
This year, SPARK was pleased to present the 2022 Business Partnerships of the Year recipients at a Business Partnerships of the Year Dinner held recently at Old Hickory Golf Club
Superintendent of Schools Dr. LaTanya D. McDade, and School Board Chairman At-Large, Babur B. Lateef, M.D., shared their congratulatory remarks and spoke on the importance of school to business partnerships and the value they bring to the community.
Dawn Davis, executive director for SPARK announced the 2022 Business Partnership of the Year awardees:
- The Aviation Institute of Maintenance (AIM) and Career Technical Education -The mission of this partnership is to establish a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved aviation maintenance program in PWCS. This opportunity provides students with the exposure and prospect to enter the aviation field. Students in the program gain exposure into the aviation field with a continuing pathway into an aviation maintenance career.
- Park Valley Church and Mountain View Elementary School - For a decade, this partnership has supported many families in various ways through collaborative efforts.. The coordinator, Sylvia Boone, along with counselors and social workers at Mountain View Elementary, work with families in need to create wish lists for their children. Church volunteers from Park Valley Church shop for each child to meet individual needs and wishes, and provide items needed for a special meal. The church committee also collects and organizes tables of gently used clothing for children and adults to take as needed. . The rapport built through this community support and the school with our families continues to make a positive difference year to year.
- Top Ladies of Distinction, Inc. Dale City-PW Chapter and Minnieville Elementary School -The mission statement of Minnieville Elementary School can be summarized by three key words- commitment, collaboration, and community. Minnieville Elementary has been honored to work with Top Ladies of Distinction, Inc. Dale City-Prince William, as they have gone above and beyond in their support for Minnieville student.. Through their many initiatives such as the Literacy Initiative, Eagle Express bookmobile, and socially-distanced learning playground. As well as providing hats and gloves during the winter and delivering hundreds of child size masks during the pandemic, Top Ladies of Distinction have been there for our students.
The
2022
Sharon
Henry
Partner
in
Education
Award,
renamed
in
2019
to
recognize
the
13
years
of
service
of
past
SPARK
executive
director,
Sharon
Henry,
was
awarded
to
Radhika
Bajaj,
founder
and
president
of
Bookworm
Central.
Radhika
Bajaj
has
devoted
the
past
30
years
to
building
a
children's
book
distributorship
that
provides
offerings
to
promote
the
love
of
books
and
reading
in
the
community.
Whether
it
is
fundraising
book
fairs
for
schools,
or
literacy
programs
to
support
at-risk
students,
the
focal
point
of
these
endeavors
is
to
nurture
strong
and
consistent
reading
practices
among
all
children,
so
that
they
may
be
prepared,
inspired,
and
motivated
learners
for
life.
When
Bajaj
completed
her
graduate
degree
in
English
Literature
she
combined
her
knowledge
with
six
years
of
prior
business
experience
to
start
a
company
focused
on
literacy,
quality
literature,
and
raising
funds
for
schools.
Today,
she
continues
to
work
closely
with
schools,
their
leadership,
and
other
community
partners
to
identify
and
address
today's
wide-ranging
literacy
challenges.
Bajaj
also
serves
on
boards
and
committees
that
support
the
work
of
schools
and
the
educational
process.
Bajaj
strives,
both
personally
and
professionally,
to
provide
for
others
the
opportunities
and
experiences
she
was
afforded
as
a
child
-
the
magic
of
books
and
a
deep
love
for
learning.
The
2021
Business
Partnerships
of
the
Year
recipients
were
also
formally
honored,
as
they
were
unable
to
be
celebrated
previously,
due
to
COVID-19.
The 2021 Business Partnerships of the Year awards were presented to:
- Sentara Northern VA Medical Center and Practical Nursing at Osbourn Park High School - This partnership offers our students the mandatory clinical experiences with instructors. Sentara Northern VA Medical Center has consistently allowed our students to earn their mandatory clinical hours at their facility. They have impacted over 300 students by allowing them the hours required for graduation and by supporting scholarships to several of our students each year. They have helped to ignite a passion for nursing in these students enabling them to continue their education and go on to become doctors, registered nurses, cardio-thoracic perfusionists and even doctorates of nursing practice.
- UVA Health - UVA Health (at the time, Novant) joined forces with Prince William, Manassas City and Manassas Park schools to vaccinate employees of the three area public school divisions. In February 2021, UVA Health received a weekly allotment of nearly 3,000 doses of the Pfizer BioNTech-COVID-19 vaccine from the Prince William Health District. Employees of Manassas City Public Schools and Manassas Park City Schools were invited to attend a vaccine clinic at Unity Reed High School to receive their first dose of the Pfizer BioNTech-COVID-19 vaccine. Due to the large population size, Prince William County Public Schools led efforts to prioritize its employees based on highest risk. It took about 4-5 weeks to inoculate about 11,000 Prince William County Public Schools employees with their first dose.
This
year's
Business
Partnerships
of
the
Year
Dinner
was
graciously
sponsored
by
RRMM
Architects
and
Micron,
with
both
businesses
having
representatives
in
attendance.
In
addition,
School
Board
Members
Lillie
Jessie,
from
the
Occoquan
District,
Jennifer
Wall,
from
the
Gainesville
District,
and
Lisa
Zargarpur,
from
the
Coles
District,
also
attended.
"SPARK
is
truly
grateful
for
the
continued
support
of
our
business
partners.
This
year's
recipients
exemplify
community
outreach
and
support
for
our
PWCS
students
and
teachers,"
said
SPARK
Executive
Director
Dawn
Davis.