A.Z. Kelsey Academy held its first College Day Wednesday at the school.

“We want to expose our students to a lot of ‘firsts.’ We want them to have firsthand information to make good choices and be competitive with other students,” said A.Z. Kelsey Guidance Counselor and Intervention Coordinator Shelley Lawyer, who had the idea for the event.

All Kelsey students, grades nine through 12, participated in College Day, as representatives from the U.S. Army and six colleges and universities — Southern Crescent Technical College, Middle Georgia College, Fort Valley State University, Gordon College, Georgia Perimeter College and Clayton State University — told students about their offerings.

“We want our kids to be interested in college,” said Lawyer. “There are several postsecondary options, and college is one of them.”

In fact, she added, some students who are expected to graduate this May completed applications to college at the event — after learning about program availability and admission requirements. Lawyer said she felt some students left the event truly believing that they can go to college.

“It was well-received by the students, as this is the first college fair that many have attended,” Lawyer said, adding that hearing about college possibilities from actual representatives might motivate students to excel academically to meet college entrance requirements.

“We want our students to have the same opportunities that students in the other high schools have,” Lawyer said, “and we work hard to make that happen.”