Chamber Connection Issue 7 DawsonCo-Newsletter_Vol7_3-0 | Page 6

The Dawson County Education Perspective Continued from page 1 the district to provide an earlier focus on career path- ways with eighth and ninth grade students and provide increased opportunities for students to earn college credit while enrolled in high school. The Vaperz Den The Vaperz Den offers mods, e-liquids and accessories for the beginning vaper through the experienced hobbyist. The store is owned by Jamie Wheatley and located at 391 Quill Lane, Suite 130. For more information call 706-216-1687 or visit www.thevaperzden.com. Cooper and Company General Contractors Inc. Cooper and Company General Contractors Inc. is celebrating its 50th year in business. Cooper and Company offers full commercial construction services. They are located at 304 Tribble Gap Road, Suite 100. For more information call, 770-888-2650 or visit www.coopergc.com Clear Comms Clear Comms is owned by Rob Neidlinger and has been in business since 1995. Clear Comms provides exceptional services in telecommunications, video cabling and signal support. For more information visit www.clearcomms.net or email [email protected] 6 | Dawson County Chamber of Commerce The system is gearing up to roll out Phase 2 of the 1:1 iPad initiative. Teachers and students will be pro- vided with iPads to be used for educational purposes in alignment with the system’s mission, vision, and commitments. The goal of the 1:1 iPad Initiative is to prepare students to be college and career ready and provide more opportunities for personalized learning. The Phase 2 rollout will be for grades K-5 following last year’s rollout in sixth through eighth grades. Grades 10-12 will be phased in next year. Various facilities projects and improvements have been underway this summer, including the comple- tion of parking lot renovations at Dawson County High that will provide additional parking, allow for more bus loading capacity, and will allow the school to better secure the campus during school hours. The construction of a new JROTC facility is also underway at DCHS. The new facility includes 15,000 square feet of space that will include two classrooms, dressing areas and a large shooting range on the lower level. It is a state-of-the-art facil- ity that will provide an opportunity for the JROTC program to flourish in Dawson County. The previ- ous JROTC area in the main building will be reno- vated in the future to provide additional Career and Technical Education opportunities. Finally, a drive- way at Hightower Academy was added to provide access directly from Highway 9. The first day of school for students was August 3, 2017.