Twenty 8th grade students were initially selected through teacher nomination for the application process to participate in the REACH Georgia Program.  Eleven students were then selected to move forward to the interview process.  From those eleven, five will be chosen to participate in the program.  As part of the REACH Program, students will be assigned a mentor who they will meet with twice a month until graduation to discuss academic goals and encourage continued academic success.   Students were selected because they maintain good grades, actively participate in class and have good behavior, as well as excellent school attendance.

REACH Georgia was initially launched in 2012 at Georgia Institute of Technology and was only offered to five school systems. Governor Nathan Deal at the launch of the program stated that the REACH Georgia Scholarship “rewards students for self-accountability, promotes parent involvement and provides motivation and support; all factors that we know are critical in student educational achievement."  When students in the REACH program graduate and begin college, they will each receive a $10,000 scholarship. The five students chosen from the interview process to participate in the REACH Georgia Program will sign on October 4th at Thomas County Middle School.

Pictured below are the eleven students prior to the interview process.   From left to right on the front row is Janiyah Christopher, Osmarie Tolentino-Deleon, Francisco Hernandez-Mendoza, Patricia Diego, Lisa Nicolas.  Back row from left to right:  Xavier Scott, Yadira Perdomo-Badillo, Levi McClelland, Zamiah Hart, Sania' Virgil, and Matthew Payne.