Atlanta Area Districts Kick Off
Largest Launch In Be There History(ATLANTA, August 27, 2009) -- Fourteen school districts representing more than 600,000 students joined WSB-TV today to kick off the Be There campaign throughout the Atlanta metro media market. Superintendents, communication directors, staff and several parents and students were joined by Georgia's leading state educators at the WSB studios to begin the largest simultaneous launch in the campaign's history. 
Photo by Sherri Viniard, New County School System Superintendents from 11 of the 14 districts launching the Be There campaign gather at the historic event at WSB Studios Thursday, August 27. From left to right, first row, Dr. Beverly Hall, Atlanta Public Schools; Kathy Cox, Georgia State Superintendent; Gary Hobbs, Walton County; Carol Lane, Meriwether Public Schools; Cindy Loe, Fulton County; and Bill Hoffman, and General Manager, WSB-TV. Back row, left to right, Dr. Edwin Smith, Troup County; Dr. Samuel T. King, Rockdale Public Schools; Fred Sanderson, Cobb County; Dr. J. Alvin Wilbanks, Gwinnett County; Dr. Donald Remillard, Douglas County; Dr. Steven Whatley, Newton County; and Dr. Crawford Lewis, DeKalb County. Floyd, Lamar and Clarke superintendents were unable to attend.
Be There is a researched-based, multimedia campaign designed to inspire parents to become more involved in their children's education. Through compelling images and words, the campaign suggests that parents connect with their children every day during the ordinary moments in life. The campaign is given to school districts at no charge, exept for optional printing of their personalized materials. Be There started three years ago as a pilot project in Volusia County, Florida. Since then, it has growing exponentially throughout the U.S. and Canada. A number of state and national education organizations support the campaign. The participating Atlanta metro market districs include Atlanta Public Schools, Clarke, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Floyd, Fulton, Gwinnett, Lamar, Meriwether, Newton, Rockdale, Troup and Walton counties. Eighteen other school districts in Georgia are also involved in the Be There campaign. Herb Garrett, who spoke at the launch, is the executive director of the Georgia School Superintendents Association. He said his organization joined the campaign early on "because, as the state's leading advocate for public education, we know we can't do it without the parents. And, it's offered to school districts at no charge." Georgia's State Superintendent Kathy Cox offered more reasons for her support. "We have all the tools to stay connected with people at work and families across the country, but it's hard to stay connected to our children, especially as they grow into teenagers. Be There reminds us that parenting is our number one job. We're not just our children's first teacher, we're their lifelong teacher." Sloan Roach of Gwinnett County represented the Georgia School Public Relations Association, another partner in the campaign. She expressed how important it is to communicate to parents the necessity of being there for their children. "Research shows that the number one factor in a child's academic success is the parent's involvement in his or her education," she said. "By connecting with their child daily during the everyday moments of life, student achievement will rise." A principal from Gwinnett, Georgeann Eaton, embraced the Be There campaign as a way to reach out to her parents. Her school’s symbol, the fleur de lys,refers to schools, parents and the community working together to create acurriculum of life. “We asked families and neighbors to be there for the children so that everyone will have a stake in helping the students succeed in school." Four parents shared their stories of poignant "be there moments" with their children. Patricia Prieto's was particularly inspiring. Through a Spanish interpreter, this Clarke County resident told how her husband had to take a job hours away and was only home on weekends. Their second grader's routine was interrupted and he started misbehaving. The father realized he needed to be there for his child, so he initiated phone calls every evening before bedtime to reconfirm his love. Kathy Tate, a Floyd County parent, was a busy working mom who thought she was doing a good job of parenting. When she saw a Be There campaign poster, she was inspired to teach her son about deposits and withdrawals during a recent visit to an ATM. "It reminded me how I could turn ordinary moments into something extraordinary," she said. Bill Hoffman, Vice President and General Manager of WSB-TV, hosted the event and explained that the station will be broadcasting Public Service Announcements and producing a variety of video segments highlighting memorable stories of families from local districts. In addition, the station welcomes parents to upload personal videos and photos of their "be there moments" to WSB-TV's Community webpage: http://www.wsbtv.com/community/index.html. For additional information on the Be There campaign: www.bethere.org |
