Georgia Cyber Academy, an accredited, full-time, online public charter school, will celebrate the graduation of the Class of 2016 at noon on Saturday, May 21, 2016, at Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta. Georgia.  Lt. Governor Casey Cagle will provide the commencement address to nearly 450 graduates who have, to date, received over $4.5 million in scholarships including over $3.6 million in Hope Scholarship funds.

The first virtual charter school in Georgia history and currently the largest public school in Georgia, GCA is open to all students who reside in Georgia and serves students from all 159 counties across the state.

The graduation ceremony will also include an address from Ryan Mahoney, GCA Board Chair, as well as Stuart J. Udell, CEO of K12 Inc., the nation's largest provider of proprietary curriculum and online education programs.

Recognized by the Georgia Department of Education as an AP STEM Achievement School, GCA gives advanced learners the ability to progress faster in subjects at which they excel, including opportunities for advancement in STEM education and through dual enrollment.

College or career minded GCA students can choose from a broad range of profession-focused courses in order to gain a competitive edge for the future, discover their path after high school, explore a possible college major, or take college courses for both high school and college credit at one of the 46 Georgia colleges and Universities that participate in GCA's Dual Enrollment program.

During this school year the 85 GCA students that participated in the dual enrollment program earned a total of 1,617 college credits, or the equivalent of $889,350 in tuition savings.

"Georgia Cyber Academy students are driven to succeed and passionate about their school and communities," said Matthew Arkin, Head of School at Georgia Cyber Academy. "This Class of 2016 has impressed all of us with their motivation to learn and seek more out of their education."

GCA senior Evelyn Bailey is this year's Valedictorian, and she will address her fellow graduates at the ceremony. Evelyn plans to attend the University of Pennsylvania and study digital media design, focusing on the computer science behind animation.

"At GCA, I was able to create a unique class schedule that allowed me to take several college courses at Kennesaw State University during my senior year of high school," said Evelyn, who enrolled at GCA when she was in 4^th grade. "I could do my classwork and homework on my own time, as well as get involved in several extracurricular groups, including a writing club, National Honor Society, and Student Council."

Other GCA graduates have been accepted into prestigious colleges and universities such as Brown, Georgia Tech, University of South Carolina, Morehouse College, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Tuskegee University and Full Sail University.