Partners In Education, a program of the Greater Columbus Georgia Chamber of Commerce, recognized the Top 10 partnerships for the 2017-2018 school year at St. Luke Ministry Center on May 10, 2018.   Recognized schools were selected by an independent panel of judges and honored at the 2017-2018 Partners In Education Awards Ceremony.

The accomplishments of these schools were shared with the audience in a video produced by Shaw High School. The goal was to highlight effective partnerships throughout the school year and to share best practices that can be incorporated into other partnerships.

Projects of the Year:

• Success factor #1: (Improving Student Academic Performance) Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School with St. Mary’s Road UMC, Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club Columbus, iHeart Media, Columbus York Rite-Men of Distinction, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority

• Success factor #3: (Enriching the Life Experience of the Student) Downtown Elementary Magnet Academy with TSYS and Kiwanis of Greater Columbus

• Success factor #3: (Enriching the Life Experience of the Student) Freddie Stowers Elementary School with 316^th CAV, WRBL and Kinetic Federal Credit Union

Top 10 PIE Partners:

• Aaron Cohn Middle School with Pratt & Whitney (CEC), Chick-fil-A (Midland), Liberty Mutual, Moe's Southwest Grill (Midland)

• Baker Middle School with 316th CAV, Cusseta Road Church of Christ, Southern Power, 4th Street Baptist Church, State Farm, The Columbus Times, Impacting Generations, Chattahoochee Valley Parent 2 Parent, LLC

• Double Churches Elementary School with McDonald's, Mt. Zion Baptist, Ultimate Youth Sports, Launch Trampoline

• Morris R. McBride Elementary with 2nd Battalion/47th Regimen

• Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School with Mary’s Road UMC, Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club Columbus, iHeart Media, Columbus York Rite-Men of Distinction, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority

• Shaw High School with TSYS, Mediacom, WTVM Channel 9, Freeman & Associates, University of Phoenix

• South Columbus Elementary with CB&T, Warrior Transition Battalion (WTB)

• Stowers Elementary School with 1-29 Delta Company, DHA Fort Benning, Kinetic Federal Credit Union and WRBL

• Wilson Elementary School with HHC 2/11^th VET

• Wynnton Arts Academy with Junior League of Columbus, Communicorp, Wynnton UMC, Columbus Fire Station #6, 1-16 CAV

Partnership of the Year: Aaron Cohn Middle School with Pratt & Whitney (CEC), Chick-fil-A (Midland), Liberty Mutual, Moe's Southwest Grill (Midland)

Partner-At-Large of the Year:  TSYS – IT  

Inaugural Helen Johnson Heart for Education Award: presented to its namesake Ms. Helen Johnson