Taking on the high school dropout rate

GAINESVILLE - Before they head back to school next fall, students in Gainesville and Hall County will be invited to a Back To School Party where they will be treated to song and dance and a fashion show, and - a pep talk about staying in school.

The Beulah Rucker Museum is taking on the challenge of addressing the high school dropout rate here, noting a U.S. Department of Education report that says there are more than one million students that drop out of high school each nationwide and every year, "a huge number which automatically leads to failure and unemployment for the majority of these individuals."

In the 06-07 school year, 2.9 percent of Georgia's 1.58 million plus students from grades 7-12 dropped out of school, according to information museum officials say is from the state Department of Education's Web site. The percentage increased to 4.1 percent for grades 9-12.

In Gainesville, the rate for grades 7-12 was 4.0, and 9-12 was 6.0. For Hall County, it was 5.2 for 7-12 and 7.1 for 9-12.

"With the school dropout percentage in the area being at an alarming rate, it is incumbent upon organizations such as ours to share in the responsibility, albeit in a small way, to aid educators and school staffers alike to bring this message directly to the students," museum officials say in their latest newsletter.

"With that in mind, we're sponsoring our first Back To School Rally on Aug. 9 at the Georgia Mountains Center (2-5). The purpose of the Back To School Rally is to bring attention to the youth of Gainesville/Hall County and surrounding areas the value and importance of staying in school, and completion of their primary education."

There will be no charge for admission and school supplies will be given to the first 200-300 school kids that enter.

"Our plan is to entertain students from the first through twelfth grades with positive song, dance, fashion and talk. We're inviting informational organizations such as Georgia College 411 which has accepted, to set up booths for parents to aid in the flow of information for the future educational endeavors of their kids. The concept is to use young people to motivate the students."

Beulah Rucker was a Gainesville educator who started the first school for black students in Hall County in the early 20th Century.