inspiring dreams and empowering leaders. Please enjoy our Power Point and listen to eight of our students.”

Following Owens, Jaz’lyn Abrams, determined through class competitions to be the top math student in her class, discussed the all-important mathematics part of the student’s day. Aleyah Minnis shared experiences with the award-winning Odyssey of the Mind program at Sarah Cobb.

“We are now preparing for our competition in March” said Minnis.

Marcus Alford addressed the audience as a second-year manager of Starsville Citizen’s Bank & Trust.

“The bank is a very important part of our microSociety,” said Alford.

The first Million Word campaign winner at Sarah Cobb, Jasmine Surles, told the audience, “You might think I was inspired by a teacher or parent to read so much. However, it was our very own Larry Aldridge, my fellow classmate, that sparked me to try. I was tired of him winning all the time! He challenged me to a race to see who could reach a million words. I won,” said Jasmine.

Olivia Johnson, the president of Starsville micro society, then shared the election process in Starsville.

“It is really the same as in The Real World,” said Johnson. Vice-President of Starsville MicroSociety D’Erica Thomas discussed the legislative and law-making body of the society.

“When we first met, we had to change the minimum wage from six to seven dollars and hour," said Thomas. Larry Aldridge came forward to proudly share news of the Sarah Cobb Beta Club. “My goal for the future is to remain a member of Beta Club until I graduate and go to Harvard University,” proclaimed Aldridge.

Lastly, Joseph Ndaayezwi told the group about the talented and gifted program at Sarah Cobb.

“The TAG program at Sarah Cobb is one of the most exciting programs the school has to offer. TAG in Sumter County and especially at Sarah Cobb, is a successful and thriving program.”

As the students finished their 15 minute sharing before a continuous power point background of Sarah Cobb activities, school board members and the audience stood with applause for the presentation and increased awareness of Sarah Cobb Real World Academy.

Sumter County’s fine arts academy will share news of their school at the January board meeting at 7 p.m. January 14.