Fort Valley State University News November 9, 2011 Fort Valley State University Join Bus Education Tour Few experiences in their early professional careers rival a recent tour says two Fort Valley State University students. When the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education hit the road for its 19th annual Bus Trip Across Georgia on Oct. 25, early childhood development students Chirstina Perry and DeAndrea Smith joined FVSU's education consultant, Dr. Edward Hill, and more than 80 education, civic, business and government leaders who visited eight award-winning public schools in the mid-eastern and southeastern regions of the state. The mission of the tour was to increase community involvement, develop business partnerships and highlight the good work of schools whose best practices produce high achievers. "We are visiting schools in some smaller communities that are preparing students well for a rapidly changing workforce," said Steve Dolinger, Georgia Partnership president. "We want to pat them on the back for the great job they are doing while at the same time capture their best practices to take home with us." The three-day tour included visits to Lake Oconee Academy (Greene County); Oak Hill Middle School (Baldwin County); Langston Chapel Elementary School (Bulloch County); Claxton Middle School (Evans County); Taylors Creek Elementary School (Liberty County); Sugarmill Elementary School (Camden County); Golden Isles Career Academy (Glynn County); and Ware County High School (Ware County). "I was exposed to many types of educational arenas. The learning environments will help me to be more versatile in my classroom in the future," said Perry, one of 19 students from 14 universities who traveled with the group. A few years ago, college seniors were invited to ride along with educators. "This experience helped our students understand new education policies and practices," said Hill, who coordinated FVSU's participation. "'Real world' education experiences help us prepare proficient educators to critically think about and solve the issues 21st century students face," he explained. Perry and Smith participated in round table discussions with peers, a question and answer debrief with Georgia Teacher of the Year, Judan McCarthy, and met Dr. John Lounsbury, a founder of the middle school movement. "The trip allowed me to observe more classrooms of different school systems. It also afforded an excellent opportunity to present myself to prospective employers as I prepare to graduate," said Smith, who'll teach second graders with special needs. To view a story about the education tour, click http://milledgeville.13wmaz.com/news/edu<https://webmail.fvsu.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://milledgeville.13wmaz.com/news/edu>. More information is available about the Georgia Partnership at http://www.gpee.org<https://webmail.fvsu.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.gpee.org>. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Program Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 404.592.4820 Skype:sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree Street NW Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (Lyrasis) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.