AKA Systems and Point O’View Elementary School

Thanks to the work of AKA Systems, Point O’View Elementary has taken to the airwaves! Through the generous donation of equipment, including a directional microphone and audio mixer board, along with technical training and expertise, students at Point O’View now participate in a daily broadcast of their morning announcements. AKA Systems was instrumental in working with school personnel to make sure that the wiring for WPOV was installed properly so that every area of the school could benefit from the daily announcements. Moreover, most every morning, Alan Hagerman, of AKA Systems, can be found at the school assisting with the broadcast. He has also been known to travel with faculty and students to broadcast off site news reports! His creative touches can be seen on the special effects added to daily broadcasts. This dedicated partner, AKA Systems, has put WPOV on the map at Point O’View.

Boeing Corporation and Shelton Park Elementary School

Since 2001, this partnership has “taken off” at Shelton Park! Originally designed to provide resources for enrichment activities for students, this partnership has evolved into support for teacher excellence as well. With over $31,000 in funds provided since the inception of the partnership, many activities have been made possible that would otherwise not have been able to take place. With an emphasis on the needs of military families, Boeing’s efforts (through this partnership) have addressed the challenges faced by students whose families have made frequent moves, resulting in specific learning needs. Some of the student programs initiated through support of this partnership include; Seeds of Change, It’s Greek To Me, Star Lab, Building With Light, and the donation of $3,000 in non-fiction books that directly support SOL’s. Teacher initiatives include Kagan training for teachers, Math & Science AIMS Workshops, and motivational speakers—among others. These initiatives, through Boeing’s support, have led to improved SOL scores in all subject areas, a reduction in the achievement gaps in all subjects and sub-groups, and improved attendance. Thanks to Boeing, students and teachers are flying high at Shelton Park!

Boyd Homes and Newtown Road Elementary School

Boyd Homes is building great programs at Newtown Road! Since 2003, this partner has given generously of its time and resources, helping with programs such as the holiday Star Tree Program (which helped over twenty-five families during the holidays), bringing guest speakers to the school, and sponsoring the Spring Reading Book Club. Boyd Homes has helped teachers reduce out of pocket expenses for instructional materials by providing educational posters, maps, charts, and other supplemental materials. They even provided funds for a SOL related field trip to the Virginia Aquarium, allowing all students to attend. In addition to these resources, Boyd Homes spends countless hours volunteering at the school, serving on the PTA and as members of the School Planning Council. As a long-time member of the community surrounding Newtown Road, Boyd Homes is a familiar and respected part of the area—and their service to the students and faculty of the school is a perfect example of their commitment to education and families in this community. This partnership lays a foundation for student success!

Cal’z Pizza and Green Run Elementary School

This SOL related partnership teaches Green Run students how to manage their dough! Reinforcing economic lessons taught in third grade, the students gain understanding of economic concepts that might be elusive initially without this hands on activity. These connections happen thanks to the involvement of Cal’z Pizza, which has been ongoing since 2001. Through visits to Cal’z, students learn about capital resources (dough machine, ovens, etc), natural resources (such as flour, yeast, tomatoes), and human resources (employees and the students themselves) that are required to make the pizza they are involved in preparing—and eating! Each week for four weeks (during the economics unit), every student in third grade visits Cal’z, and the visits have lasting impact on students. Observed one third grader, “It was an awesome experience and I would like to do it every year.” No matter how you slice it, it’s a delicious partnership!

Cape Henry Rotary Club and Bayside High School

Without a shadow of a doubt, this partnership between the Rotary Club and Bayside High School is a winner! Through their various partnership activities, the Rotary Club has truly lived up to their international motto of “SERVICE ABOVE SELF.” For the past two years, this partner has made donations of money, time, and guidance to various departments in the school, including the physical education, business and technology departments, the Health Science Academy, and the SCA. Through their sponsorship of the “Job Shadow” day, students enjoyed breakfast with club members, followed by a day of observing “on the job” activities. Their generous donation of mats for the weight room, as well as sponsorship of two students for Boys and Girls State, is a testament to their commitment to the school. Outstanding!

Kellam High School and Creeds Elementary School

This student-helping-student tutoring partnership is an outstanding example of how children can learn from one another while each benefits from the experience! For the children of Creeds, identified by their teachers as needing reinforcement on academic concepts, the partnership provides an opportunity for weekly assistance with homework, remediation, or reinforcement of academic skills. The Kellam student has the opportunity to give back to the community through volunteer service and receive credit for community service (as required by many school clubs and organizations). Moreover, these high school students realize the satisfaction that can be gained by helping others, a lifelong lesson that can only be gained through experience. A real win-win!

First Colony Coffee and Tea Company and Landstown High School

This outstanding partnership has brewed great things for Landstown High School. Eagles’ Morning Brew, a coffee shop run by special education students at Landstown, has benefited greatly from the support of First Colony Coffee and Tea Company. The students who run the coffee shop have had the opportunity to work directly with First Colony Coffee and Tea Company staff, bolstering their confidence and self-esteem. Landstown faculty was invited to tour the First Colony plant and sample products. They provided expensive equipment to assist in lowering startup costs, and have supplied high quality products to the coffee shop. First Colony provides training and resources that have made Eagles’ Morning Brew a highly successful initiative. This partner’s willingness to go “above and beyond” for Landstown High School has helped Eagles’ Morning Brew soar to new heights!

HBA Architecture & Interior Design and VBCPS High Schools

Who better to design schools of the future than students? Through this partnership between Virginia Beach high schools and HBA Architecture & Interior Design , students have had the opportunity to try out their design skills, envisioning ideal schools of the future complete with all the features they feel a state-of-the-art facility should have. Students also have the opportunity to engage in dialogue with practicing architects and learn about the field of architecture as a future career opportunity. Staff members from HBA Architecture & Interior Design have collaborated with educators to implement a scholarship program, now in its fifth year. Since its inception, 500 students throughout the division have participated in the “School of the Future” design program, and $19,800 has been awarded in the form of scholarship money to students. This partnership is a blueprint for student success!

Noblemen and Virginia Beach City Public Schools

Noble men doing noble deeds—that’s how this partnership is best summarized. This band of good deed doers has been reaching out to the children of Virginia Beach since 2003. As a result of this partnership, 5,000 third grade students (over the past three years) have been given dictionaries, which are theirs to keep, by the Noblemen. Through personal visits to schools, the Noblemen teach children about the importance of giving and helping others. They also counsel the students to give their books to another child once they’re through with them, keeping the chain of giving moving forward. Also, this year, the Noblemen began a program to support elementary summer school reading and attendance, donating 6,750 books to summer schools. Each summer school student received one book, with the opportunity to earn more through attendance, citizenship, and attitude. The Noblemen’s dedication to children and literacy spells success for VBCPS students.

USS Saipan (LHA-2) and Tallwood Elementary School

For over fifteen years, Tallwood Elementary school has enjoyed a partnership with the USS Saipan. These partners have served with dedication and commitment, acting as mentors, providing academic reinforcement, working with Kids Voting and helping with the Book Fairs, Accelerated Reader and other projects. What’s more, Tallwood students form strong bonds with these partners, eagerly anticipating their arrival at the school. They also benefit from having outstanding role models, not only of military members, but as outstanding examples of the service provided through volunteerism. Teachers appreciate their assistance, which creates more time for them to focus on instruction. The sailors benefit also—and as one sailor remarked “This is a great opportunity to mentor our youth, and to return our many thanks for the support we receive from them.” Everyone benefits from this long standing partnership.

Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center and Kingston Elementary School

This environmental partnership helps Kingston students become stewards of marine life in the Chesapeake Bay. Through awareness of marine life and animals, developed through the in-school aquarium, students learn to think like professionals in terms of caring for a delicate ecosystem. Through Kingston’s environmental projects, undertaken with the help of the Virginia Aquarium, students have cleaned up trash from wetlands, marked storm drains with environmental messages, and raised 4,000 baby oysters. Through this partnership, students have not only learned to be good stewards of precious natural resources, they have also become servants to the community through volunteer service and environmental awareness. The Virginia Aquarium played a key role in instilling this social consciousness in Kingston students, and the resulting benefit to students and the environment cannot be measured. Outstanding!

Birdneck Dental Clinic of the Virginia Beach Department of Public Health and Birdneck Elementary School

Birdneck students are all smiles, thanks to this dedicated partner! Each Monday, the Birdneck Dental Clinic serves Birdneck students, providing free dental care to low income students who otherwise might not be able to afford such services. Since 1994, over 850 children at the school have received care under this program, ranging from dental education to cleaning, extractions—and even a free toothbrush and toothpaste! Thanks to this program, Birdneck students never have to worry about trying to concentrate with a toothache, and never have to be without preventative dental care. These days, visitors to Birdneck Elementary will see lots of happy, healthy smiles, due to the kindness of the Birdneck Dental Clinic.

Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation and Virginia Beach City Public Schools

High school students make a splash at Virginia Beach Recreation Centers! Thanks to the generosity of Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation, students in VBCPS high schools can participate in a Varsity Swimming and Diving program at an athletic venue provided at no cost to the teams. Over 650 competitors participate in this program, including the recent addition of a Youth Diving League—and the program is expected to double in size for the 2006 winter season. Students can also become certified as Lifeguards and Swimming Instructors, providing opportunities for employment. Without this city/schools partnership, VBCPS swimmers would not have a facility to house their program, and the program would certainly take a dive.

Virginia Beach Schools Federal Credit Union and the Office of Technical and Career Education

This diverse and exciting partnership serves to create financial awareness in students. The Virginia Beach Schools Federal Credit Union has supported financial education in many ways. From consulting in curriculum development projects to donating instructional materials, conducting tours and planning “Reality Store” events for students—this partnership is comprehensive and varied. With genuine concern for developing financial literacy in students, staff from VBSFCU can be counted upon to collaborate and contribute wherever needed. It all adds up to a great partnership!

Virginia Beach SPCA and Virginia Beach City Public Schools/White Oaks Elementary

Thanks to this partnership, Virginia Beach students have found lots of furry friends to read to! More than 1,000 students have benefited from participation in this program, which is based on the premise that reading to animals can be more relaxing and less threatening for emerging readers. Animals are seen by children as trustworthy and compassionate, and these devoted reading buddies make the sometimes challenging task of learning to read fun and less stressful. In addition to the twenty schools that partner with the SPCA in the Listening Ears program, White Oaks Elementary has also expanded their SPCA partnership to include two additional programs, Compassion Classroom and Tales of Tails. Through these outstanding programs, children learn the joy of interacting with animals, along with the mutual benefits that relationships with animals can provide. It is said that a dog is “man’s best friend,” and this partnership is a testament to that notion. Great job!

Visual Information Support Center and Christopher Farms Elementary School

When a parent leaves on deployment to far away places, students have some adjusting to do—and who better to help with those adjustments than another sailor! Through this partnership, sailors from the Visual Information Support Center have added first hand knowledge of life in the military to Christopher Farms’ Deployment Group. Students whose parents are deployed have the opportunity to ask questions about what their parents might be experiencing, knowing that the answer will come from someone who’s “been there” as well. In the words of one sailor, “It’s a great feeling when you talk to the children about life in the Navy, and they hang onto your every word. I hope that at the very least I can offer them a sense of security explaining to them that their parents are a part of the greatest Navy in the world.” Other sailors observed that this was their way to “give back” to schools that have, or might someday, help their children while they’re deployed. This military connection helps students at Christopher Farms feel much closer to their far-away family members. We salute you!

Wahab Law Library and First Colonial High School

These future “legal eagles” are getting a leg up on the world of research, thanks to the generous assistance of the Wahab Law Library. Students in the First Colonial Legal Studies Academy take an annual tour of the library to get an in-depth look at how to locate resources, gather materials, and complete school assignments. Staff from the Law Library helps judge an essay contest for an annual Law Day event, and host a reception for participants. This year, Legal Academy students also had the opportunity to learn to use the LexisNexis database, an opportunity students usually do not have until college or beyond. The Wahab Law Library provides guest speakers for students, and works with them to develop their fledgling research skills. Thanks to this partnership, Legal Studies Academy students develop a strong foundation for future studies. All evidence suggests that this partnership is doing great things at First Colonial!

Winesett Nursery and Grounds/Landscape Services City of Virginia Beach and Virginia Beach Technical and Career Education Center

This combination partnership proves that the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence! Both partnerships support the Tech Center’s Landscape Design Management program and Turf Management class by planting the seeds for future career opportunities for students. From an advisory role in state competencies and curriculum development specific to issues in the Tidewater area to donation of materials and loan of equipment, these partners can always be counted upon. The reciprocity of these relationships is particularly evident in this program, as students visit Winesett Nursery on a regular basis to observe techniques and lend a hand, and also assist the Ground Services department by maintaining Tech Center grounds and striping athletic fields at Kellam High School. This comprehensive program tills the soil for future careers in the landscaping industry for Tech Center students!

Zero’s at Birchwood and Thalia Elementary School

The ongoing relationship between Thalia Elementary School and the staff at Zero’s is a testament to its owner, Steve Morgan, and his commitment to education. The staff at Zero’s can always be counted upon to serve however needed, whether donating space and goodies for school fundraiser's and faculty events, to serving on School Planning Council—to hosting a student/faculty Foosball tournament! This partnership brings a unique community perspective to the school, and staff knows that this partnership is one they can count on. It is community partners like these, who demonstrate a genuine concern for children, education, and supporting schools that represent a shining example of school/community partnerships. Hats off to you!