LaKeitha Weston, former Assistant Principal for Curriculum and  Instruction at Peach County High School, has been named Executive Director and Principal of  the Central Georgia Technical College (CGTC) Academy. The academy is a new initiative within  the Technical College System of Georgia, allowing students ages 16-21, to earn an accredited  Georgia high school diploma through dual credit programming. 

“Ms. Weston comes with a wealth of knowledge and experience having worked in three  different K-12 school districts,” said Dr. Craig Jackson, the Vice President for Student Affairs at  CGTC. “As an Assistant Principal she has served in developing curriculum and working with  students who have fallen behind in their high school journey. The College is excited to have Ms.  Weston on board and looking forward to working with her as she launches CGTC Academy to  become the premier program of its kind.” 

In the 2021 session, the Georgia Legislature approved SB 204 which provides for five pilot Dual  Achievement Programs at technical colleges across the state. CGTC is the only middle Georgia  college selected to provide this program. As director, Weston is responsible for coordinating  the implementation of the Dual Achievement Program (DAP) at CGTC. 

“Being a part of the first CGTC Academy also known as the Dual Achievement Program is a great  honor. I wanted to be a part of the positive movement that Central Georgia Technical College is  making locally, statewide and globally,” said Weston, Executive Director and Principal of the  CGTC Academy. “The impact I am hoping to make; is to provide a quality second chance  program that will give students an opportunity to earn a high school diploma, as well as  acquisition of high demand job skills. This second chance will help the community by inserting  young adults into the business and industry workforce with better job opportunities who would  not have been granted this opportunity in a traditional school setting.” 

Students must be age 16 and must have completed certain ninth and tenth grade courses at  their local high school. In order to graduate with a high school diploma, students will use a  combination of secondary credit and college-level credit for completion of either two technical  certificates, a diploma, or an associate’s degree.

Weston began her role with CGTC March 14th. At PCHS, she was responsible for planning and  curriculum for academic, CTAE, and athletic programs; faculty and staff evaluations; course  master scheduling; and delivering and facilitating professional learning opportunities.  Additionally, she served as the coordinator for Gifted programs, Advanced Placement, Dual  Enrollment programs, and the STAR Student and Governor’s Honors programs. She also worked  with assessment, data analysis, and credit recovery and remediation for PCHS. 

Before entering administration, Weston began her career as a middle and high school math  teacher in the Thomaston-Upson School System. She has also taught math in the Houston  County School System and served as a system-level math instructional coach and Assistant  Principal for Instruction for the Houston County Crossroads Center. 

CGTC expects to begin accepting students for the Academy for Fall 2022.