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Faculty and students preparing for GPEE bus tour
When the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education statewide bus tour comes to tour Washington- Wilkes Elementary School next Tuesday, two busloads of business, education, government, and civic leaders from all over Georgia will visit. The leaders will spend some three hours studying how schools like W-WES become notable examples of high achievement in math and science innovation. The elementary school, one of only 13 schools honored statewide, has been a remarkable success story. It had been on the "Needs Improvement" list for six years, but did a complete turnaround in two years, and now has been a Title 1 Distinguished School since 2005, Jenkins said. Twelve student tour guides will demonstrate how the school's instructional technology is used to innovate the teaching of math and science. Teachers hand chose fifthgraders Hannah Forrester, Bob Norman, Troy Allen, Hunter Newsome, Austin Hackney, T.J. Witherspoon, Kinya Gordon, Brandon Harris, Ashlyn Holley, Miranda Crook, Amy McAvoy, and Divesia Lee to speak to the visiting VIPs. The whole community, Jenkins said, has pitched in to help. "We've been so pleased with the generosity the city, the county, and the Chamber of Commerce," she said. Tourism Director Ashley Barnett helped raise money for 360 t-shirts for the students and helped line up pumpkins and mums to decorate the school. Retired teacher Janie Cravens has helped with decorative painting inside the school, and McDonald's is donating a new mailbox. More expert help was donated by Bradley and Catherine Barber of Hannah's House Media Partners, who edited and did voice-over for a 10-minute video on the school's success for the visitors to watch as they approach the school. The video was shown at Monday night's Board of Education meeting to enthusiastic applause. During the 2007 Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education annual Bus Trip Across Georgia, leaders in education, business, government and communities from across the state will see first-hand why these schools are achieving. The tour began in 1993 and has been a fixture in state education circles ever since. Schools selected as stops have a proven track record of academic excellence, educational innovation and sustained performance. Dr. Stephen Dolinger, president of the Partnership, said, "These schools represent what is right in Georgia's public education system. They have all set high standards and goals and are preparing their students for the next level in their education careers."
He added, "Our visits accomplish two things. While we are bringing much-deserved recognition to these schools and their school systems, we are also showcasing best practices to influencers who might adopt some of these ideas for use in their own communities."
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