Educational opportunities in Savannah, GA are as diverse as its population.  The list below includes information and periodic updates that can help you find classes (degreed and enrichment only) on everything from cooking to flying a Cessna!.  Prepare yourself for the workplace or add more enriching skills to your repertoire!

Email SavannahCityDirectory.com if you would like to include your learning establishment on our varied list of growth opportunities.

 

Aviation Schools: 

Savannah Aviation:

Savannah International Airport

34 Hangar Rd.

912-964-1022

Attend Flight School and receive training that includes computer based instruction and flying a two seat Cessna 150 Aerobat.

 

Computer Training: 

PST Technology, Development and Training:

Get certified Microsoft training.  Full range of classes available.

 

Cooking Schools:

 

700 Kitchen Cooking School:

700 Drayton Street, 31401

912-238-5158

Learn to cook from Chef Darin Sehert, a  previous Walt Disney World Resort chef instructor and the current Culinary Director at 700 Kitchen Cooking School.

 

Chef Joe Randall’s Cooking School: 

5409 Waters Avenue, 31404

912-303-0409

Learn to make savory dishes that reflect the heritage and expertise of Chef Joe Randall.  Classes in Caribbean cuisine begin June 23, 2008.  Visit the Chef’s website for a full list of classes, recipes, gift certificates and more.

 

Driving Schools:

Abercorn Driving Academy: 

5501 Abercorn Street, 31404

912-356-9999

Receive State licensed defensive driving classes, juvenile driving school lessons, and more.  Teens can receive discounts on auto insurance upon class completion.  DUI classes are also available.

 

Homework Assistance:

Homework assistance in reading, language arts and mathematics available at various locations around Savannah from 2:45-6:15 p.m. Mon.-Thurs. for students in grades 1-12, ages 6-18. Trained tutors, computer availability, instruction materials and a snack are provided each afternoon. Call (912) 351-3842 for more information.

 

 

Models and Talent Schools:

Halo Models & Talent

Corner of Bull and Anderson St.

Phone: (912) 231-2711

Beginning and advanced classes in public speaking, modeling, acting, etc. 

 

Vocational Schools:

 

Job Corporation Admissions

18 Commerce Place Suite A, 31406

912-351-0710

Services—Education, Technical

 

Savannah Technical College:

5717 White Bluff Road
Savannah, GA 31405-5521
912-443-5700

Savannah Technical College offers Technical Certificates, Degrees, and Diplomas in many different programs, all designed to prepare you for the work place.

 

Chatham County Education

K-12

 

The Savannah-Chatham County Public School System comprises over fifty area schools (K-12). Additional specialty programs focus on particular areas of study.  The Performance Arts Academy at Savannah High, for example, requires an audition for acceptance. Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Thomas B. Lockamy, Jr. can be reached at 208 Bull Street, 31401—912-201-5600.  For information regarding communications and community engagement, contact Bucky Burnsed, Director of Communications and Media Relations, at 912-201-5656. 

 

Private school education is also available for those who choose it. Savannah Country Day (PK-12) has the highest academic reputation in Chatham County. Limited Kindergarten space is available for the 2007-2008 year, but you will find open house and testing dates for 2008-2009 available at their web site. Upon acceptance, there are opportunities for need-based financial aid. With SAT scores averaging over 1300, Savannah Country Day students live up to their school motto: Responsibility, Reverence, and Tolerance.

 

The two major Catholic High Schools are Benedictine Military School (for boys) and St. Vincent’s Academy (for girls).  For those seeking Baptist instruction, Bible Baptist, Calvary Baptist and Memorial Day School are popular choices.  Savannah Christian Preparatory School is the most highly attended faith-based high school.  An adjunct campus midtown contributes to its high student count.  St. Andrew’s School is also an Independent PK-12 school, scenically located on Wilmington Island. 

 

For online articles about private school education and financial aid, check out Private School Review.  You can also read over parent comments at greatschools.  This site also gives you the tools to compare schools nationwide.

 

AASU Armstrong Center: Accommodating Excellence
By Jane Martin

If you haven’t had an opportunity to check out the newest addition to Armstrong’s expanding campus, now is the time. The new building is functional, comfortable, and technologically in tune with the digital age.

According to Peter Mastopoulos, Assistant Director for Operations, this extensive, up-to-date facility, contracted by Choate Construction and designed by architects Lotte and Barber, maintains its operations through public/private partnership, and, as such, is not funded by tax payers’ dollars. (Courses offered at the facility are for non-credited enrichment only.) Although the building consists of only two floors, its perimeter is wide and makes constructive use of all its space.

The center’s first floor attends to the majority of its clients’ needs, providing all the equipment and space needed for nearly any professional event. The Lobby itself measures 5000 square feet and can hold up to 500 people. A marble floor and dual ascending staircases provide a spacious modern elegance. Class, or “Meeting” rooms, are also available on this floor, as well as computer labs and a “Main Ballroom,” where catered food can be served for up to 600 people. The second floor houses a multi-tiered auditorium that can hold nearly 300 people.

Local companies like Comcast, Chik-Fil-A, and Dan Vaden, Peter says, are good examples of the types of clients who frequent the facility. Professional development groups, software development companies, as well as those seeking a place for honor ceremonies, also make good use of the facility. Wireless Internet is available throughout.

Stop by AASU’s Armstrong Center soon and pick up a comprehensive information package, or take the tour, as SavannahCityDirectory.com staff did, and experience firsthand their generous layout and accommodations. Staff planners are also available to customize your event or classroom objectives.

*Special thanks to Peter Mastopoulos. Additional information obtained from AASU Continuing Education and facility brochure.

Contact Info:
AASUArmstrong Center
1340 Abercorn Street
Savannah, GA 31419-1997
On the web: www.ce.armstrong.edu

Questions & Answers
(Felix Hamza-Lup, AASU, Felix.Hamza-Lup@armstrong.edu)

by Jane Martin

Dr. Felix G. Hamza-Lup, an Assistant Professor at Armstrong Atlantic State University and an Associate Director of ODA Spectrum Laboratories, is currently working with his research team to explore ways of using 3D computer technology to improve how radiation is used in the treatment of cancer, thanks to a $30,000 grant from the Radiological Society of North America. Dr. Hamza-Lup graciously took time from his busy schedule to respond to a few questions from the SavannahCityDirectory.com & Savannah Gazette.

1. At what point in your education did you know you were going into the sciences?

I realized that I enjoyed solving 3D Geometry problems since the 8th grade and I always felt an attraction for Physics, its phenomena and the way Physical sciences explained them. So I guess I was "doomed" to get into sciences quite young.

2. What is the sequence of events that led you to Armstrong Atlantic State University?

Not a particular sequence of events. Just that I spent several years in the beautiful and warm South (i.e. Florida) during my doctorate studies so I decided to return from the Pittsburgh area where I had my previous academic appointment. The Computer Science department at AASU had an open position at that time and I was selected out of a pool of applicants for an interview. It was an opportunity to enjoy exchanging ideas with my future colleagues and I guess enjoyment was mutual.

3. Can you tell the average reader a little bit about your research?

A significant part of my research revolves around simulation and training systems for the medical field and K16 education. I am applying and expanding my expertise in multimodal environments, computer mediated environments that use several human senses ( e.g. visual, auditory, haptic) to improve human computer interaction. Haptics involves the tactile sense and is particularly interesting to simulate. Haptic hardware technology has advanced enough to make these devices affordable on a large scale. At the end of this year we have seen for the first time a large scale distribution of haptic devices through games and gaming applications ( e.g. Falcon™ Novint). Such technology can be used for simulation of complex medical procedures (e.g. laparoscopic surgery, plastic surgery, etc.) and medical personnel training. Other fields may benefit from the technology, too. We have recently developed a prototype called HaptEK16 (Haptic Environments for K16, http://www.armstrong.edu/felix/news) in an effort to improve the high-school students' learning efficiency and stimulate their interest.

4. How does your research stand to change existing paradigms?

The ultimate goal of my research is to optimize the transfer and expansion of knowledge from one generation to the next by identifying deficient areas and applying state-of-the-art technology and research to provide the best solution for our time.

5. Are you still teaching in the classroom? Take us through a typical working day at Armstrong—teaching and research.

Yes, I am teaching. Actually, I spend a significant amount of time in the classroom. My working day at Armstrong starts with a set of research project management tasks I have to attend to in the morning, then I usually concentrates on research: reading papers or discussions with my student research assistants. In the afternoon I focus on class work and office hours.

6. What's most frustrating and rewarding about your work?

Everything that falls under the research "umbrella" can be frustrating just because it is a leap into the unknown that has a high chance to fail. Most of the people do not fully comprehend that while mankind evolution has occurred through research, it is a difficult process paved with a large number of obstacles. Somebody said once: "Research is the act of going up alleys to see if they are blind" and they are right. Rewarding? Well how about this: "Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought". My work offers me the satisfaction to bring my contribution to the progress in the fields of education and medical training.

7. Have you ever been influenced by the Arts? (literature, music, painting, etc…)

Absolutely. We are endowed with reason and spirit. What are we without Arts? Nothing, just pieces of dead metal. Arts are fundamental to the understanding of the world, of the human being, of our evolution and existence. I believe there is a very close connection between arts and sciences, they complement each other, and they could not exist without each other.

8. What was the first make and model of a computer that you liked? Did you ever play computer games? Which ones?

ZX Spectrum and 8-bit personal computer, released initially in the United Kingdom by Sinclair Research Ltd in the 80s. Yes, of course I used to play computer games… I still do sometimes. Which ones? Too many… all of them … ;)

9. Where do you like to go for dinner or lunch in Savannah?

I enjoy the Market Place in cool evenings. Sometimes there is a band playing there.

10. What's on your ipod right now?

I do not have an ipod.

11. What was the best advice you were ever given?

I'm not sure if this was advice or I just read it somewhere, but here it is: do not do what people say, just listen to them, and do what you feel is best.

Armstrong Atlantic State University:
Delightful Offerings for the Mind and Eye

by David Norman

Located at 11935 Abercorn Street, about five miles east of I-95, Armstrong Atlantic State University enchants locals and tourists alike with its meticulous landscaping and informative and entertaining diversions, while providing students and academics the 21^st century tools they need for serious study.  The campus, a 268-acre arboretum, thrives with the plants, shrubs, and trees typical of Georgia’s coastal evergreen forests as well as a Camelia garden, a Ginger garden, and five others.  The architecture is classically inspired and there are ten lighted tennis courts, a volleyball court, an indoor pool, a student recreation center, and an on-campus Starbucks. 

Founded in 1935 as a two-year college, Armstrong eventually grew to occupy seven buildings in the downtown area around Forsyth Park and Monterey Square.  The original home site for AASU was the Italian Renaissance Armstrong House, which had been donated by the family of George Ferguson Armstrong, a prominent Savannah businessman.  By 1966, the school had moved to its present location, thanks to a gift from the Mills B. Lane Foundation and Donald Livingston.  By then, it had transformed into a four-year college.  As part of the University System of Georgia, AASU was granted university status in 1996 and currently has nearly 800 faculty and staff and over 6800 students.  With more than seventy-five academic programs and majors, including doctoral programs in Physical Therapy and Nursing, Armstrong is still growing, having recently added a Cyber Security program and expanded its residence halls to accommodate 856 students, with plans to grow even more in the coming years. 

With all of the school’s growth, it’s not surprising that Armstrong’s impact on the community has blossomed as well.  A typical day or evening might find students, faculty, and campus visitors queuing up for Paula Vogel’s Pulitzer Prize winning comedy How I Learned to Drive, performed by the school’s own Masquers in the Jenkins Auditorium, or settling in for a jazz performance by the renowned Ben Tucker Trio, or even strolling through an exhibit of Savannah artist June Stratton’s work in the school’s Art Gallery.  Not only is there a wealth of cultural activities awaiting those coming to visit the Armstrong campus, but many are free and the remainder require only a nominal charge.  In addition, the school’s Continuing Education program offers numerous, enriching non-credit courses at a very low cost to tempt knowledge-seekers in the surrounding community. 

For information about upcoming cultural activities, check back at www.SavannahCityDirectory.com or visit Armstrong’s extensive website at www.armstrong.edu.  For those who would like a virtual tour of the campus, check out www.eCampustours.com.   And for a directed tour of the campus, call 1-800-633-2349 or make a reservation through the campus website under “Learn More About AASU” (www.es.armstrong.edu/admissions/tour.htm).
Those with disabilities that require special accommodations should contact the office at least a week in advance. 

Whether you’re a prospective student, a life-long resident, or just visiting lovely Savannah, you owe yourself a trip out to Armstrong Atlantic State University to partake in its many offerings.

Undergraduate Admissions: 912-344-2503 or (800)-633-2349

Graduate enrollment services: 912-344-2798

Housing and Resident Life: 912-344-2940

Financial aid: 912-344-3266