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Department of Media and Communications | Office of Community Relations | June 2010


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Working together with schools, educational partners support activities that are aligned with specific goals and provide expanded material, financial, and/or human resources to enhance and enrich teaching and learning. Each partnership is unique and individually planned between the school and the partner, allowing for unlimited opportunities to help promote students’ academic and personal growth and success.

For more information about the VBCPS Partners in Education program, visit the Volunteers and Partners page on vbschools.com.
2010 Model Partnerships recognized at “Making a Difference” celebration

Since the 2000-2001 school year, more than 150 partnerships have been recognized for their meaningful community involvement within Virginia Beach City Public Schools. The 2010 Model Partnerships selected by the Partnership Advisory Link were honored at the school division’s “Making a Difference” Community Celebration on April 28. The following partnerships were this year’s honorees:

  • Bullfrogs and Butterflies and Virginia Beach Technical and Career Education Center
  • Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters and Tallwood High, Office of Technical and Career Education, & VBCPS
  • Crossroads Vineyard Church and Salem Elementary
  • Ebenezer Baptist Church and Bayside Tri-Campus
  • King Tiger Martial Arts and Rosemont Elementary
  • Lynnhaven River NOW and Frank W. Cox High
  • McDonald Garden Center and Pembroke Elementary
  • Northrop Grumman Corporation and AMSEC LLC and Advanced Technology Center
  • Old Dominion University Gene W. Hirschfeld School of Dental Hygiene and Princess Anne High
  • Papa John’s Pizza and W. T. Cooke Elementary
  • Royster Middle, Norfolk Academy and Shelton Park Elementary
  • Strawbridge Dental Associates and Virginia Beach Technical and Career Education Center
  • T.J.Maxx and Kellam High
  • Towne Bank and W. T. Cooke Elementary
  • Virginia Beach Schools Federal Credit Union and Beach Municipal Federal Credit Union and Landstown High
Watch this 2010 Model Partnerships video to hear from recipients about their collaboration with Virginia Beach schools.
Advanced Technology Center and TCC

The Advanced Technology Center (ATC) shares a partnership with the Engineering Department at Tidewater Community College (TCC). Photo: ATC Engineering Technology students participated in the TCC Engineering Club’s cable car race held in the ATC Atrium.

Alanton Elementary School and Oyster Reef Keepers
Alanton Elementary School fifth graders received oysters from Oyster Reef Keepers of Virginia in September and compiled data on the growth of these oysters throughout the school year. Photo: Students returned the oysters to the beds along Broad Bay during a field trip with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Other field trip activities included bringing in fishing nets and retrieving and baiting crab pots. Felicia W. and Anna R. handle their catch of the day.
Bayside Middle School and Navy Expeditionary Combat Command
Working together with Bayside Middle School’s Green Team, the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command offered its time and resources to help the school construct butterfly and rain gardens. The military command contributed $1,200 in materials to help fund the project. Service members also rolled up their sleeves to help dig all the trenches, add plant materials, and make trellises.
Fairfield Elementary School Partners Support Earth Day
Fairfield Elementary School hosted an Earth Day Celebration as a part of their annual Math-Science Night program. Community members and Fairfield's Partners in Education contributed materials and supplies for the event, such as recyclable shopping bags and plants. Contributors included: Curves, Farm Fresh, Food Lion, Harris Teeter, Home Depot, Kroger, Wal-Mart, Mr. and Mrs. Salzman, and the Renaissance Academy Agricultural Department. Fifteen Kempsville High School students served as judges for the Science Fair. Photo: John O. plants an herb in the garden on the school grounds.
Glenwood Elementary School and Harris Teeter
Keith Dorcsis from Harris Teeter presented Glenwood Elementary School principal Susan Stuhlman and program coordinator Susan Cotthaus with a $1,000 check for winning first place in the Harris Teeter Grocery Store's Recycling Contest. Glenwood students and staff filled 600 thirty-gallon garbage bags with recyclable plastic grocery bags. The school has participated in the contest for four years and has previously won $250 and $1000 prizes for their efforts. Go Gators!
Green Run Elementary School and Sonic
On Safety Patrol Appreciation Day, Green Run Elementary School fourth-grade safety patrols Xavier R. and Cameron R. enjoyed lunch from Sonic. The business donated lunches to the school for the special event.
Holland Elementary School and Salem High School
Members of the Salem High School step team taught fourth and fifth graders at Holland Elementary School how to step over the course of six weeks. In a final performance at the Holland Elementary talent show, the elementary students demonstrated what they learned. Photo: Holland students wear their “Triple H (Hoovin’ Holland Huskies)” shirts which were screen printed for them by Visual Arts Academy students at Salem High School.
Landstown Middle School and Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Landstown Middle School continues its partnership with the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater for the 2010 concert season. Advanced Art students have once again prepared portraits of the artists performing at the Amphitheater this summer. Students’ artwork is hung back stage for the artists to see as they go to and from their dressing rooms. Photo: Amber R. shows her drawing of Kings of Leon.
Pembroke Elementary School and Kemps Landing Magnet School
During the second semester, Kemps Landing Magnet School students supported Pembroke Elementary School’s Lunch Buddies Club. Every Thursday, KLMS students would eat lunch with first graders as well as participate in Pembroke’s activities such as reading day and game day. Photo: Buddies Marcella S. and Lucy F. eat lunch together.  
Princess Anne Elementary School and NMITC
Watch this video to learn more about the annual “Fun Run” in which Princess Anne Elementary School students join sailors and marines from the Navy and Marine Corps Intelligence Training Center (NMITC) for a run along the Dam Neck Annex beach. Physical fitness is one of the many aspects of the collaboration between the school and NMITC, which is one of the longest-running partnerships in the school division.
Rosemont Elementary School and Village Church
Village Church partners with Rosemont Elementary School to facilitate an afterschool tutoring program. Volunteers from the faith-based organization meet every Wednesday afternoon with select third graders to assist with their academics.
Tech Center and Lowe’s “Toolbox for Education” program
Lowe’s and Kobalt Tools, in partnership with SkillsUSA, are helping the next generation of trade professionals develop their skills at the Virginia Beach Technical and Career Education Center through their Toolbox for Education program. Lowe's has donated approximately $1,100 worth of Kobalt tools to the school to support the Automotive Service Technology program. Tech Center SkillsUSA advisor Wayne Champigny says, "This is a wonderful example of how industry works to partner with education for the betterment of the technical program and the success of my students.”
Windsor Oaks Elementary School and Fleet Readiness Center
The Fleet Readiness Center Midlant Site Oceana partners with Windsor Oaks Elementary School to support the school’s mentoring program. Twenty-five students were paired with mentors from the NAS Oceana tenant command this year. Photo: AO2 Yesenia Jusinoramos and Sanaiya R. smiled for a photo during one of the military unit’s visit this Spring.
Windsor Woods Elementary School and VBFD Station 16
Firemen from Virginia Beach Fire Department Station 16 brought their ladder truck to help Windsor Woods Elementary School's third grade students with their egg-drop science experiment. Students placed eggs into protective boxes they designed. The object of the lesson was to discover how many eggs would survive being dropped from the different heights of 10, 20, 30, 50, and 100 feet. The firemen carried the boxes to the top of the ladder and dropped them for the students. Three of the ten eggs dropped from 100 feet survived.
Woodstock Elementary and Village Inn
Woodstock Elementary School teacher Theresa Holloran presented a partnership plaque to Brandi Ziemba from Village Inn. Among the various partnership activities planned with the restaurant, Village Inn hosted Woodstock’s first grade students for a field trip as the culmination of their economics unit.
Students create butterfly centerpieces for “Making a Difference” celebration
Thanks to the craftsmanship of several Technical and Career Education students and the creativity of students and staff in schools throughout the division, the Virginia Beach Convention Center was decorated with butterflies for the school division’s “Making a Difference” community celebration in April. Below are only a few snapshots of students and their creations.

Carpentry student Josh M. cuts out one half of a interlocking wooden butterfly to be decorated by students and staff at a school. Teddy W., Nathan W., Chris W. and Aaron W. were four more Tech Center students who helped prepare more than 100 sets (200 pieces) of wooden and plexiglass butterflies for the citywide event.

Arrowhead Elementary School

Brookwood Elementary School

Fairfield Elementary School

Glenwood Elementary School

Great Neck Middle School

Holland Elementary School

Indian Lakes Elementary School

Ocean Lakes High School

Pembroke Elementary School

Pembroke Meadows Elementary School

Plaza Middle School

Red Mill Elementary School

Three Oaks Elementary School

Windsor Woods Elementary School

Using scraps of cloth from another art project, Holland Elementary School kindergarteners created their own butterfly quilt squares to be sewn together by art teacher Rachel Rodgers. The quilt was on display at the “Making a Difference” community celebration to recognize the valuable service of the division’s partners and volunteers.


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