Champions of Education has been an advocate for education and educators in Catawba County since 2005. Among its many achievements, Champions has backed increasing teacher supplements and school funding; served needs of at-risk children through preschool advancement; supported new pathways to education through Challenger High School, Newton-Conover Health Science High School, and the Hickory Career and Arts Magnet High School; promoted increased parent involvement through its Parent Resource Guide and support of the North Carolina “Leave for Parental Involvement in Schools” statute; and hosted some 14 annual education forums and breakfasts to keep the community apprised of the status of education in Catawba County.
Now, Champions is charting a new path for the future and that change will be the focus of this month’s Champions of Education breakfast meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 14, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Lenoir-Rhyne Boulevard. At the breakfast, Catawba Valley Community College will announce officially that the college is providing a home for Champions and the Education Matters programs it initiated for the purpose of raising educational attainment in the area, increasing access to higher education opportunities (at CVCC and others); and strengthening workforce readiness while continuing to work to connect business and the community to education.
Under the new arrangement, Champions will assist Education Matters with business and industry outreach; most of Champions previous areas of emphasis will be continued; quarterly breakfast meetings and reports to the community will continue; and serve as the “champion” agency of a new, 15-county initiative – Future Forward Workforce Alliance that targets adult learners to increase their employability by re-engaging them with education.
Comprised of the counties of Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cleveland, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey, the Future Forward Workforce Alliance initiative is envisioned to “significantly increase the percentage of working-age adults who attain degrees, earn certificates, or complete other advanced training beyond high school that has direct relevance to the region’s workforce.”
Specific goals and other details of Future Forward, as well as the status and accomplishments of Education Matters will be presented by Dr. Garrett Hinshaw, CVCC president, and the program’s director, Tracy Hall.
To help kickoff the holidays, entertainment during the breakfast will be provided by the Northview Middle School Jazz Band.
Want to attend? The Champions of Education Breakfast will be Wednesday, Dec. 14 , 7:45 to 9 a.m. , at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Lenoir-Rhyne Boulevard. It is free and open to the public, but space is limited. For reservations, contact lmitchell@champions of education .org or call Lamar Mitchell, director of Champions of Education, no later than Wednesday at ( 828) 324-6966 , ext. 2028.
Jean C. Yoder, retired public information officer for Hickory Public Schools, volunteers for Catawba County Champions of Education.
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