(l-r) Janet Ludwig, Partner in Education coordinator for Rock Lake Elementary; Dr. Barbara Jenkins, OCPS Superintendent; Melanie Griffin, Central Florida Association for Women Lawyers & Orange County Bar Association Young Lawyers Section; Lynne Wassatt, principal of Rock Lake Elementary; Jane Thompson, President of A Gift For Teaching; State Commissioner of Education Tony Bennett; Joseph Melbourne, CEO of CFE Federal Credit Union and Board of Directors for A Gift For Teaching; Captain Steve Nakagawa, Commander of the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division; Pamela Carson, senior manager for OCPS Community Resources; Patricia Preston, Partner in Education coordinator for Blankner K-8 School; Sara Au, senior specialist for OCPS Partners in Education.
The 2013 Florida Department of Education recognized three Orange County Public Schools Partners in Education with the Commissioner’s Business Recognition Award (CBRA), recently, at a ceremony in Tampa, Florida. The Orange County Public School awardees are:
· Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division: nominated by Blankner K-8 School
Partnership activities include STEM job shadowing, honoring students who exhibit outstanding conduct and citizenship with the Naval Award, and donating gifts for needy students at the holidays.
· Central Florida Association for Women Lawyers & Orange County Bar Association Young Lawyers Section: nominated by Rock Lake Elementary School
Partnership activities include donations of backpacks and school supplies for every child, monetary donations, holiday gifts, and invitations for the student chorus to sing at their professional events.
· A Gift For Teaching: nominated by OCPS Community Resources
Partnership activities include free store for Title I teachers with everything from school supplies and backpacks to crayons and construction paper, all available to classrooms across Orange County. Teachers shop for free, and then share these school supplies with students in need, allowing students to concentrate on their studies. This organization has funneled more than $70 million in supplies to teachers across Central Florida.
