The Technical College System of Georgia announced Thursday that it has awarded Marietta City Schools a $3 million grant for its upcoming expansion.

Marietta High School College and Career Academy was already expected to use $9 million in E-SPLOST, Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, funds to expand the school.

Tammy Garnes, Marietta schools spokeswoman, said academy will be “infused” into the school.

READ | Cobb native named the best student engineer in all of Georgia

Marietta High already offers special programs like its healthcare concentration in which students learn how a gurney works. With the academy, there’ll be labs set up to look like hospital rooms with equipment donated from WellStar, Garnes said.

“We’ll have lots more space to create real-world experiences for children on the campuses,” she said.

Mark Peevy, the TCSG executive director for secondary initiatives, said school districts in Greene and Paulding counties also recieved $3 million each.

READ: See what kind of a GPA it takes to become a top Cobb high school grad

He said that money comes from a state bonds program allocated by the legislature.

“Marietta is poised to debunk the myth that college and career are separate paths to success,” Tim Brown, a Marietta schools director, said in a news release. “Our students will have opportunities to explore all of their post-high school learning and work opportunities in state-of-the-art classrooms with lessons led by industry professionals.”

Like Cobb County News Now on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter

NewChopper 2 flew over the school on the first day of class Thursday.