Junior Achievement and Georgia Southern University Developing Historic Partnership in Savannah

Fifth JA Discovery Center Planned for Georgia Southern University’s Armstrong campus

Savannah, GA – Junior Achievement of Georgia (JA) is collaborating with Georgia Southern University to plan the construction and launch of a JA Discovery Center on the Armstrong campus in Savannah.

“We are so excited to be deepening our impact in the Savannah area and are looking forward to growing our relationship with Georgia Southern University,” said Camille Russo, Vice President, Marketing, JA of Georgia. “We are grateful to the local Savannah community for decades of support and are thrilled with the possibility of bringing this innovative and engaging experience to the students of the region.”  

Retrofitting construction of the Student Recreation Center is anticipated to begin as soon as Fall 2020.  Space can be made available for the JA Discovery Center in Savannah to serve 15,000 middle school students annually in the coastal region of the state.

Outfitting the space to become a Discovery Center will require financial support of approximately $4 million, funded from an up-and-coming campaign. The project will also require approval by the University System of Georgia and the Board of Regents. 

The facility will provide students continued exposure to their future possibilities through two innovative programs:

JA BizTown creates an unmatched experience where 6th grade students can interact within a simulated economy and take on the challenge of fueling a business. Here, students not only discover the intricacies of being a professional and member of the community, but also realize the abundance of opportunities available within their city.

JA Finance Park provides 7th grade students the rare opportunity to experience their personal financial futures first-hand. Guided by an assigned ‘life situation,’ students participate in an immersive simulation that enables them to develop skills to successfully navigate today’s complex economic environment and discover how decisions today can impact tomorrow.

“We are excited about the potential collaboration with Junior Achievement and the concept of a Discovery Center on Georgia Southern's Armstrong Campus in Savannah,” said Georgia Southern President Kyle Marrero. “This project aligns with our mission, values, and strategic plan. It will also provide experiential and employment opportunities for our Armstrong students and help make the Armstrong Campus a destination for the region.  This is exactly the type of impactful relationship that evidences the value added of a collaborative approach to educational attainment and talent development."

Currently JA Discovery Centers serve more than 88,000 students a year across three locations - the JA Chick-fil-A Foundation Discovery Center in Altanta, the JA Discovery Center at Gwinnett and the Mike and Lynn Cottrell JA Discovery Center at North Georgia in Cumming. The fourth facility, in Dalton, is under construction and will open in 2021, bringing the total impact to more than a third of middle school students in Georgia.

To find out more about getting involved, please contact Robert Grant at 912-856-1700 or rgrant@georgia.ja.org.

About Georgia Southern University

Georgia Southern University, a public Carnegie Doctoral/R2 institution founded in 1906, offers 141 degree programs serving more than 26,000 students through nine colleges on three campuses in Statesboro, Savannah, Hinesville and online instruction. A leader in higher education in southeast Georgia, the University provides a diverse student population with expert faculty, world-class scholarship and hands-on learning opportunities. Georgia Southern creates lifelong learners who serve as responsible scholars, leaders and stewards in their communities. Visit GeorgiaSouthern.edu.

Dalton Board of Education Votes to Bring Immersive Facility to Local Middle School Students

The decision provides space on the Hammond Creek Middle School campus for a JA Discovery Center to serve local students 

Exterior view of the JA Discovery Center of Greater Dalton

Floor plan for the JA Discovery Center of Greater Dalton

Dalton, GA – Junior Achievement of Georgia (JA) announced today, in partnership with Dalton Public Schools, the unanimous approval by the Dalton Board of Education to incorporate a JA Discovery Center on the new Hammond Creek Middle School campus.

 “We are thrilled with the decision of the Board that will allow us to deepen our impact in the Northwest Georgia region,” said John Hancock, President and CEO, JA of Georgia. “We are thankful for the commitment of the local community, led by Anna Adamson, Director of Development for JA of Georgia in Northwest Georgia, and look forward to providing unmatched learning experiences that enable students to discover the possibilities that their futures can hold.”

 With a completion planned in conjunction with the Hammond Creek Middle School campus in 2021, the JA Discovery Center in Dalton will serve 13,000 middle school students annually in the northwestern region of the state. The facility will provide students continued exposure to their future possibilities through two innovative programs.

 JA BizTown creates an unmatched experience where students are able to interact within a simulated economy and take on the challenge of fueling a business. Here, students not only discover the intricacies of being a professional and member of the community, but also realize the abundance of opportunities available within their city.

 JA Finance Park provides students the rare opportunity to experience their personal financial futures first-hand. Guided by an assigned ‘life situation,’ students participate in an immersive simulation that enables them to develop skills to successfully navigate today’s complex economic environment and discover how decisions today can impact tomorrow.

 “Having the availability of this center locally will provide enormous opportunities and access for our staff and students to have authentic, real-world learning experiences that are applicable to a number of academic subjects,” said Dr. Tim Scott, Superintendent, Dalton Public Schools. “Beyond our schools, we know this center will be available for use in professional development, parent education and community involvement.”

 The construction of the facility is possible through a joint partnership with JA, as a result of a private grant and Dalton Board of Education’s commitment of capital financial resources that will not require any additional taxes. The private grant coupled with the funds from Dalton Public Schools will support completion of the fourth JA Discovery Center in Georgia, bringing the total state-wide impact to more than 98,000 students a year.

 In partnership with the education and business communities, the JA Chick-fil-A Foundation Discovery Center in Altanta, the JA Discovery Center at Gwinnett and the Mike and Lynn Cottrell JA Discovery Center at North Georgia in Cumming give a third of Georgia middle school students access to the breadth of careers available to them, and the skills needed to be successful in those careers.  

Six local school systems partner to bring relevant, authentic and experiential learning to middle school students

Mike and Lynn Cottrell JA Discovery Center at North Georgia to Impact 15,000 Local Students

Atlanta, GA – The Mike and Lynn Cottrell JA Discovery Center at North Georgia is well underway and will begin serving students in Fall 2018.

It will be the third JA Discovery Center in Georgia, and will serve middle school students in the northern region of the state. The facility will be located on the new high school campus of the Alliance Academy for Innovation of Cumming – Forsyth, also opening in Fall 2018. The inclusion of the facility on this innovative campus will provide students continued exposure to their future possibilities.

“We are thrilled to be able to expand the impact of this relevant, authentic and experiential learning to more students across the state,” said Jack Harris, President and CEO, Junior Achievement of Georgia. “This facility creates an opportunity for us to enhance existing partnerships, and ignite new ones in a community that is engaged in deepening their students’ education experience,” said Harris.

The first hybrid facility in the state will combine both JA BizTown and JA Finance Park, experiential simulations that have impacted more than 160,000 middle school students in the last three years.

“Our students will have a chance to explore career opportunities that perhaps they have never considered before, and to learn entrepreneurial skills that will be very beneficial as they consider their career pathways and post-secondary areas of interest,” said Dr. Jeff Bearden, Superintendent, Forsyth County Schools. “In my 30 years in public education, I have never experienced a program and a curriculum that addresses financial literacy better than the JA Discovery Center concept.  We are so fortunate to afford our students this opportunity,” said Bearden.

Middle school students from Calhoun City Schools, Dawson County Schools, Forsyth County Schools, Gainesville City Schools, Hall County Schools and Lumpkin County Schools will all participate in in-class curriculum in preparation for their immersive experiences in JA BizTown and JA Finance Park.

JA BizTown creates an unmatched experience where students are able to interact within a simulated economy and take on the challenge of fueling a business. Here, students not only discover the intricacies of being a professional and member of the community, but also realize the abundance of opportunities available within their city.

JA Finance Park provides students the rare opportunity to experience their personal financial futures first-hand. Students participate in an immersive simulation that enables them to develop skills to successfully navigate today’s complex economic environment and discover how decisions today can impact tomorrow.

Will Schofield, Superintendent, Hall County Schools, shared similar excitement for the impact this facility will have on his students, and expressed how “fortunate the district is to have an opportunity like this for our middle school students.” 

The launch of this engaging facility would not be possible without the support of Mike and Lynn Cottrell, as well as partnerships with participating school systems, and investment from the following partners who will have storefronts in the new facility: ADP, Andean Chevrolet, Associated Credit Union, City of Cumming, Delta Air Lines, Elavon, Engineered Floors, Georgia Power, Georgia State University, Georgia United Credit Union, MarketSource, North Georgia Community Foundation, Northside Hospital, Publix Super Markets Charities, RaceTrac, United Way of Hall County, United Way of Forsyth County and Zaxby’s.