New school offers laptops, high-tech for students

CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga — Some students will receive laptops, along with their books, at a new technology school in Cherokee County.

Dean Rusk Middle School is far from your average school. The brand new two-story multi-million dollar facility has all the high-tech bells and whistles.

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"The kids really get to experiment and that's what thinking and learning is all about," said technology instructor Brad Mann.

The school, built to address the growing population in the county, sits on more than 25 acres and can house 1,600 students. The main focus of the school is technology. Instructors say each class is hands on.

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"They can come up with an idea in class, create it and we print it in a 3-D printer, so we take it from an idea to a piece of plastic in their hand,” Mann said.

The school also offers a TV production class, complete with green screens and a morning news set.
 
"They create our morning news each day and we film it, they get to edit it," Mann said.
 
Some classes will focus on industrial design, enabling students to invent and create objects. Eighth graders will even get the opportunity to build robots.
 
"And then we actually get to compete in challenges which leads into our first Lego league team," Mann said.
 
Principal Cindy Cooper said she hopes both the students and their parents will appreciate the school's digital-forward approach to learning.
 
"We have six labs, two of those are iPad labs, two have desktops in them," Cooper said. "The parents have waited and U know they're going to be blown away with what they see."

Cox Media Group