By Daniel Manetin & Kunmi Dosunmu

When IA’s first student year started in 2021, Georgia Tech Block was the school’s pinnacle course, providing introductory material from the institution’s engineering, information technology, and healthcare content to its students. Every year since, incoming freshmen have been enrolled in GT Block, taking in the ways of each of IA’s pathways, taught year-round. However, even in the few years of its existence, the course has already taken up changes in both content and reputation. From class rotations and weekly structure to projects and hands-on learning, no freshman or faculty has experienced GT Block the same every year.

One of the changes made to GT Block has been the shift from daily class rotations to a weekly rotation. As explained by Mr. Jeremy Fouts, a Healthcare teacher with 3 years of GT Block experience, “The biggest schedule change we did… roughly two years ago is we changed the rotation schedule from a daily rotation to a weekly rotation,” which allows for GT Block students more time to properly grasp concepts in a given pathway. Additionally, Mr. Fouts mentioned that “[the students] only have one assignment for GT Block typically to do a week, as opposed to having three almost on a daily basis, so they greatly appreciate that.” While these changes haven’t majorly affected the class and its learning value, they have greatly helped to ease the stress on freshmen, lowering the extreme time expectations of keeping up with three rapid-paced classes all at once.

GT Block projects are some of the many highlights of the courses identity and IA is always improving them. As interpreted from Natish, one of our esteemed 9th grade students partaking in the GT Block course, “GT block was normal and stuff. Now there’s like, aluminum boats we get to learn about, making boats…making our own prototypes and products.” Natish appreciates that they’re now in a place where they get to learn as they actively create and experience each of the pathways. In response to the course’s designated assignments, Natish added, “I like it. I have learned a lot, I learned to put more effort in my work, more time and this is all new to me. I’ve never done engineering, so its cool we get to do this.”

The Georgia Tech Block is the life of Innovation Academy’s courses as its the main entrance into their major pathway’s. In order to do so, the class needs to bring a lot to the table, be flexible to changes that previous students want their following attendees to experience and to step-up their encouragement of students to start enjoying and benefitting from their classes. 5 years of GT Block and its become basically unrecognizable than what it was since 2021. Rotating instructors weekly, different yet equally inspiring instructors, assignments that evolve for the next generation, culminating into a milestone course that ages gracefully.