For the next school year, some Greenwood students will be going over to the IMPACT Center during their regular school day. Approved in October of 2023, the IMPACT Center for Leadership and Innovation will be one of the first schools of its kind in Kentucky. If you head to the IMPACT Center’s website, it claims to be the first FranklinCovey-modeled school in the entire world. The IMPACT Center is planned to have state-of-the-art technology within its walls for use by students in programs in artificial intelligence, aeronautics, engineering, medical sciences, and more. This new site is planned to open up for the first time in August of this year.

But what does this mean for students? It is important to note that, of course, not everyone is going to the IMPACT Center. Not everyone could, in fact. One of these students is Savannah Melancon, a ninth grader here at Greenwood. Melancon says she wants to do “something in politics. Like, I want to get better at debate, and I want to learn more about English and the arts.” Because of this, Melancon felt as though the IMPACT Center did not really make sense for her. “Partially, it’s personal reasons, because I’m just less interested in STEM, and that’s where it focuses mainly.” 

Colton Richardson is a sophomore who, unlike Savannah Melancon, is going to the IMPACT Center. Richardson is going to the IMPACT Center for their aviation program, something that Greenwood, of course, does not offer. “This has been on my mind for a while now,” said Richardson when asked how long he has wanted to do this for. “When I noticed they were opening a school when I went to the meeting, it was definitely like ‘yeah this is what I want to do’ type of thing.” However, even with this in mind, his decision was not as clear-cut as Melancon’s, who said that, “it wasn’t a big issue.” Richardson detailed how he finally came around to solidifying the decision to go to the IMPACT Center. “For me, I was on the fence. I met with Cody Rich (the principal) in person and the way he explained it helped me make my decision. He’ll completely give you every single class you need to take, and you can do this and have your pilot’s license by the time you graduate.” 

Richardson, like Melancon, also noted how the IMPACT Center has a very specific focus. “They aren’t really focusing on, like, English, reading,” said Richardson. “Really focusing on, like, certain careers.” Melancon had more of an interest in areas the IMPACT Center is not as focused on. She stated that Greenwood “has more arts and humanities, more social-based classes.” Though, at the same time, this does not mean she was entirely opposed to the IMPACT Center. “I think that it provides more opportunities to someone who already knows what they want to do. I think that’s kind of a given. I also think that right now it’s very early to know what you want to do, so it does feel like a very big commitment to just change schools, at least personally. But overall, I think it’s a good thing.” 

The IMPACT Center is a lot bigger of a change than one might think. Places like the IMPACT Center can be major for a city, bringing in more people and in turn serving for the betterment of the local economy. Perhaps more importantly, depending on how you look at it, it gives young dreamers an opportunity they may not otherwise have had. “You see, if it’s what it offers for you,” Richardson replied when asked what he would say to someone who is on the fence about going. “If that’s what you wanna do and it offers it, for sure go for it.”