As the 2025 school year neared its ending, the Cobb County School District (CCSD) decided that starting with the 2025 fall semester, NC would implement several changes in hopes of improving the school. These switches included reattributing the NC magnet program leader from James Auld to Dr. Elizabeth Jamison, promoting David Bell to assume the position of principal in place of Matthew Moody and in turn, promoting the former principal as the assistant superintendent of Cobb County. NC students of all grades responded differently to these changes implemented by the CCSD. In contrast, widespread frustration flooded the school due to the CCSD’s final alteration: the removal of the architecture and engineering Career Technology and Agricultural Education (CTAE) pathways.
NC’s pathways exist as consecutive courses in certain specifications, such as audio-video technology, construction and culinary arts. These classes allow students to further their high school experience and look exceptional on college applications by diving into their future career path. After successfully completing a pathway, students showcase their learning through the End of Pathway Assessment (EOPA), which allows them to receive a certificate of completion and a cord on graduation day.
“I am infuriated with schools repeatedly trading STEM pathways for sports. Of course, sports and athleticism are important, but many kids have now lost the opportunity to get ahead in life on an engineering pathway. I hope schools come to realize that just because sports extracurriculars bring in more money, it does not mean they are more important,” magnet Junior Airabella Brown said.
Architecture and engineering remain in high demand as career choices, so the announcement of the class losses broke hearts all throughout NC, as students could no longer work toward their goals. The news of the change spread at the end of the 2025 spring semester, quickly infiltrating social media, which expedited the message of the removal among NC students. One student, magnet senior Collin Thompson, recognized the intensity of the issue and decided to bring matters into his own hands.
“I’ve spoken to some of the freshmen here who I met through the magnet ambassador program, and they stated how they were excited to do CTAE pathways such as engineering (which is also getting cut) and how engineering is actually part of the reason they chose this school. However, these are getting cut, limiting the incentive to even come here as well as opportunities for underclassmen to find a pathway they enjoy and can pursue throughout their high school career. Also, with architecture, certain schools require a portfolio even for undergraduate degrees, and by having that architecture pathway, it definitely provided an advantage for our students here. But now we do not have that advantage anymore to be extra competitive on college applications,” Thompson said.
Thompson created a petition to fight against the removal of the CTAE pathway. The petition circulated on social media sites, especially Instagram, as students reposted the petition on their stories. After nearly a month, the petition accumulated 1,197 signatures, nearly a third of the NC population. Despite the avid requests to return to the class, the pathway remains unavailable.
