Thursday March 28th, 2024 9:12AM

15-year-old Mountain Ed. valedictorian enrolls at UNG

By Austin Eller News Director

Sydnee Poore, the 2021 Mountain Education Charter High School valedictorian recently enrolled at the University of North Georgia after graduating from high school three years early.

Poore, 15, said it took a lot of extra work over her time at Mountain Education, but she was able to get ahead due to the structure of the curriculum at the school which allows students to go at their own pace. 

"It's a really good option for people who may not want to be in a traditional school or comfortable in a traditional school setting," Poore said.

However, Poore said it was not always her plan to graduate this early, or even attend Mountain Education at all. In fact, she said she was planning to continue her schooling in the Lumpkin County Public School system. Her plans changed once the coronavirus pandemic hit in the spring of 2020. 

"I really like extracurriculars like volleyball and chorus, so when corona came and those weren't really going to be like valid options," Poore said. "That's kind of when I realized that either way I wasn't going to be able to do that."

With that in mind, Poore decided to switch to Mountain Education and put her focus on her education during a period when many extracurriculars were on hold due to the pandemic.

Sydnee Poore's father, Craig Poore, and their family were also instrumental in Sydnee's decision to switch to Mountain Education. Craig Poore, who is currently a site coordinator at Pioneer RESA and a board member of the Lumpkin County Board of Education, is also a graduate from Mountain Education.

"I'm very proud of her, she worked very hard," Craig Poore said. "She was always very scheduled on what she did."

The family ties do not stop there, however. Sydnee's grandmother Barbara Poore has years of experience as a teacher at Mountain Education.

Sydnee Poore is now focusing on her college degree in English education at the University of North Georgia. She may be considerably younger than her classmates, but so far, she said she has not told anyone that she graduated from high school three years early.

"It's all online, so I really haven't had that much interaction, but I think think that they know of my age," Sydnee Poore said.

While Sydnee was able to get ahead of her peers thanks to Mountain Education, Craig Poore said the school can help students in several different ways. In fact, he said he did not originally finish his high school diploma, and eventually went back to finish school at Mountain Education.

"I'm truly blessed and thankful for all that the program has done for my family," Craig Poore said.

 

  • Associated Categories: Homepage, Local/State News
  • Associated Tags: ung, University of North Georgia, Mountain Education Charter High School, Mountain Education, Mountain Ed, MECHS, M.E.C.H.S., Valedictorian
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