The Cabell County Schools, the Education Alliance, and the Huntington Area Development Council (HADCO) announce the launch of the State Scholars Initiative (SSI), a nationally designed program that seeks to enrich the education of Cabell County high school students.
The State Scholars Initiative, which begins in Cabell County this school year, will bring business and community leaders into eighth- and ninth-grade classrooms to encourage students to complete a more rigorous course of math, science and foreign language study during their high school careers. The goal of the program is to insure that students are better prepared to succeed after graduation, whether in school, military or workforce endeavors. Over 60 business and community leaders have committed to volunteering their time to meet with 1,900 students in 90 classrooms during the week of March 16-20.
William A. Smith, Superintendent of Cabell County Schools, stated, “A critical ingredient for student success is the caring, persistent adult who mentors, guides and lays the ground work for academic engagement. The West Virginia State Scholars Initiative will help us give students that extra push to work harder, dream bigger and develop a mind set for life-long learning.”
The State Scholars Initiative is a national program with a local focus. In Cabell County, the initiative is championed by The Cabell County School System, the Education Alliance, the Huntington Area Development Council, and the Young Professionals Committee of the Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce. Funding for the local initiative is provided by generous area business donors. Cabell County joins four West Virginia counties and 21 states involved in SSI. More information on the program can be found at http://www.educationalliance.org/StateScholars/StateScholars.asp
Gerald McDonald, President of HADCO, said, “To be competitive in today’s global economy, our workforce must be both skilled and well-educated. The State Scholars Initiative places business and community leaders in the classroom to relate real world experience and requirements, and encourage a demanding course of study to better prepare students for whatever career path they choose.”
Business and community leaders volunteering their time in this initiative include City of Huntington representatives Kim Wolfe, Brandi Jacobs-Jones, Tom Bell, Scott McClure, Charles Holley, Skip Holbrook, Greg Fuller; Cabell County representatives Tom McComas, Doug Ferguson, Chris Tatum; Chamber of Commerce Young Professional Committee members Christie White and Adam Daniels (First State Bank), Sarah Elaine Benda (Jenkins Fenstermaker), Brooke Maynard (United National Bank), Elizabeth Ayers (Cabell County Health Department), Terri Rowe (BB&T), Elizabeth Cremeans (The Herald-Dispatch), Jill Morris (Rucker, Billups & Fowler), Charles Schumaker (Cabell Huntington Hospital), Massie Boster (City National Bank), Anders Lindberg (Steptoe & Johnson), Keri Arbison (Alcon Research, Ltd); Kerry Adkins and Tim Krouse, Huntington Federal Savings Bank; Carrie Cline and Brad Myers, WSAZ Newschannel 3; Wally Smith, BB&T; Romie Mundy, West Virginia American Water; Maria O’Reilly, Okuno International; Mitch Webb, State Electric Supply Co.; Tracy Harmon, Bill Rawlinson, Ed Dorsey and Tom Pressman, Strictly Business Computer Systems; Sandi Martin and Mary Witten Wiseman, Foundation for the Tri-State; Jeff Groves, James Kirk, and Chad Stutler, Alcon Research, Ltd.; Brent Pyles, Becker/SMC Electrical Products; Jean Chappell, Marshall Community & Technical College; Chris Preston, Ohio Valley Bank; Cathy Burns, The Empowerment Zone; Doug Korstanje, St. Mary’s Medical Center; Tim Bogren, Bogren Chiropractic Health Center; Larry Cartmill, RCBI; Dr. Hoyt Burdick, Cabell Huntington Hospital; Phoebe Patton Randolph and J.D. Maynard, Edward Tucker Architects; Leah Edwards, Bill Bissett, Elizabeth Hanrahan and Betsy Dulin, Marshall University; and Jason Roma, Audy Perry, Eleni Kontos-Miller, Cindy McCarty, Chris Plybon, Thomas McChesney, Melissa Bird, and Karen Poulton of Huddleston Bolen.
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