Date: May 6, 2005
Contact: Irene Cromer
Community Relations Supervisor
703-791-8720

Gillian Kane-Mobley
Partnership Prince William Coordinator
703-791-8002
mobleygk@pwcs.edu

PARTNERSHIP PRINCE WILLIAM ANNOUNCES
BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP AWARD WINNERS

Three Prince William County school-business partnerships are the winners of the 2005 Business Partnership Awards sponsored by Partnership Prince William. The awards were created to recognize “best practices” in school-to-business partnerships that have significantly improved academic achievement and/or work readiness skills for Prince William County Public School students. Partnership Prince William was formed in 1999 by the school division, the Prince William Regional Chamber of Commerce, and the Prince William County Public Schools Education Foundation.

Partnerships between Freedom High School and Belmont Bay Science Center, Vaughan Elementary School and Cardinal Bank, and Career and Technology Education accounting classes in nine schools and the Prince William Area Family Economic Success Partnership were among twenty-five programs nominated for the Business Partnership Awards. The Advisory Council for Partnership Prince William, comprised of representatives of the Prince William County--Greater Manassas Chamber of Commerce, Prince William Regional Chamber of Commerce, Prince William County Department of Economic Development, Lockheed Martin, and Prince William County Public Schools, selected the winners.
The winners and nominees were recognized during the Prince William County School Board meeting on May 4. A description of the winning partnerships follows.

Belmont Bay Science Center and Freedom High School
Grant funds and in-kind contributions from Belmont Bay Science Center resulted in materials, supplies, and staff to provide two watershed education workshops to over 90 Prince William County teachers at Freedom High School. Two resource CDs which include lesson plans, and resources were created for teachers. Students in Freedom High School’s Center for Environmental Science Program assist Belmont Bay Science Center with promotion activities, such as their Spring Fling held in March 2005, by providing student exhibits.

Cardinal Bank and Vaughan Elementary School
This partnership began with the goal of enhancing and enriching the established math curriculum through financial education opportunities. It quickly grew and now has resulted in the first Prince William County elementary school student-run bank branch. The Wildcat Bank and Trust “employs” fourth and fifth graders as branch managers, marketing directors, and tellers who all operate the branch two days a week allowing other students to make savings account deposits. The “employees” of “Wildcat Bank and Trust” all participated in an interview process with Cardinal Bank employees and Vaughan Elementary staff prior to being hired. Over 200 students applied for these positions.

This activity promoted the importance of saving while teaching students about interest
rates, economics, and other important financial education topics, and real-world work skills. Cardinal Bank employees have contributed countless hours in support of this program and work with the students two days a week at the “Wildcat Bank and Trust” division of Cardinal Bank as well as in the classroom. In return, Vaughan Elementary School has continued to promote the student savings program to all students interested in opening savings accounts. More than $7,000 has been deposited in the elementary school branch of Cardinal Bank.
This partnership is coordinated by Karen Denas, Vice President and Branch Manager, Cardinal Bank; Lillie Jessie, Principal, Darcia Palmer-Gray, Partnership Coordinator, Vaughan Elementary School.

Prince William Area Family Economic Success Partnership (Internal Revenue Service and Prince William County Department of Social Services) and Prince William County Public Schools Career and Technical Education Program
Nine Prince William County high schools worked together through their accounting classes to partner with the Prince William Area Family Economic Success Partnership, Prince William County Department of Social Services, Virginia Cooperative Extension Office, and the Internal Revenue Service to train 200 students at workshops held at Potomac High School and Osbourn Park High School to prepare tax returns. The IRS also assisted the Prince William County Public Schools Planning Committee with developing and approving a student test so that our students could qualify to prepare taxes for individuals earning less than $35,000 annually. The Prince William Area Family Economic Success Partnership program worked with Brentsville, Forest Park, and Gar-Field high schools to organize and hold weekly tax preparation sites at their schools. The schools advertised this resource to their student bodies and neighbors. This partnership gave students real-world work readiness skills, financial education, and a way to give back to their communities as volunteers.

This partnership is coordinated by Dennis McFeeley, Chairman, Prince William Area Family Economic Success Partnership; Tom Meagher, Prince William County Department of Social Services; Tim Pickney, IRS; Joe Botta, Virginia Cooperative Extension Office; Dr. Kathy Kunze, Prince William County Public Schools Career and Technical Education Supervisor.
For more information, log on to the Partnership Prince William web site, pwcspartnership.org, or contact Gillian Kane-Mobley, Administrative Coordinator,
at 703-791-8002.

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