Gables Academy believes in giving a student every chance to find their special place in the world. To this end, not only does the school present a college prep curriculum, but offers all students a chance to reach out into the "real world" in a hands-on experience. If a student knows where their greatest interests lie, Gables works to assure the student a complimentary vocational placement; if the student is searching for that one place that will best suit their skills and talents, Gables works toward guiding the student in the directions of his or her interests, abilities and skills indicate.

In partnership with the City of Stone Mountain, Gables Academy conducts an ongoing vocational program which presents the best of home construction and/or renovation. Students in this program, under strict supervision from the school and the City, work alongside trade professionals in carpentry, electrical, heating and air conditioning, plumbing, masonry and architecture, among other trades.

GROWING WITH GABLES
Brand new and already growing is the "Growing With Gables" horticulture program. This program centers on a fully equipped greenhouse on campus. From this horticulture headquarters, students grow ornamental house plants, perennials and annuals which are either given to local community beautification programs, or sold to area residents with all proceeds being funneled back into the program. Students in the Growing With Gables project are also responsible for the upkeep of the landscape on campus, tending the existing plants and shrubs and designing and building new areas of natural beauty as buildings are completed and new areas of the campus open up. Eventually this program will join in a plan to make the two-acre lake an outdoor classroom, offering studies in several sciences.

LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION!
In 2001, under the direction of Suzi Marsh, LCSW, the host of her own mental health radio talk show, Gables Academy students began to develop a community television show. Working with Channel 25 Community Access Channel, seven students completed six classes in on-air instruction and training in cameras, sound equipment, lights and other technical aspects of television. Plans for the coming school years include launching a series of interview/talk shows in which Ms. Marsh will encourage teenage guests and audiences to open up to growth and share when facing difficult emotional situations. Students in this program get a solid basic education on the technical areas of broadcasting, while also gaining invaluable on-air experience. Sometimes it is "a place for the student;" sometimes it is "a student for the place." Either way, off the campus and success in the world is a Gables student's final frontier.

Many students, in 2002, participated in building a Habitat For Humanity House in South Atlanta.

The senior intern program is a part of the vocational/technical program at Gables. All seniors are required to serve an internship in their community during the latter part of the school year. Students have, in recent years, worked internships at professional theaters, riding stables, a Congressman's office, a restaurant and an attorney's office.