Students from DeKalb High School of Technology North have benefited from new business partnerships the DeKalb County School System has formed with Silverman Construction and Angela Graham Consulting.
Each of the businesses gave $700 to help send 20 DeKalb students to the National SkillsUSA competition in Kansas City, Mo., this summer. The students are enrolled in career technology education programs at DeKalb High School of Technology North and DeKalb High School of Technology South.
DeKalb High School of Technology North is moving this summer from Dunwoody to Cross Keys High School in Brookhaven.
The 20 students participated in the regional competition at Atlanta Technical College on Feb. 6 and the state competition at the Atlanta Airport Marriott from April 16 to 18.
Representatives from Silverman Construction and Graham Consulting attended Superintendent Crawford Lewis’ State of the System address this past school year, in which he invited business leaders to participate in the school system’s educational programs, including career technology.
Silverman and Graham soon started working with the two DeKalb technology high schools to assist students in the construction classes, and representatives attended the regional and state SkillsUSA competition conferences. They were impressed enough to help the 20 students from DeKalb who placed first in their events at the state level compete nationally.