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For
years, Georgia students have learned
about the official state bird (Brown
Thrasher), the state flower (Cherokee
Rose), the state tree (Live Oak) and
the state song ( Georgia On My
Mind ). The newest generation
of Georgia students will also have
the opportunity to learn about our
new official state school, Plains
High School in Plains, Georgia.
Virtually
every Georgian over the age of 10
already knows that Plains High School
was the school attended by the only
Georgia native ever to become president
of the United States, James Earl (Jimmy)
Carter Jr. Our nation's 39th president
was a student at Plains High School
from 1930 to 1941 (grades 1-11) and
credits the education he received
there with inspiring him to look beyond
the environs of his hometown and state.
 Fittingly,
this new state school is much more
than just a building to place on the
itinerary of tourists. It is an educational
resource for students from all over
Georgia.
An
educational program was started at
the school during the 1996-97 school
year through a partnership of the
Georgia Department of Education, Sumter
County Schools and the National Park
Service. The program is designed for
students to come to the museum and
spend the entire day learning in the
same setting that challenged Pres.
and Mrs. Carter to excel.
A
special curriculum has been developed
that integrates many of the same techniques
that made Plains High School a model
in the State of Georgia in the 1930s.
The building has been meticulously
restoured to its origianl condition,
and the classroom used for the lessons
is designed to look like a classroom
from 1937 when Carter was in the seventh
grade.
Article
courtesy of PAGE ONE Magazine.
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