Apalachee High School

SKILLSUSA
Posted July 15, 2025

Students from Apalachee High School and Haymon-Morris Middle School proudly represented Barrow County at the SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference, bringing home two national medals and making their mark on the national stage.
 

Apalachee High School Success

Three students from Apalachee High School attended the national competition, with Marcelo Macias earning a bronze medal in the Employment Application Process event. Competing against 23 students from across the country, Marcelo placed 3rd—an incredible achievement, as SkillsUSA only awards medals to the top three competitors in each category. He was one of just six high school students from Georgia to medal at this year’s national event.

Haymon-Morris Middle School Achievements

Four students from Haymon-Morris Middle School also participated in the competition, with Gavin Pugh earning a bronze medal in the Action Skills category. Gavin demonstrated the Booking Process and fingerprinting techniques, with fellow student Lindsey Groover serving as his model. Gavin was the only middle school student from Georgia to place in the top three at Nationals.

In addition, Angel Cruz served as a middle school Voting Delegate, one of only two students from Georgia to receive this honor and experience.

Out of just seven Georgia students (high school and middle school combined) who placed in the top three at Nationals, two were from Barrow County Schools—a testament to the talent, dedication, and preparation of our students and educators.

Congratulations to all of our SkillsUSA competitors for representing Barrow County with excellence and pride!
 

BROOKE LEWIS-SLAMKOVA EARNS GA FCCLA ADVISER AWARD

Posted March 27, 2025

Apalachee High School is proud to announce that our Family Consumer Science Teacher, Brooke Lewis-Slamkova, has been honored with the 100% Adviser Award at the 2025 Georgia FCCLA State Leadership Conference.

This award recognizes advisers who demonstrate exceptional commitment by attending all major Georgia FCCLA events, participating in Day at the Capitol, and volunteering as judges at Region STAR Events. 

Congratulations, Brooke, on this well-deserved recognition! 

2025 FCCLA NATIONAL OFFICER CANDIDATES
Posted February 4, 2025

Congratulations to two outstanding students from the Barrow County School System for advancing to the next round of Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) National Officer candidates!

Jhiriss Smith of Apalachee High School (AHS) and Emma Pitman of Barrow Arts & Sciences Academy (BASA) have both reached this significant milestone, showcasing their dedication and leadership skills.

National Officers hold the highest leadership positions within FCCLA, with elections taking place annually at the National Leadership Conference. This achievement highlights the exceptional talent and commitment of our students.

Join us in celebrating their success and wishing them the best in the upcoming rounds!

AHS' NATIONAL TECHNICAL HONOR SOCIETY EARNS SILVER STAR EXCELLENCE AWARD!
Posted July 3, 2024

The National Technical Honor Society (NTHS) chapter at Apalachee High School is proud to announce that it has been awarded the distinguished Silver Star of Excellence Award for a second year in a row. This prestigious award is given to the chapters that exemplify the NTHS Core Four Objectives. 

The chapter was one of thirteen schools in the nation to earn the Silver Star Excellence Award. Additionally, the chapter was named 2024 Core Four Excellence Winners in the Recognition category. 

Congratulations to Apalachee's NTHS chapter for two years of excellence.

BCSS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ATTEND HEALTHCARE CAREER FAIR AT LANIER TECH
Posted March 22, 2024

Lanier Technical College held a Healthcare Career Fair on March 12.

Barrow County students from all three high schools were given the opportunity to attend the Healthcare Career Fair.

During the event, students met with local industry partners and learned about job opportunities in our community.

Students were able to tour the healthcare facilities and programs at Lanier Tech.

GEORGIA TECHNOLOGY STUDENT ASSOCIATION (TSA) STATE LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE
Posted March 18, 2024
 

Congratulations to our students who placed at the Georgia Technology Student Association (TSA) State Leadership Conference! More than 3,000 competitors from across the state participated in the event at the Classic Center on March 16, 2024.

Three Winder-Barrow High School projects and one Apalachee High School project were awarded top-three trophies. This advances these students to the National Championship in Orlando this summer!

Winder-Barrow's TSA Chapter brought 16 competitors to the State Leadership Conference. The WBHS team put in hundreds of hours and showed up well-prepared to compete in a wide range of events. The chapter finished the conference with nine semi-finalists qualifying for Nationals!

11th Place- Manufacturing Prototype

• Tripp Britt

3rd Place- Animatronics

• Logan Bane
• Jean Pierre de la Reza

2nd- Architectural Design

• Corey Plack
• Chase Barron
• Imani Licea
• Carlos Montalvo-Pichardo
• Nathan Page

1st- Transportation Modeling

• Connor Manning, (Back-to-back State Champion and 2023 National Champion)

Also advancing to the TSA National Championship from Apalachee High School's Chapter is Aidan Russell. Aidan was awarded 3rd place in CAD Engineering and a top 10 in Transportation Modeling.

The Barrow Arts & Sciences Academy Chapter sent twelve competitors in nine events and had several students finish in the top twenty.

AHS SKILLSUSA STATE LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE
Posted February 29, 2024

Apalachee High School's SkillsUSA attended the SkillsUSA State Leadership Conference. The conference was held on February 22-24 at the Georgia World Congress Center.

SkillsUSA is part of a national student organization to prepare youth for high performance employment opportunities in an industrial and technical workforce. Students enrolled in a Career Technical Education (CTE) class are encouraged to participate in SkillsUSA.

AHS was recognized as a Quality Chapter and received Bronze Chapter of Distinction.

Amanda Pugh was selected as SkillsUSA Georgia Advisor of the Year.

"I was really surprised to receive the SkillsUSA Georgia Advisor of the Year Award. There are a lot of great SkillsUSA Advisors in the state and to be selected was very surreal," said Pugh.

There were 41 AHS students to attend the State Conference this year. AHS SkillsUSA competed in thirty competitions, some competing in multiple competitions.

"I watched our students cheer on one another and give hugs and high fives. No matter where they placed, they are all champions, because they took pride in their competitions," said Pugh.

Iyah Brewer sang The National Anthem at the Opening Session. 

Koreen Mathis served as a SkillsUSA State Officer and greeted Superintendent Wood on stage.

Nic Centeno and Isabel won first place Trial Advocacy at the conference. The pair competed in a competition created to provide members with an opportunity to develop and demonstrate basic trial advocacy skills, experience trial preparation, and participate in portions of mock trials. The pair also had to take a written test to demonstrate legal and trial knowledge.

Genevieve Agyemang won first place Communication Skills for ninth and tenth grade. Genevieve had to participate in an online assessment to test her basic grammar and spelling skills and competency. In addition, she had to complete a submission of a handwritten response to a professional or SkillsUSA related question to evaluate written expression skills.

Nic Centeno also won second place in Applied Communication Skills for eleventh and twelfth grade. Nic had to complete an online multiple choice assessment covering grammar and spelling.

Destinii Cadel and Iyah Brewer won second place in Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). The competition provides members with an opportunity to develop and demonstrate knowledge and skills they will need to respond to their community's immediate needs in the aftermath of a disaster.

Marcelo Macias won second place in Employment Application Process. The competition tests readiness in applying for employment and understanding of the process.

Andy Serrato, Emily Fowler, and Anthony Vasquez won second place in School Project. The competition is to encourage teamwork among students for a common goal. The team had to develop a project plan and proposal before the implementation process.

Congratulations to all AHS' SkillsUSA participants!

JOB SHADOWING WITH GEORGIA POWER
Posted November 1, 2023

Two Apalachee High School students sparked a deeper interest in engineering after participating in the “Careers in Energy Week” Job Shadow Day program through Georgia Power. This opportunity focused on matching female students with female engineers for them to observe a “day in the life” firsthand.

Georgia Power Athens Distribution Engineer Representative Emma Lucciola says, "Encouraging female engineers is vital to bring diverse perspectives and challenge gender biases in the field, in a primarily male dominated industry. It fosters innovation, economic growth, and social progress by tapping into a broader talent pool. Female engineers serve as role models, address societal needs, and contribute to more equitable and effective problem-solving in engineering. At the end of the day, it's about making engineering more diverse and better for everyone."

Senior Myranda Carew and Junior Nicole Centeno Romero spent the day gaining a better understanding of the engineering field, skills, and interests. The experience is aimed at helping students make more informed decisions about their career paths.

Nicole says, “I enjoyed going out to the job sites to see what the linemen do. It was fun and informative to see the concepts our engineers explained playing out before our eyes. I think I'm more interested in engineering after this experience. Before, I liked engineering but was unsure what a job in that field might entail. I wasn't keen on a job where I'd be in an office all day with only calculations and drawings as company, but I also didn't want to be outside doing physical labor all day either. The role of the women we shadowed is a nice in-between where they create designs in-office but go out to work with the job sites as well.”

AHS Work-Based Learning Coordinator Miranda Deaton and Engineering Teacher Teresa Johnson helped connect the students to this opportunity.

Thank you to our Barrow County School System Partner in Education Pal Georgia Power and their Education and Workforce Development team for providing this experience for aspiring engineers.

CTAE STUDENTS EXCEL IN OFFICER TRAINING

Posted August 29, 2023
 

The Career Technical Student Organization (CTSO) officer training program held at Camp Twin Lakes at Fort Yargo proved to be a remarkable success. Students from the Barrow Arts & Sciences Academy and Apalachee and Winder-Barrow High Schools gathered over two days to enhance their leadership skills and gain valuable insights about their CTSO roles.

The intensive training program, facilitated by Camp Twin Lakes professionals and experienced mentors, provided students with a unique opportunity to further develop their leadership abilities. Through a series of interactive workshops, engaging discussions, and team-building activities, participants gained a deeper understanding of the responsibilities associated with their CTSO positions.

Students participated in workshops covering a wide range of topics, including effective communication strategies, planning and management, budgeting, and public speaking.

Barrow County School System Career Technical Agricultural Education Director and Sims Academy CEO Dr. Jennifer Wood, says, "These invaluable skills will undoubtedly prepare them to excel in their CTSO roles and beyond. The success of the officer training program at Camp Twin Lakes is a testament to the dedication and enthusiasm of the participating students. The skills and knowledge gained during this immersive experience will undoubtedly contribute to their success in their respective CTSO roles and future careers."