CALHOUN - Effingham College and Career Academy was named the College and Career Academy of the Year on Tuesday, Oct. 25 in Calhoun by Lt. Governor Casey Cagle at his Ninth Annual Business and Education Summit in Calhoun.

The Lt. Governor hosts the summit each year at a college and career academy in the state and gives out the College and Career Academy of the Year award and the Business Partner of the Year.

ECCA is currently in just the second year of operation and has students in the ninth and tenth grades from both Effingham County High School and South Effingham High School attend.

“Effingham College and Career Academy exemplifies the type of success a school system can achieve when they fully embrace innovative ideas inside and outside the classroom,” Lt. Governor Casey Cagle said. “With over 50 educational and community partnerships, Effingham leaders have drastically increased student achievement. They lead students into the 21st century dynamic workforce with numerous pathways designed for the specific needs of their employers.”

The award came as a bit of a shock to ECCA CEO, Dr. Barbara Prosser.

“I was surprised but I am very, very honored,” Prosser said. “This is a great honor for us.”

Prosser said that to apply for the award, prospective college and career academies filled out an application on the Lt. Governor’s website and that the summit is held every year.

“He gives this award out every year prior to his annual business summit,” Prosser said. “This year, it was held at the Georgia Northwestern Technical College Campus in Calhoun.”

ECCA is one of 37 college and career academies in Georgia and was honored above all others.

“This is just a great honor for us to be designated as the College and Career Academy of the Year by the Lt. Governor,” Prosser said. “The Lt. Governor is the person most responsible for college and career academies being established in the state. He looks at the college and career academy network and supports it as a partnership between our local community leaders, our school systems and our technical colleges as well as our universities.”

Prosser added that the award is a testament to more than just ECCA.

“This shows the support we have from our businesses, community, citizens and all of our students,” Prosser said. “This is a great honor.”

ECCA’s mission statement is “To create a high tech career focus to better serve our team members’ needs for those entering directly into the workforce from high school and those planning further post-secondary options.”

Prosser delivered the news to attendees of the Live, Laugh and Learn event held at ECCA on Thursday.