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college’s selective health care programs (like nursing),” Mark says. CCCC plans to expand further in Chatham with additional facilities at the Siler City Center and Chatham Main Campus sites to accommodate the growing health care, construction, advance manufacturing and information technology industries in the region, Mark says. More schools plan on opening in the upcoming year. Chatham Grove Elementary opened in August 2020, and Seaforth High School is slated to open in the fall this year.
help students learn how to think. We definitely teach skills … especially in our applied science programs. We’re still teaching demonstrative skills that employers want to know that the students can do. On top of that, we’re teaching students to learn how to learn, so as their particular fields change and evolve, they can evolve with it.” To that end, the college opened the Chatham Health Science Center to students in January 2020. “Curriculum program[s] include medical assisting, health information technology, health and fitness science, general education and pre-health sciences courses to prepare students for admission into the
Thales Academy, an independent college
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHATHAM COUNTY SCHOOLS
Industrial Education Center in 1961 and offered programming in Chatham County starting in 1964. In 1976, the Chatham County Board of Education provided the Paul Braxton School in Siler City for the college’s use. In 1992, the first collegeowned CCCC campus site was built and opened in Pittsboro, and the college has expanded its physical presence to Siler City and to north Chatham since that time. “We want to improve people’s abilities to be mobile in the economy,” says Dr. Mark Hall, the CCCC provost for Chatham County. “We’re trying to
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prep school, plans to open in the Vineyards neighborhood of Chatham Park in July 2021. It’s being built to accommodate all 12 grades and kindergarten on a yearround curriculum, but the school will offer kindergarten through third grade in its first year, adding subsequent grades in future years. It’s evident that Chatham County residents appreciate where they’ve been and are ready for the challenges ahead, whatever the next chapter brings. “I meet a lot of former students who think they had a lot of opportunities back then,” Gene says, “and that means a lot to me. I treasure that. I’m glad of it.” CM
FEBRUARY / MARCH 2021
Representatives from the Chatham County Board of Education and the Chatham County Board of Commissioners celebrate the opening of Chatham Grove Elementary School with a ribbon cutting. Chatham Grove shares spaces, such as a gymnasium, with Chatham County Parks and Recreation. “We are very fortunate here in Chatham to have such a positive relationship between the county and school system,” says Chatham County Board of Commissioners Chair Mike Dasher. “We look forward to collaborating on future projects as our community continues to grow.”