Students from Tri-Cities High School in Fulton County participated in a tour of Arden’s Gardens - a cold-pressed juice company dedicated to providing the highest quality and nutrient-dense product to their customers. It is Atlanta’s premier fresh fruit juice manufacturer and has 16 stores in the Atlanta area. It also distributes to many grocery stores throughout the United States such as Kroger, Publix, Walmart, Whole Foods, etc. These students recently participated in the Manufacturing Institute at their school where they learned the safety standards adhered to by Arden’s Gardens.

On the tour, the students observed the process of cleaning the fruits and vegetables utilized, the process of squeezing them to produce the juice, and the pasteurization process. Besides the safety standards of OSHA and Lean Six Sigma, Arden’s Gardens also has to adhere to Food and Safety regulations set forth by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
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Mr. Robb Wheeler and Ms. Madga Cieciuch were the tour guides. Mr. Robb informed the students about skilled and unskilled positions within their organization. He explained unskilled does not mean that you do not know anything but that you are just not trained for the job yet. The students had many questions and were impressed that this was a family-oriented business. Mr. Robb pointed out that students could begin to work in their stores at age 15 and in their two local manufacturing plants at age 18. All applications are taken online. At the end of the tour, Arden’s Gardens provided the students with a sample of one of their newest products and a bottle of a smoothie to take with them. 

The Georgia High School High Tech program is partnering with the State Farm Foundation to host teen drivers’ education training for twenty Pickens County High School students. The State Farm Good Neighborhood Citizenship grant award has made it possible for students to participate in two drivers training classes in the first and second semester of school year 2022-2023 for twenty students enrolled in the Pickens County High School High Tech program.
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Through the grant, students meet weekly to prepare for the written exam they must pass to obtain their learner’s permit.  At the conclusion of the training, students will be transported by Pickens County School System to the Canton Department of Driver’s Services to take the written test. Mike Chambers with High School High Tech and Pam Jacobs with Pickens County School System are coordinating the training sessions with Ace Driving School and Pickens County High School. Over 90% of these students pass the drivers training test.

Local State Farm representatives Marty Callahan and Alan Horne visited the class to meet the students and present the check. We are thrilled that the Pickens County HSHT students are benefitting from our partnership with the State Farm Foundation.