Note from Audra: So..it has been three years since I posted the following article. My youngest (Walt) is now a part of this Academy and started a year early with his business Rent-A-Teen. Walt’s business has been wildly successful and there are several other teens in this program with amazing new businesses that I want to keep you aware of. I’ll mention them as I find out about them. Meanwhile, I wanted to remind you about the program and to add that the program has now grown so much that in addition to Steve Fortenberry, Mike Nash, also teaches classes for the Academy of Finance.
Source: Dunwoody School Daze (originally published in May of 2015)
A nice article in the Atlanta Business Chronicle authored by DHS teacher Mr. Steve Fortenberry about the Dunwoody High School Academy of Finance.
One of the most important missions that a high school has is to properly prepare our students for the ever increasingly competitive global workforce.
The Dunwoody High School Academy of Finance looks to fulfill this mission and graduate students who are focused and ready for the challenges that await them. The DHS Academy is a two year program (11th -12th grades) in which students are exposed to many facets of the business environment. It is likened to a “mini” MBA, as students take courses in corporate finance, marketing, entrepreneurship, personal finance, AP macroeconomics and international business. Further, the course is heavy in group projects, team competitions, and interaction with many local business leaders that sharpen the students networking skills. It is a program that provides students with unique experiences and a real world curriculum that allows them to begin to focus in on their potential career path.
The Academy is in its 16th year at Dunwoody. Teaching is a second career for me, having left the business world after 10 years to pursue my passion of teaching. I returned to my alma mater to establish the Academy of Finance after the parent organization, the National Academy Foundation, selected Dunwoody High School to have an Academy. It started with a small group of students in 1999, and has now grown to an Academy that has 95 juniors and 90 seniors.
Click here to read the remainder of the article.
