Michele Hood, Dean of Ivester Early College.
A MESSAGE FROM Dean Hood
Mrs. Michele Hood began as Dean with Howard E. Ivester Early College at its inception 10 years ago on the main campus in Oakwood. This year Ivester North Campus opened a north campus as well! Dean Hood holds a Bachelor's and Specialist's degrees from the University of Georgia and a Master's from Brenau University. She has been with Hall County Schools since 2006 and has served over 36 years in education.
"I believe Howard E. Ivester Early College campuses are an amazing opportunity for our juniors and seniors in Hall County to pursue college classes and receive high school credit at the same time. The professors from Lanier Tech, UNG, and Brenau teach on our campus with the same expectations and rigor as with their main campus students, and our students do an awesome job with 94% A/B grades and between a 99% - 100% pass rate each semester! Our UGA students travel to the main campus in Athens and have a 100% A/B grade earning. An average of 600 students taking over 1600 classes yearly find rigor and success as they take their first steps toward college and career.
What continues to set our campuses apart are the advisors that believe so deeply in our students and support them towards success and then to their next steps. I believe that students should have continued opportunities to get involved in leadership and career experiences to find their passions and dreams, so we have many ways that students may get involved at IEC and also remain involved at their high school campus.
My favorite day is graduation when our seniors share their next step plans. I am blessed to be a part of their journey and this wonderful Hall County Schools campus of professionals and students!"
Ivester's students
OUR VISION
Our vision is to help students develop into individuals who demonstrate confidence in their abilities to succeed in post secondary education, know how to secure resources for support as needed, can creatively solve problems, display professional soft skills, advocate for themselves, solidify a plan for their future, show grit, and leave Howard E. Ivester Early College with 2 or more DE credit classes towards a certificate, diploma, or degree.
Ivester Students Develop
We look forward to supporting our students and families yearly by providing:
1. Dual Enrollment access to ALL of our academically-ready high school students
2. Transportation
3. Academic support and career guidance
4. Academic degree and certificate opportunities
5. Laptops to students as needed for their yearly DE use
6. Application support for Dual Enrollment-seeking students and seniors transitioning to college
7. Certificate classes that pertain to workforce needs specific to our county
8. Low student to professor ratio as possible
9. A true college setting
10. Intentional support to first generation and diverse college students
11. College and career navigation support
12. Service and leadership opportunities for our students
13. A framework for students to develop effective study habits and time management skills
14. A collaborative atmosphere and/or environment for all stakeholders
15. Soft skill learning opportunities
16. Ivester-Experiences for students to engage in their passion areas
WHY IVESTER?
Hall County’s Howard E. Ivester Early College provides an innovative high school program of choice that creates unique Dual Enrollment (DE) access to college-level academic courses and diverse career pathways for all academically ready students while giving academic support for success.
Howard E. Ivester Early College provides ALL district qualified learners with academic support as needed that includes tutoring, career guidance, and personalized planning to meet college and career goals. Ivester pays attention to all students, but particular attention is noted for the unique needs of our first generation and diverse population students.