What an incredible three years it has been! Our 100,000th student, Edith from Chapel Hill Middle school in DeKalb County, passed through the doors of the JA Chick-fil-A Foundation Discovery Center on Friday, May 20, 2016.

Students from Chapel Hill Middle School were welcomed with cheers and confetti by JA of Georgia volunteers, staff and partners, and the monumental moment was felt by all.

"This is a major milestone for us to be able to create an authentic and experiential opportunity that enriches traditional learning," said Jack Harris, President & CEO of JA of Georgia. "This experience provides students a point of reference for their future, and goes far beyond their time at our facility."

In addition to inspiring the students, the programming is impacting the way that teachers actually teach. Nine out of ten teachers report that the visit positively impacted the way they approach teaching economic concepts, bringing real-world concepts into the classroom and having more ‘real-world’ discussions around long-term goal setting. What’s more, 97 percent of teachers would recommend the experience to other teachers.

“One student said, ‘I didn't know my parents had to do all this,’” said Winfred Crawford, 7th grade teacher at Chapel Hill Middle School. “Through this statement, he acknowledged an awareness that he did not have prior to his time at JA Finance Park. This is an excellent experience that every child should have.”

This milestone would not have been possible without our invaluable partnerships with the schools systems, business community and all of our volunteers in the Atlanta community. We can't wait to continue impacting students for years to come!