A local program to help elementary children get “caught up” in reading and math will be presented this month to a group of national educators at a seminar in Atlanta.

“Thrilling Thursdays” was implemented by the staff at Fayetteville Intermediate School to help kids in grades 3-5 catch up with their fellow students in reading and math.

The program was created by Principal Kim Herron and her staff to deal with declining ITBS scores and changing demographics at the Fayetteville Elementary School. Herron presented an outline of the program to the Fayette County Board of Education during its Saturday morning retreat.

The program sets aside one class period on Thursdays for students who have fallen behind to get more intensive studies in reading and math. The other students receive accelerated classes in music, art PE and technology, according to Herron.

The program lets teachers collaborate on lesson plans and provide more of a team effort at the school for both teachers and parents, she added.

School board members were impressed by the program and thanked the school’s staff for coming up with such an innovative program.

In other news from Saturday’s retreat, LaFayette Educational Center Director Ed Steil briefed the board on the success of the various programs at the old Fayette County High School. Steil said more than 1,500 students are taking college classes at the center and he’s rapidly running out of room.

“There’s not a room that’s empty on Tuesday or Thursday nights, so we’ll eventually have to expand to [the new] Fayette County High School,” he said.

The center also offers classes for specific career fields, and Steil said the county is heading back to its agricultural roots, but in a different direction.

“One of the biggest careers in the county is landscaping and we’re re-emphasizing that,” he said.

Steil said the system is also looking at expanding aviation classes, since Clayton County is scaling back on their programs.

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