There was only one place to find University of Georgia Bulldogs amicably mixing with University of Florida Gators Wednesday.

Thomas County Central High School teachers and staff donned the colors or attire of their college alma mater in honor of the school’s first College Awareness Day (CAD).

The event is the brainchild of teachers Allison NeSmith and Bethany Hayes. They joined forces to think up ways to get faculty and students involved in various themes throughout the school year.

“What better way to raise awareness of education at the next level than to invite students to ask their teachers questions about different universities,” co-organizer Allison NeSmith said. “We wanted students to see that the possibilities are endless in colleges to choose from….”

Co-organizer Bethany Hayes adds that a goal was to get students talking about colleges other than those local or ones they might already know.

Teachers and faculty were asked to send the names of the college(s) they attended and signs were made to place outside each participant’s door. Also, partakers were asked to wear either a shirt or the colors of their college and a sticker that said, “Ask me about my college.”

Universities and other post-secondary institutions represented during the event ranged from in-state to as far away as Hawaii. The diverse group included technical-based education colleges, seminaries, community colleges, military programs, and elite universities.

Also, students were given a map and prompted to color in each state represented by a college they saw a teacher promote.

“The map was scattered all over the country, from New York to Michigan, Wisconsin to Kansas, Louisiana to Hawaii and many more,” Hayes said. “The kids were abuzz about the colleges they saw represented, and I know many teachers had great conversations with students about their options….”

Drama teacher Gabrielle McMullen used her “Bell Ringer” time at the start of each class to discuss her college experience and college, Armstrong State University. As a recent graduate, McMullen said she has “a lot of pride” in her university and has noticed how many students “have no idea what they want to pursue in college or where they want to go.” 

The majority of her students, McMullen said, asked about campus life, the majors and minors her school offered, tuition prices, federal grants and student loans, online options, housing and campus activities.

“I feel like students were receptive and did not tune me out when I began to explain some of the nitty gritty of the school and college in general,” she said.

Hope Johnson, one of McMullen’s students, thought the day “a huge success” and said it “was really interesting” to see her peers show interest in college.

“I learned a lot about the college that I would love to get into, which is Armstrong State University,” Johnson said of McMullen’s class discussion. “It is important to have college day because if one student asks a question and is genuinely interested, it can spark interest in other students and they could find the ‘perfect’ college for them.”

Students Keshira Daniels and Sanaa Palmer enjoyed the college discussion during teacher Amy Smith’s Early Childhood Education 2 class. Smith represented Florida State University. Daniels was excited to learn that Charlie Ward Jr. is an FSU alumnus and thinks she may want to attend the school. Palmer liked that the school has an online walking class and also expressed interest in attending FSU. Both students enjoyed the day and found it a useful tool to help them choose the right college and be successful.

American Literature teacher Jillian Perry believes CAD is an “awesome new tradition.” She represented Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich., and said many of her students were excited to hear about an out-of-state option.

“I was a student who had good grades but for financial reasons did not believe college was a reality for me,” Perry said. “I wanted to share with my students not only information about my college but also the story of how I was motivated by teachers and counselors during my senior year of high school to seek scholarship opportunities that made attending a university a possibility for me. I hope many of my students were inspired and motivated by that to start a path on a journey toward college for themselves!”

Hayes adds that it doesn’t matter what type of post-secondary option students choose; what matters is that they have the knowledge and support to make the best choice.

“I think it is critically important that students know what their options are, what programs are available after college and that they have support in pursuing those avenues,” she said.

TCCHS College Awareness Day was so successful that its organizers are planning to make the event an annual occurrence.

“Giving students the opportunity to see and hear about education at the next level in a more personal way from their teachers, other than listening to a lecture about college or watching a video, can be the difference to maybe just one kid on deciding to go to college,” NeSmith said. “If that is the case, then CAD was a success!”