The team recently met with Brad Thomas of East Kentucky Power to discuss getting resources for the project. They plan to restore all of the remaining buildings to provide a daycare facility, a community garden, a wellness center, performance spaces, venues for artisans and classroom space. The Craft Academy leadership team has big plans for the HGA. Our project is helping the break down those cultural barriers while developing the world around us.” “Many of the students at the Craft Academy come from outside Eastern Kentucky and may not understand the customs of Appalachia or may hold views of the people consistent with the stereotypical moonshiner with soot on his face, no shoes, and no teeth. “Logan and I saw this as an opportunity for all of Eastern Kentucky and what could be a large-scale volunteer effort to bring opportunity and economic development to central Appalachia,” McGuire said.

14 to finish organizing the store to provide volunteer opportunities to other Craft students and revitalize the area.

The HGA Leadership Team made a second trip to HGA on Nov. Students removed everything from the store, cleaned the entire building and sorted through donations accumulated during the pandemic. 3, the leadership team led a service-learning opportunity with a group of approximately 50 of their fellow Craft Academy students to work on rejuvenating the consignment store. McGuire and Smith asked the other members of the leadership team to get involved. Thomas Kiffmeyer, associate professor of history, due to his expertise in Appalachian history and volunteerism to assure the success of the project. The students have also been working under the mentorship of Dr. She approached McGuire and Smith with the idea of utilizing HGA’s crumbling campus as part of a special project. The students have planned a two-phase project to renovate the JED and utilize the remainder of the buildings as a community entertainment venue and educational outreach center.Ĭraft Academy QEP Director Rachel Rogers is from Hazel Green and is intimately familiar with the HGA. Only a few of the academy’s buildings remain functional with only one in use, the Jot ‘Em Down (JED) consignment shop which serves the local community.

At its peak, the academy was fully accredited by the Kentucky Board of Education and focused on science and mathematics, offering elective classes such as music and Bible studies. Students studied and lived on campus, similar to the Craft Academy. Hazel Green Academy (HGA) was founded in 1880. Seniors from the Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics are spearheading a project to revitalize a historic school campus in Hazel Green, Kentucky.Ĭraft Academy seniors Blake Orr of Stanton, Jane Zhang of Richmond, Logan Smith of Hindman, Oni Terrado of Elizabethtown, and Wade McGuire of Hindman make up the project leadership team.

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