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Atkinson Elementary goes to college BY REBECCA LEFTWICH becky@newnan.com
W
hile many parents of Atkinson Elementary students dream of sending their children to college, they likely didn’t dream it would happen this week. Atkinson is undergoing extensive repairs after the March 26 tornado damaged the school building on Nimmons Street. But students will still have the opportunity to attend classes in person at the Coweta Campus of West Georgia Technical College. With a large number of its students still enrolled in online classes because of the pandemic, West Georgia Tech – a longtime educational partner of the Coweta County School System – was able to accommodate the entire Atkinson operation for the remainder of the school year. "We are so appreciative of our partners at West Georgia Tech, and of the chance for Atkinson students to finish the year on our local campus,” said Dr. Evan Horton, superintendent of Coweta Schools. “This presents yet another opportunity to support Cowe-
ta County students by building on a great partnership that has been developed over a number of years.” Students resumed regular classes Wednesday in the new location after an open house and orientation Tuesday afternoon. “We’re excited about it,” Principal Ben Tarleton said. “We’re so thankful to West Georgia Technical College for giving us the whole upper floor of a building, rent-free. They’ve been very welcoming from the get-go – they want some laughter and joy in the hallways.” West Georgia Tech officials said they are happy to offer the school a short-term solution while repairs are underway. "We are delighted that our Coweta Campus can provide a great setting in which Atkinson students can continue to learn,” said Dr. Kristen Douglas, WGTC vice president for academic affairs, who added the college is “grateful for our decades-long partnership with the Coweta County School System.”
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PHOTO BY REBECCA LEFTWICH
Keshia Edmondson, Atkinson Elementary REACH teacher, welcomes students to the school’s temporary location at West Georgia Technical College-Coweta Campus. From left are fourth grader Skye Gilliam, Edmondson and first-grader Zoe Person.
Tarleton said the goal is as seamless a transition as possible for the 320 of Atkinson’s approximately 380 students who are expected to attend classes at the Coweta Campus, with some still enrolled in the school system’s Empower virtual program be-
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cause of the pandemic. The school also employs about 65 staff members who worked Monday and Tuesday to set up classrooms and stations in preparation for the return of their stuATKINSON . 3
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APRIL 21, 2021