Education in Action prizes recognize community partnerships in Chesterfield

BCWH Architects and the Chesterfield Public Education Foundation have awarded the first Education in Action prizes to four Chesterfield County schools.

The $1,000 prizes will be given each spring to recognize successful community partnerships.

The winners are:

MVPs at Providence Elementary

At Providence Elementary, MVP stands for Men Volunteering for Providence. The school recruited fathers, uncles and grandfathers to get involved in their children's education as volunteers, tutors and mentors.

Last year, 36 MVPs volunteered 578 hours at Providence. So far this year, 29 MVPs have volunteered 522 hours.

Program directors are Margo Crawford, school counselor at Providence Elementary, and parents Bruce Elliott, Patrick Thompson, Clay Butler, Danny Saggese and Mark Beavers.

English for Speakers of Other Languages literacy class at Bon Air Elementary

Bon Air Elementary and the University of Richmond created an after-school class to help English-language learners improve their literacy in Spanish and in English.

Research shows that learning a second language is easier for students who are proficient in their first language. UR students fluent in Spanish visit Bon Air Elementary once a week to help ESOL students learn to read in Spanish. Program directors are Lee Ann Newman, ESOL teacher at Bon Air Elementary, and Dulce Lawrence of the University of Richmond.

Future City Project at Falling Creek Middle

Engineers from Timmons Group and Dunbar Milby Williams Pittman and Vaughan helped develop a city-of-the-future competition for eighth-grade English-language learners at Falling Creek Middle.

Goals included synthesizing the language that English for Speakers of Other Languages students learned during class and having ESOL and non-ESOL students learn together and share ideas.

The engineers volunteered 20 to 40 hours with students, explaining city planning concepts and providing technical advice when the students began to construct their model cities.

Program director is Ashby McNeil, who teaches English for Speakers of Other Languages at Falling Creek Middle.

Community support at Chesterfield Community High

Chesterfield Community High wanted to build community support for staff members and students. After learning about the school and its students, the Beta Pi Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma asked to adopt the school.

Delta Kappa Gamma is an educational society that includes current and former teachers and school administrators.

The volunteers support teachers, volunteer in the library, tutor in classrooms, host breakfasts for honor-roll students twice a year and provide a teacher-appreciation lunch once a year.

Program directors are Barbara Micou, Communities In Schools site coordinator at Chesterfield Community High, and Debby Howard, president of the Beta Pi Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma.