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DCSS Update Pg. 2<br />
In times of crisis, old adage rings true<br />
J.D. Sumner<br />
DCSS Public Information Office<br />
No one, and I mean NO ONE,<br />
could’ve imagined that our system, our<br />
community and our county would’ve<br />
been rocked the way it was thanks to two<br />
severe storm systems that moved through<br />
the area in <strong>January</strong>.<br />
Millions upon millions of dollars in<br />
damages; thousands of people left without<br />
power, hundreds homeless or precariously<br />
housed -- including our students<br />
-- and five dead.<br />
The tornadoes of <strong>January</strong> reminded<br />
us all really quickly how fast life can<br />
change and how we, as role models and<br />
leaders, must adapt and help, if we are to<br />
continue on.<br />
As I write this, our community<br />
continues to recover from those storms.<br />
Some people likely will never fully recover<br />
-- chills any time a crack of thunder<br />
booms or lightning lights up the sky.<br />
Even neighborhoods that we thought<br />
were some of our most treasured -- Rawson<br />
Circle and Radium Springs -- have<br />
witnessed their landscape change indelibly;<br />
picturesque Live Oaks and Longleaf<br />
Pines plucked from the ground as if feathers<br />
from a bird.<br />
But a remarkable thing happened<br />
in the wake of such sorrow and tragedy:<br />
people came together.<br />
Neighborhoods who just days before<br />
were bitter cross-town rivals on the basketball<br />
courts, picked up chainsaws and<br />
hatchets to begin clean up.<br />
Young and old; volunteer and professional;<br />
came together to do whatever they<br />
could -- pack lunches, knock on doors,<br />
deliver water and blankets -- all in the<br />
name of humanity.<br />
And even while we in the system<br />
have had to make tough decisions about<br />
closing down school and finally re-opening<br />
(12 instructional days lost because of<br />
the storm), I’m reminded of an old adage<br />
that, for me, has never rang more true.<br />
It’s not how you get knocked down,<br />
but how you get up, that matters.<br />
And so, we rise.<br />
We rise with a renewed spirit in our<br />
community and our collective humanity.<br />
We rise with our focus pointed<br />
squarely on the time we have left in this<br />
school year to make a difference.<br />
We rise with our brothers and sisters<br />
determined to rebuild what can be rebuilt<br />
and remember that which cannot.<br />
For our friends in the community,<br />
now’s the perfect time to for us to come<br />
together and finish this school year strong.<br />
Our students and teachers are working<br />
hard to make sure that they use every<br />
remaining day to its fullest because they<br />
know that, working together, we rise.<br />
About the Cover<br />
It hasn’t been hard to see the impact that the two storm<br />
systems that moved through the area in <strong>January</strong> had on our<br />
community. Trees leveled. Powerlines hanging like some macbre<br />
puppet string left behind. Homes literally missing in some<br />
neighborhoods because of the sheer force of the winds.<br />
But inside, you’ll see how your community schools responded.<br />
Whether it was a basketball team going out as a unit<br />
into communities to help with debris cleanup or elementary<br />
schools joining forces and resources to provide lunches to<br />
their neighborhoods; the response from the system has been<br />
impressive.
Pg. 3<br />
DCSS Update<br />
DCSS Leadership Team<br />
Dr. David C. Mosely<br />
Superintendent<br />
Mr. Jack Willis<br />
Assistant Superintendent<br />
for Support Services<br />
Dr. Ufot Inyang<br />
Associate Superintendent for<br />
Academic Services<br />
Mr. Kenneth Dyer<br />
Associate Superintendent & Chief<br />
Financial Officer<br />
Dr. Kim Ezekiel<br />
Director of Federal Programs<br />
Mrs. Sonya Spillers &<br />
Mr. J.D. Sumner<br />
Public Information Office<br />
Dougherty County<br />
Board of Education<br />
Ms. Velvet Riggins<br />
Board Chair, District 3<br />
Mr. Robert Youngblood<br />
Vice Chair, District 1<br />
Mr. Milton Griffin<br />
District 2<br />
Mrs. Melissa Strother<br />
District 4<br />
Reverend James Bush<br />
District 5<br />
Dr. Dean Phinazee<br />
District 6<br />
Mrs. Geraldine West Hudley<br />
At-Large<br />
About our District...<br />
The Dougherty County School System is the local education agency for Albany<br />
and Dougherty County in Southwestern Georgia. At the end of the 2015-2016 school<br />
year, enrollment was 15,001 students with nearly 2,600 teachers and staff members.<br />
Our Schools:<br />
Albany High School<br />
431-3300<br />
801 W. Residence Ave.<br />
Grades 9-12<br />
Principal: Rodney Bullard<br />
Dougherty Comprehensive<br />
High School<br />
431-3310<br />
1800 Pearce Ave.<br />
Grades 9-12<br />
Principal: Eddie Johnson<br />
Monroe Comprehensive High<br />
School<br />
431-3316<br />
900 Lippitt Dr.<br />
Grades 9-12<br />
Principal: Vinson Davis<br />
Westover Comprehensive High<br />
School<br />
431-3320<br />
2600 Partridge Lane<br />
Grades 9-12<br />
Principal: William Chunn<br />
Albany Middle School<br />
431-3325<br />
1700 Cordell Rd.<br />
Grades 6-8<br />
Principal: Eddie Johnson<br />
Merry Acres Middle School<br />
431-3338<br />
1601 Florence Dr.<br />
Grades 6-8<br />
Principal: Dr. Gail Griffin<br />
Radium Springs Middle Magnet<br />
School of the Arts<br />
431-3346<br />
2600 Radium Springs Rd.<br />
Grades 6-8<br />
Principal: Dr. Valerie Williams<br />
Robert A. Cross Middle Magnet<br />
School<br />
431-3362<br />
324 Lockett Station Rd.<br />
Grades 6-8<br />
Principal: Thelma Chunn<br />
Southside Middle School<br />
431-3351<br />
1615 Newton Rd.<br />
Grades 6-8<br />
Principal: Dr. Frederick Polite<br />
Alice Coachman Elementary<br />
School<br />
431-3488<br />
1425 Oakridge Dr.<br />
Grades K-5<br />
Principal: Melissa Brubaker<br />
International Studies Elementary<br />
Charter School<br />
431-3384<br />
2237 Cutts Dr.<br />
Grades K-5<br />
Principal: Dr. Zeda George<br />
Lake Park Elementary School<br />
431-3370<br />
605 Meadowlark Dr.<br />
Grades K-5<br />
Principal: Kenosha Coleman<br />
Lamar Reese Magnet School of<br />
the Arts<br />
431-3495<br />
1215 Lily Pond Rd.<br />
Grades K-5<br />
Principal: Dr. Angela Shumate<br />
Lincoln Elementary Magnet<br />
School<br />
431-3373<br />
518 W. Society Ave.<br />
Grades K-5<br />
Principal: Dr. Todd Deariso<br />
Live Oak Elementary School<br />
431-1209<br />
4529 Gillionville Rd.<br />
Grades K-5<br />
Principal: Laytona Stephenson<br />
Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary<br />
School<br />
438-3502<br />
3125 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr.<br />
Grades K-5<br />
Principal: Vontressa Childs<br />
Morningside Elementary<br />
School<br />
431-3387<br />
120 Sunset Lane<br />
Grades K-5<br />
Principal: Christine Ford<br />
Northside Elementary School<br />
431-3390<br />
901 14th Ave.<br />
Grades K-5<br />
Principal: Katina Allen<br />
Radium Springs Elementary<br />
School<br />
431-3395<br />
2400 Roxanna Rd.<br />
Grades K-5<br />
Principal: Bruce Bowles<br />
Robert H. Harvey Elementary<br />
School<br />
431-3367<br />
1305 E. Second Ave.<br />
Grades K-5<br />
Principal: Dr. John I. Davis<br />
Sherwood Acres Elementary<br />
School<br />
431-3397<br />
2201 Doncaster Way<br />
Grades K-5<br />
Principal: Yvette Simmons<br />
Turner Elementary School<br />
431-3406<br />
2001 Leonard Ave.<br />
Grades K-5<br />
Principal: Dr. Deborah Jones<br />
West Town Elementary School<br />
431-3409<br />
1113 University Ave.<br />
Grades K-5<br />
Principal: Steven Dudley
LOST<br />
P a r a d i s e<br />
From Rawson Circle to Paradise Village, learn how<br />
two storms transformed Albany’s landscape and<br />
brought solidarity to a community.
On <strong>January</strong> 2, just as<br />
teachers and school staff were<br />
preparing to coming back to<br />
school following the Christmas<br />
and New Year break, a<br />
strong line of thunderstorms<br />
moved into the area unleashing<br />
70 to 85 mph winds;<br />
downing trees and tearing<br />
apart homes throughout<br />
central Albany.<br />
Neighborhoods that<br />
were known for their beautiful<br />
Live Oak trees; ones<br />
that had literally been the<br />
backdrop for movies and<br />
precious life moments, were<br />
gone. Snapped into pieces<br />
and uprooted as if they were<br />
toothpicks casually tossed on<br />
a table.<br />
For DCSS staff, leadership<br />
quickly emerged.<br />
System leaders spent the<br />
following days canvassing<br />
neighborhoods, evaluating<br />
schools, touching base with<br />
employees and working to see<br />
when school might re-open.<br />
Even students -- many of<br />
whom expressed a surprising<br />
eagerness to return to school<br />
following the nearly monthlong<br />
break -- banded together<br />
in groups and took rakes<br />
and wheelbarrows into the<br />
impacted neighborhoods.<br />
In the midst of the chaos,<br />
students and teachers, administrators<br />
and staff workers<br />
volunteered side-by-side in<br />
some cases to restore a sense<br />
of normalcy.<br />
After days of shuttering<br />
schools due to a lack of<br />
power, the system elected to<br />
restart school on Jan. 17.<br />
After four days of instruction,<br />
storms again laid<br />
seige to the area, pushing<br />
through Southwest Georgia<br />
spawning tornadoes that<br />
killed 5 people in Albany and<br />
Dougherty County alone --<br />
15 across Georgia.<br />
In a bizarre repeat of<br />
what had happened just two<br />
weeks before, DCSS staff<br />
mobilized -- this time on an<br />
even larger scale -- to assist in<br />
any way they could.<br />
The DCSS Police Department<br />
lept into action not<br />
long after the tornado moved<br />
through, assisting with search<br />
and rescue and supporting<br />
recovery operations with the<br />
Dougherty County Police<br />
Department.<br />
DCSS Transportation<br />
rolled into the neighborhoods<br />
impacted with buses<br />
to evacuate those stranded by<br />
the storm.<br />
Spanish-speaking teachers<br />
flocked to shelters to assist<br />
with translating; elementary<br />
school principals and staff<br />
made thousands of sack<br />
lunches for those still stuck<br />
in their neighborhoods; some<br />
folks, armed only with chainsaws<br />
and true grit, flocked<br />
into neighborhoods to assist<br />
in the recovery efforts.<br />
In the next few pages,<br />
you’ll see some of these stories<br />
played out from schools across<br />
the district. There are undoubtedly<br />
hundreds more that<br />
we may never know about.<br />
The rebuilding and<br />
recovery effort will take weeks<br />
and months before any true<br />
sense of normalcy will return<br />
for our staff and students. But<br />
it’s in these community service<br />
efforts that we live our creed:<br />
Building a better community,<br />
one student at a time.
7<br />
DCSS Update
Around the district:<br />
Check out the latest news and<br />
information from our schools<br />
Westover DECA students take firsts in<br />
region competition<br />
Westover Comprehensive High School DECA members participated in Region<br />
Competition in Americus, GA on December 1st. DECA members placed in the following<br />
areas in the competition:<br />
Caitlyn Gordon – 1st Place – Food Marketing Series<br />
Danielle Keith – 1st Place – Job Interview - Qualified for State competition<br />
Jalen Robinson – 1st Place – Sports and Entertainment Marketing Series<br />
Ta’nijha Wimes – 1st Place Business Speech - Qualified for State competition<br />
DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing,<br />
finance, hospitality and management in high schools around the world. Mrs. Rasheda<br />
Haines is the DECA Advisor at Westover High School.<br />
Lincoln students earn trophies<br />
On <strong>January</strong> 13th, three Lincoln students participated<br />
in the District Hoop Shoot Contest.<br />
Braylon Chaney took first place in the 8-9<br />
year old boys division. In the 10-11 year old<br />
girls division, Joy Hubbard earned the 2nd<br />
place trophy. First place in the 10-11 year<br />
old boys division was taken by Justin Burns.<br />
Justin and Braylon continued to compete in<br />
the second round of the District Hoop Shoot,<br />
which took place at Covenant Presbyterian<br />
Church.<br />
Volunteers<br />
help<br />
Northside<br />
students<br />
with reading<br />
The staff of Northside<br />
Elementary School were<br />
excited to see volunteers<br />
come in to work with students<br />
during their reading<br />
block.<br />
All volunteers were<br />
trained by a Governor<br />
Office of Student Achievement<br />
(GOSA) representative<br />
earlier last week<br />
and now the plan is being<br />
implemented with fidelity.<br />
One of the volunteers<br />
pictured, Mr. Greene,<br />
stated that failure is not an<br />
option and that students<br />
will be successful.<br />
The Dougherty County<br />
School System is making<br />
literacy and reading<br />
improvement one of its<br />
main focus areas in the<br />
coming years.
Video:<br />
SB&T, Posey donate 600<br />
backpacks to relief effort<br />
SB&T, a Synovus Bank, has been a longtime partner<br />
in excellence with Radium Springs Elementary. When<br />
bank leaders saw the devastation that was brought by<br />
the storms to the community surrounding the school,<br />
they enlisted the help of San Francisco Giants MVP and<br />
Leesburg native Buster Posey to help.<br />
Posey and the bank provided nearly 600 bookbags<br />
for the students of the school; stuffed with school supplies,<br />
hygiene kits and a teddy bear.<br />
Click here to watch the video.<br />
King Day Committee to<br />
split proceeds with DCSS<br />
Student Disaster Fund<br />
Organizers of the annual King Day Celebration announced<br />
recently that they will donate half of the proceeds<br />
generated by the event to the Dougherty County School<br />
System’s Student Disaster Relief Fund.<br />
Two storm systems moved through the area in <strong>January</strong>,<br />
spawning tornadoes that ripped killed five people, injured<br />
nearly 30 more, and caused millions in damages across the<br />
county.<br />
The King Day Event pays homage to the life and legacy<br />
of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who once famously marched<br />
with local civil rights organizers in Albany during the 1960’s.<br />
“We thought that if we’re going to be doing things in<br />
the name of M.L. King, we thought that one of the most<br />
humane things we could do was to split the proceeds from<br />
the dinner that usually comes to us, because we understand<br />
that there are several families, several children displaced,” W.<br />
Frank Wilson, executive director of the Albany Civil Rights<br />
Institute said. “So I petitioned my board and my board unanimously<br />
agreed to approach the King Celebration committee<br />
about making that gesture.”<br />
Dougherty County Board of Education Chair Velvet<br />
Riggins graciously accepted the news of the donation and<br />
thanked the committee members for their generosity.<br />
If you’d like to donate to the DCSS Student Disaster<br />
Relief Fund, you can give here: http://bit.ly/DCSSStormReliefFund<br />
L.I.F.E. Lab teachers help<br />
with storm cleanup<br />
Teachers from L.I.F.E. Lab Gifted Center dedicated time and muscle<br />
to help the Samaritan’s Purse organization clean debris from<br />
local victims of the <strong>January</strong> storms. The destruction has devastated<br />
our community, but thankfully many people have banded<br />
together to help each other, one person at a time.
Westover Comprehensive High School Concert Choir<br />
receives Superior Ratings at Festival<br />
On Tuesday November 8, 2016,<br />
The Westover Comprehensive High<br />
School Concert Choir performed in<br />
The Cultural Arts Center Fall Choral<br />
& Theater Festival in Dothan, Ala.<br />
The chorus performed two selections<br />
and received Superior ratings by all<br />
three judges. The superior scores<br />
were 93, 97, and 98.<br />
The Cultural Arts Center Fall<br />
Choral & Theater Festival is an<br />
evaluation process for musical performance<br />
for performing groups. A<br />
panel of judges in the field of music<br />
education critique the participation<br />
of each performance and provide<br />
written and/or oral opinions. The<br />
choir performs two selections for<br />
a panel of judges. The judges rate<br />
the quality of the performance by<br />
awarding a grade of superior (A),<br />
excellent (B), fair (C), or poor (D).<br />
The Westover Comprehensive High<br />
School Concert Choir is under the<br />
direction of Samuel McPhee, Jr. and<br />
accompanied by Justin Miller.<br />
Westover student wins<br />
Christopher Columbus<br />
writing competition;<br />
named best in state<br />
Westover Comprehensive High School senior,<br />
Molly Martin, won the 2016/2017 Christopher Columbus<br />
Essay Contest for high school students. This<br />
contest is sponsored by the Daughters of The American<br />
Revolution ( DAR ) and open to all districts<br />
across the State. Molly was the local winner, the SW<br />
District winner and State winner.<br />
Molly also won this Georgia State award in<br />
2014/2015. She will now participate in the National<br />
competition.
Alice Coachman named 5-Star school; 7 DCSS schools<br />
join 4-Star list<br />
Alice Coachman<br />
Elementary School is the<br />
Dougherty County School<br />
System’s newest five-star<br />
school, according to the<br />
Georgia Department of<br />
Education’s 2016 School<br />
Climate Star Ratings.<br />
The ratings, which<br />
attempt to show the quality<br />
and character of school life<br />
and are influenced by things<br />
like school safety, student<br />
and parent engagement,<br />
instructional practices and<br />
organization; are released<br />
annually by the GaDOE.<br />
Alice Coachman joins<br />
Robert A. Cross Middle<br />
Magnet<br />
School<br />
as a<br />
five-star<br />
school<br />
in the<br />
district.<br />
Seven<br />
other<br />
schools<br />
– Albany<br />
Middle,<br />
Lake<br />
Park<br />
Elementary, Lamar Reese<br />
Elementary, Live Oak Elementary,<br />
Morningside<br />
Elementary,<br />
Radium<br />
Springs<br />
Middle<br />
and<br />
West<br />
Town<br />
Elementary<br />
– climbed into the four-star<br />
tier. In total, the DCSS had<br />
14 schools that are either a 4<br />
or 5-star school according to<br />
the GaDOE.<br />
The other 4-star schools<br />
are International Studies<br />
Elementary Charter, Lincoln<br />
Elementary Magnet,<br />
Sherwood Acres Elementary<br />
and Westover High School.<br />
The biggest improvements<br />
were made by Alice<br />
Coachman, which jumped<br />
two stars, and Turner Elementary,<br />
which also jumped<br />
two stars going from 2-Stars<br />
last year to 4-stars this year.<br />
Westover names new assistant principal<br />
On Monday, November<br />
14, 2016, Dr. LaToyia<br />
Jackson was named new<br />
assistant principal at Westover<br />
Comprehensive High<br />
School. Dr. Jackson has<br />
13 years of educational<br />
experience with Booker T.<br />
Washington High School<br />
in Tuskegee, Ala., Terrell<br />
Middle / High School in<br />
Dawson, Westover Comprehensive<br />
High School and<br />
Dougherty Comprehensive<br />
High School.<br />
Dr. Jackson was serving<br />
as Instructional Specialist at<br />
Westover before her promotion<br />
to assistant principal.<br />
In her 10 years at<br />
Westover, she was also a<br />
classroom literature teacher,<br />
mentor to first year teachers,<br />
literacy coach, cheerleader<br />
coach, student council advisor<br />
and part time professor<br />
at Albany State University.<br />
She served as Westover’s<br />
Teacher Of The Year, 2010<br />
– 2011 and a Finalist for<br />
Dougherty County Teacher<br />
Of The Year.<br />
She received her B.S.<br />
Degree in Secondary<br />
Education, English Language<br />
Arts from Alabama<br />
Agricultural & Mechanical<br />
University in Normal,<br />
Ala.; her M.A. Degree in<br />
Reading Education from<br />
Georgia Southwestern State<br />
University in Americus; her<br />
Ed.S Degree in Curriculum<br />
/ Instruction Management<br />
and Administration from<br />
Nova Southeastern University<br />
in Fort Lauderdale,<br />
Fla.; and her Ed. D Degree<br />
in Instructional Leadership<br />
from Nova Southeastern<br />
University.<br />
Dr. Jackson is married<br />
to Mr. Jesse Jackson II and<br />
they have two children,<br />
Jaliya, 7 years old and Jesse<br />
Jackson III, 5 years old.<br />
She attends the Eastside<br />
Church Of Christ, where<br />
Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr.<br />
is Pastor.<br />
Principal Chunn stated<br />
he is very excited to have<br />
Dr. Jackson on Westover’s<br />
Leadership Team and he<br />
congratulates her on a Job<br />
Well Done!!!
AHS seniors bring home<br />
$700k in scholarships<br />
during from event<br />
Albany High School took 22 seniors to Jacksonville,<br />
Florida to participate in the Infinite Scholars Scholarship<br />
Fair <strong>January</strong> 21, 2017.<br />
This was the second year in which AHS took seniors<br />
to the fair, and once again the students represented<br />
themselves and the school well.<br />
Each of the seniors attended the fair well prepared by<br />
having a portfolio that included their SAT and/or ACT<br />
scores, their resume, two letters of recommendations, a<br />
college essay, and an unofficial transcript.<br />
The students were interview ready by dressing professionally<br />
and were ready to respond to and ask questions<br />
of the various college and university representatives.<br />
Based upon their responses, interaction with the<br />
post-secondary schools, and their overall readiness, Albany<br />
High School’s Infinite Scholar participants collectively<br />
earned $706,667 in scholarship awards.<br />
D
West Town elementary commits to storm recovery<br />
When the storms hit<br />
Albany it was clear people<br />
would be needing support<br />
for many weeks to come<br />
and that it would take the<br />
efforts of all of us to help<br />
with the recovery. The<br />
team of teachers and staff<br />
at West Town<br />
Elementary<br />
met, entertained<br />
suggestions,<br />
and rallied<br />
to support<br />
the community<br />
with a special<br />
outreach initiative<br />
to help<br />
those in immediate<br />
need.<br />
Principal<br />
Dudley had this to say,<br />
“We have been encouraging<br />
our West Town<br />
Team all school year<br />
to be responsive to the<br />
needs of our children and<br />
their families so, I was<br />
not surprised when staff<br />
and teachers expressed a<br />
desire to do something<br />
to help. Our Team has a<br />
huge heart and think it<br />
not robbery to give. Even<br />
though many staff experienced<br />
loss, those who<br />
could donated money and<br />
others gave of<br />
their time to<br />
help assemble<br />
over a 100 care<br />
packages with<br />
basic necessities<br />
for those<br />
affected by the<br />
storm.”<br />
Special<br />
thanks and<br />
appreciation<br />
to Trumpet of<br />
God Ministries & Training<br />
Center for their monetary<br />
donation toward the<br />
care packages.<br />
The Parent & Family<br />
Resource Center joined<br />
the school-wide initiative<br />
to reach out to support<br />
our students and their<br />
families by donating<br />
dozens of pairs of shoes<br />
and clothing items they<br />
collected for elementary<br />
school aged youth.<br />
Among the pictures<br />
you’ll see staff gathered<br />
in the school cafeteria to<br />
assemble care packages<br />
which were then delivered<br />
for distribution throughout<br />
the community. Also<br />
pictured are teams of<br />
teachers and staff who<br />
rallied together to sort<br />
and box donated clothing<br />
items which were delivered<br />
to Friendship Missionary<br />
Baptist Church.<br />
Video: Elementary schools<br />
join forces to help storm<br />
victims<br />
The neighborhoods around Turner Elementary<br />
School, Radium Elementary School and International<br />
Studies were particularly hard-hit by the<br />
<strong>January</strong> storms. Administrators from those three<br />
schools got together with a host of others from<br />
Robert Harvey Elementary, Lake Park and business<br />
and community leaders to pack meals for those<br />
impacted by the storms.<br />
CSS Video<br />
Click here to learn more.
Lake Park staff helps with<br />
cleanup<br />
Teachers, staff and students at Lake Park Elementary<br />
flocked to help those suffering with storm damage in<br />
<strong>January</strong>. Whether by raking, picking up limbs, packing<br />
bag lunches or by just giving kind words to those<br />
in need, the staff spent several days in neighborhoods<br />
impacted by the storms.<br />
Lincoln staff rallies<br />
community to provide<br />
meals<br />
Video:<br />
Click here to see how staff and volunteers<br />
at Lincoln Elementary Charter School came<br />
together to make meals for those who were<br />
displaced in the wake of the storm.
Members of the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce pose with Westover’s Health Science’s staff one of the stops. The tour program<br />
is designed to get business leaders into schools to foster collaboration and change perception.<br />
‘Go See’ Tour spotlights Westover<br />
Members of the Albany<br />
Area Chamber of Commerce’s<br />
Education Committee<br />
toured the campus<br />
of Westover Comprehensive<br />
High School for the<br />
month of December.<br />
The leaders were<br />
shown various elements of<br />
the school including it’s<br />
award-winning student<br />
culinary department, it’s<br />
ROTC unit, a concert<br />
from its various performing<br />
arts groups and it’s<br />
Medical Arts Academy.<br />
The “Go See” Touring<br />
program was designed<br />
through a collaboration<br />
between the DCSS and<br />
the Chamber to allow<br />
business and community<br />
leaders to learn more about<br />
area schools and to build<br />
relationships between the<br />
schools and the businesses<br />
that will ultimately benefit<br />
students.<br />
Schools are selected<br />
monthly by committee<br />
members but principals aren’t<br />
contacted to set up the<br />
tour until just a few weeks<br />
out so that the tour-takers<br />
get to school life as it really<br />
is and not some show put<br />
on by school administrators<br />
to make the school<br />
look better than it might<br />
otherwise be.<br />
At Westover, tour takers<br />
were treated to lunch<br />
cooked by the school’s<br />
culinary arts team and<br />
listened to a Christmas<br />
concert put on by the<br />
schools’ various performing<br />
arts groups including<br />
the Westover Chorus and<br />
band.<br />
The Go See Tour for<br />
February is Lake Park<br />
Elementary.