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At its monthly meeting on Wednesday, the Chambers County School Board approved a name change for the Chambers County Career Technical Center. The new name will be Inspire Academy.

“What we want to do is inspire for the future,” CCCTC Director Ken Sealy said. “You may not want to be an auto technician when you get out of school. You might have found that out because you took an automotive class up there [at CCCTC], or you might want to be an auto technician and you found out because you took that class up there. Whatever we inspire them to do, we want to push them toward a future of success.

“Our current focus is on real-world application; preparing students for the types of technical jobs and positions that are in highest demand. While our original concept continues, we are constantly evolving to meet the demands of the local workforce and beyond.”

The new name was created by the staff of CCCTC and a new design is currently being created. It was unanimously approved by the board.

“We think the name Inspire Academy more closely defines our current mission and the direction we plan to pursue going forward,” Sealy said. “Thanks to a dedicated staff of teachers and instructors, it is truly a place that inspires our local students to push the limits of their creativity and achievement.”

The Chambers County Career Technical Center was founded in 1977. It started as a trade school, offering classes in typing, welding, sewing, among others. Because of technological advances, the classes have now changed. Some of the new classes are computer programming, pre-engineering, nursing and manufacturing technology.

Students that participate in automotive services, manufacturing technology and health services earn duel enrollment credits. Two LaFayette High School students have already earned their short certificate, a certificate that is given if you take only a technical class instead of adding core classes, from Southern Union. Seven students have earned their certified nursing assistant (CNA) through Southern Union.

There are 170 students enrolled in CCCTC’s virtual school program. A total of seven schools, four high schools and three middle schools have students enrolled at CCCTC.

Overall, there are more than 600 students that take career technical classes.

“We really have become that original vision of the area vocational school. We’re serving the entire county,” Sealy said. “That’s what we should be doing.”

The school currently has a graduation rate of 92%.