Education Cabinet
Joel Butler - University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina
OASIS
Alice Keene - Pitt County Community Schools & Recreation
Teen Leadership
Jennifer Congleton - Pitt County Memorial Hospital
Stephanie Hinnant - Taff Office Equipment Company
Education Summit
Don Mills
The Chamber board approved a leadership development program, proposed by the Education Cabinet, designed to positively impact the dropout rate. The program is a week long (5 day) summer pilot project targeting identified at-risk students transitioning from grade 8 to high school.
The first Adult Team Spelling Bee was postponed until 2008 and has tentatively been scheduled for the month of October. Members of the Worker Bee committee observed other Spelling Bee events during this year and gained helpful information to help in planning for this fun-filled fundraising event. The funds from the event will be used for the new leadership development program.
The support of Pitt County Schools and Pitt Community college continued to be a top priority. See Government and Community Issues division report.
The Education Cabinet held four meetings this year and continued the mission and purpose of Partners in Education. The group continued to focus on supporting public school initiatives and endorsing innovative programs that address current educational issues and needs. The annual OASIS Celebration breakfast was held on November 1. 130 OASIS Partners were recognized for their volunteer efforts with the Pitt County School System.
The Annual Education Summit, "How SAFE Are Our Schools?" helped focus on safety concerns for Pitt County schools (K-12 education). The keynote speaker was Attorney General Roy Cooper. The summit, held on October 1, was presented by DSM Pharmaceuticals.
The Chamber strengthened its partnership with DSS and STRIVE on workforce development by providing marketing and education services for Work First. The Chamber completed its one year contract with DSS on June 30, 2007, and renewed the marketing contract for the coming year. The Chamber has actively promoted Work First through varied marketing avenues including the Chamber Web site (984 hits from Jan.-May), Business Partner (7 articles), ChamberGrams (average of 3 entries per month), Business Beat(2 tapings) and Tax Credit Working Lunch (May).
The Annual Safety Awards Banquet recognized businesses with outstanding safety records. The Chamber partnered with the North Carolina Department of Labor to coordinate the annual banquet that was held on April 17.
The Chamber continued to support the Health Sciences, Business Technology and Automotive Academies as a partner, and support the establishment of new academies. The Chamber also hosted The Pitt County Educational Foundation Teacher Executive Institute on December 4.
The 2007 Teen Leadership Institute (TLI) successfully completed a very well organized and exciting 19th year in April 2007, with 28 students receiving their TLI certificates and pins. TLI provided opportunities for growth in leadership for high school students.
