Mitchel Barrett and the Mountain Education Center High School

This week, member spotlight is on Mitchel Barrett and the Mountain Education Center High School.

MECHS is a collaborative effort of Fannin, Gilmer, Lumpkin, Pickens, Stephens, Towns, Union and White County Schools Systems. The school is an academic, self-paced, individualized, evening high school that serves students who are seeking a non-traditional school environment and who desire a Georgia high school diploma. MECHS also serves students who need to make up missed credit from their regular high school, enabling them to stay on academic track and graduate with their peers.

MECHS is a year-round high school that offers all Georgia required curriculum courses, a variety of vocational courses, and state-mandated testing. The teachers at MECHS are K-12 certified. MECHS maintains a low student-to-teacher ratio and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

To better meet the different learning styles of students, MECHS offers a variety of course formats. Textbooks and textbook packets, the PACE learning system, SuccessMaker, Rosetta Stone, and NovaNET (a web-based computer program) are some of the available instructional formats. All methods provide self-paced, individualized mastery learning. (Students cannot fail a course - material must be mastered before advancing.)

Principal/Superintendent Mitchel Barrett says, “It is my great honor to serve as the superintendent here at the Mountain Education Center High School. I have been educating young people in the Georgia public school system for over thirty-three years and have always believed that every child has the ability to learn if they make the effort and we as educators give them the opportunity.” Barrett received his degrees from Piedmont College, North Georgia State University, and the University of Georgia. He is married with two daughters, one a teacher and one a registered nurse, and two granddaughters.

Union County’s Mountain Education Center High School is located at 218 School Street in Blairsville, Georgia. Hours are Monday through Thursday from 3:30 p.m. to 10:15 p.m. For more information, call (706) 745- 9575 or visit www.mountaineducationcenter.net.