For Immediate Release
Contact: Valerie Duvall
706.454.1562
valerie.duvall@lakeoconeeacademy.org

LAKE OCONEE ACADEMY FOUNDATION LAUNCHES CAPITAL CAMPAIGN

FOR HIGH SCHOOL EXPANSION

Greensboro, Ga. (February 21, 2017) - The Lake Oconee Academy Foundation hosted another successful Denim and Diamonds fundraiser event on February 18, 2017, at The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee. The annual community event was a celebration of the 10-year anniversary of Lake Oconee Academy (LOA) and an opportunity to announce exciting news regarding the expansion of the LOA high school campus.

LOA's story began in 2007 when eleven kindergarteners and their families walked into a local church to embark on an educational journey that no one knew for sure where it would lead. They had big ideas about what could be accomplished, but probably did not realize success would come so quickly. Those first pioneering Titans opened the doors for the over 800 students who now call this award-winning school home.

However, with such demand for the educational program, LOA has quickly outgrown its four permanent buildings and three large modular units. Present facilities do not have adequate classroom space for the 2018 senior class which will also mark the first graduating class in the history of LOA. With these needs in mind, the LOA Foundation has launched a $2 million capital campaign to provide philanthropic support for the expansion of the LOA high school. The expansion project includes two new buildings that will include seventeen classrooms with two science labs, and a student life center with a cafeteria and a gymnasium. The capital campaign will fund needed items such as advanced technologies, furnishings, safety measures, equipment, and green space for high school students.

The expansion project is funded by the per student state and local allotment and private donations. As stated in the charter renewal contract approved by the Greene County Board of Education (BOE) in 2016, this project will not utilize capital construction funds from the BOE to fund the high school expansion. Supporting the additional needs of the high school through fundraising will make it possible to expand and deliver an outstanding education to children of all abilities, and will leave a legacy that will impact Greene County for generations.

In the coming months, community members will be sharing the story of LOA in support of the school and the capital campaign. The first group presentation of the capital campaign was to the teachers and staff at LOA. The teachers demonstrated their unwavering belief in the educational program of LOA and the school's expansion with 100% participation in the campaign.

LOA hosts monthly tours on the first Monday of every month at 11:00 a.m. Please contact Valerie Duvall to schedule a tour or if you are interested in making a tax-deductible gift to support the expansion of LOA. She can be reached at Valerie.duvall@lakeoconeeacademy.org or by calling the school at 706.454.1562.

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