Partnerships

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League Academy envisions our families, staff, and community working together to strengthen instruction and learning as a shared responsibility. We are committed to exploring and developing new strategies for our school, which will help us help our students meet the challenges of a fast-paced, ever-changing world. Our goal is a clearly articulated partnership structure for the school, so that our partners' efforts directly impact our goals and standards for our students' success in school and in life. Our developing partnership plan, as a part of our comprehensive school-wide improvement plan, works to ensure that our partners have the opportunity to contribute to and benefit from these endeavors. It is our belief that our students have much to give to, as well as learn from, their community. We are actively seeking reciprocal partnerships. A reciprocal relationship currently exists between parents and the school. New and prospective parents are invited to tour the school and see students and staff in action. Each fall all parents and students may attend Back-to-School Night where they meet teachers and receive syllabi aligned with state standards. They also receive information regarding our PTA, e-newsletter, e-mail addresses for staff websites, and ways to become involved in the school community. Four times a school year the PTA newsletter is mailed home. The newsletter contains information regarding all aspects of the current school program and activities, including a calendar of upcoming school events. Each year the SIC publishes an Annual Report to the Parents. This report provides a summary of standardized test scores, the School Report Card, academic goals for school improvement and awards for students and teachers. League Academy parents attend meetings, tutor students, chaperone field trips and school dances, raise funds for special projects, and volunteer in the office. The PTA and the SIC collaborate to sponsor a welcoming open house for sixth grade parents and grade level meetings that address specific grade level concerns. Parents have been one of our strongest partnerships! Their efforts were recognized in 2003-2004 as they received the National PTA’s Parent Involvement School of Excellence Certification. Partnering as volunteers and assisting with their talents, parents stay involved and benefit the teachers and students. In 2006, the School Improvement Council began talking about ways to build long- lasting relationships between League and organizations in fields related to the school’s unique mission as a communication arts school. The intent of the SIC was to introduce professionals from inside and outside the school to each other. The purpose of the program, called the Intellectual Capital Campaign, was not to ask professionals outside the school for money, manpower, or materials. Instead, the purpose was to ask professionals to meet with teachers to talk about how they might work together to strengthen instruction in their particular fields, since League is preparing its communication arts students to be their potential employees. These conversations would generate ideas, or intellectual capital, and would build permanent relationships with community groups and businesses which focus on the communication arts. When professionals outside the school share their intellect and ideas, it will help professionals within the school motivate students, broaden their perspectives, and enhance their education with real-world experience. The results of the Intellectual Capital Campaign have been excellent so far. One individual who agreed to help is Jerry Cooper of TPM, a company which serves the design and engineering professions with software and equipment. He is interested in helping South Carolinians understand and use high-end technology and graphics, and he agreed to meet with and assist Carol Kerrigan, the computer graphics teacher at League. Reverend Timothy Dombek has offered his assistance to Marcie Yon, the chorus/speech/debate teacher, in involving students with the National Forensics League and the Toastmasters Club. Lyn Riddle of the //Greenville Journal// met and shared her expertise with Gretchen Marlowe, the editor of the school newspaper at League. Joanna McCauley, the art teacher at League was able to meet with Mr. Will Cox of //The Gallery Arena// Art Gallery. Debbie Bell of the South Carolina Children’s Theater agreed to meet with Libba Urps, the drama teacher at League. The SIC plans to continue the campaign during the 2007-2008 school year to further enrich the education of our students and strengthen ties with the community businesses and arts organizations which complement our mission and a communication arts school.

League Academy now has a full-time career development staff member as part of the Education and Economic Development Act. All students beginning with the current eighth grade are required to choose a career cluster in high school. To prepare students for this choice, League offers career information through advisory classes and through business relationships developed by Heather Berg, the EEDA counselor. In addition to providing students with information about a variety of career options available to them, Mrs. Berg is compiling lists of area businesses and cultivating relationships with them for future school partnerships. This year, a group of eighth grade students shadowed employees at the Westin Poinsett and Hyatt Hotels. Accompanied by Mrs. Berg, Susan Mitchell, and Gretchen Marlowe, the students were involved in aspects of hotel operations from customer service to food preparation. Before the trip, students researched careers in the hospitality industry and discussed appropriate business attire and deportment. Beginning in 2005-2006, students at League began an important partnership with engineers from GE as part of the Lego Robotics program. Mary Rankin, an engineer at GE with two sons at League, introduced the program to our school. Every Sunday afternoon from September through January, engineers met with students at League to teach them the mechanics and technology of robotics. Students participated in regional and state competitions with their robots. The program continued in the 2006-2007 school year, with increased student participation and successes in the regional and state competition. League has ongoing partnerships with other schools in the area. Area high schools send students for service learning and teacher cadet programs. These students assist teachers in the classroom in a number of ways. Local colleges and universities, including Furman, Clemson, and Bob Jones University send pre-service and student teachers for observation and training. In the 2006-2007 school year, League began a partnership with the Carolina First Center for Excellence to provide the faculty with professional development training. Lindsay Smith and Michele Brinn have provided a series of workshops for League teachers training them to help students take increased ownership of their own learning. Through an array of quality tools, teachers have learned how to help students set goals, write mission statements, and participate in shared decision making. Teachers at League have additional support through monthly users’ group meeting at the Chamber of Commerce, an e-newsletter, and an Excelebration in the spring. This collaboration with Carolina First Center for Excellence is an ongoing partnership to assist League teachers in training students for future workplaces which use many of the same quality tools.

During the 2006-2007 school year, League became a Baldrige School. This opportunity allowed us to partner with the Greenville Chamber of Commerce and the Center for Excellence focused on implementing Quality Tools for school improvement. Also, a partnership with Adam Caldwell of Michelin North America has been established as a business utilizing Quality Tools in the work place to assist and offer their expertise as we learn to implement Quality Tools at League.

A partnership was developed in 2007 between League, Greenville Family Partnership, and the National Guard. This partnership has resulted in three programs at League servicing sixty two students. On Thursdays, seventh and eighth graders meet in “Freedom Calls.” These students follow a series of lessons designed to explore good decision making and responsibility. On Fridays, two groups of sixth graders meet for “All Stars,” a different series of lessons designed to encourage making better choices. Parents and administrators have attended meetings as guests. Heidi Hamilton, one of League’s guidance counselors, has assisted Mr. Stacy Ashmore of Greenville Family Partnership as a faculty liaison. Student excitement and participation have been encouraging and plans are to continue and build on this partnership.

Lillian Parr, Chairman of the Greenville Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors and a League parent, contacted League about starting a Teen Leadership Council to help get this generation of students more interested and involved with the Symphony. With our magnet focus, it was a natural connection. Several Beta Club members, the Beta Club Sponsor, and the administrative assistant have met with the Chairman of the Board, and have even had the opportunity to meet Maestro Edvard Tchivzhel when he came to League. The students plan to make posters and a video clip to show to the student body of League to encourage them to go to the spring concert of Bizet’s //Carmen// at the Peace Center. The Symphony is generously making tickets available for $10 to students and their parents. The students were especially interested when they found out that the Chicora Voices, a community chorus to which several League students belong, were a part of the performance. League Strings teacher, Catherine Crowe, plays with the Symphony, and Ms. Cox, principal, sings with the Greenville Chorale, who will be singing for this concert, as well. League will be well represented in this community performance and, hopefully, will be represented well in the audience, as well.

The Bank of Travelers Rest has been an important business partner for League. A vice-president of the bank serves on the School Improvement Committee. While League was in portables for three years, the bank provided the PTA and SIC with meeting space. The bank also sponsors the Dick Maag award, which is presented annually to a teacher at League who demonstrates outstanding arts integration in his/her classroom. In 2005, art students at League designed the bank’s annual Christmas card. The business community in Greenville partners with League in other ways. Students in the seventh grade learn about world finance through the Junior Achievement program. Representatives from area businesses come to League to present a series of lessons to students. These lessons coordinate with segments of the seventh grade social studies curriculum on capitalism and other world economic systems. Other area businesses send employees to act as judges for League’s Science Fair and Invention Convention. In the 2006-2007 school year, the PTA applied for and received a grant from Trees Greenville. This grant, which involves partnership between parents, students, faculty, and the community, provided League with a tree garden and outdoor learning areas for League students, faculty, and the community to use for years to come. Students will be able to use the different areas of the garden for science, math, and language arts lessons. Ongoing instruction from Trees Greenville and Project Learning Tree will help the faculty integrate the valuable asset into an enriched curriculum for League students, in addition to providing an aesthetically pleasing environment for the League community. While we are training students to be contributing members of the community in the future, many League students are already involved in giving back to the Greenville community. The Student Council at League provided leadership in raising money for the March of Dimes by sponsoring a competition through advisory classes and creating a paper chain with links signifying the amount raised. League students and faculty will participate in Walk America on April 28, 2007. The Student Council also provided leadership in the school Red Ribbon campaign by conducting a penny campaign and marching in the Red Ribbon Parade. A number of League students also participated in the Special Olympics. The Beta Club conducted a toy drive at Christmas for local charities, collected canned goods for A Child’s haven, and planned an Easter egg hunt for children at the Meyer Center. Our work in partnership development has the potential to change the school in very dramatic and positive ways. The future success depends a great deal on the alignment of all of our efforts with the standards and the quality of our communication with everyone. League Academy is determined to focus on the school’s vision, goals, and students’ learning as we build partnerships. ==
 * SIC will continue the Intellectual Capital Campaign.
 * We will make sure that all of our partners see the results of their work with our students.
 * We will enlarge our base of information regarding current interaction with volunteers and community members in order to develop true partnerships.
 * We will continue to develop partnerships through EEDA.
 * We will compile a comprehensive listing of our current partnerships.
 * We will publish partnerships on the League website.
 * We will increase partnerships across grade levels within the school.