Spectrum - Volume 17 Issue 08 October 13, 1994 - Excellence in Education Conference set for Oct. 20

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Excellence in Education Conference set for Oct. 20

Spectrum Volume 17 Issue 08 - October 13, 1994

Jim D. Graham, president of the Virginia Association of School Superintendents, will deliver the keynote address for the 11th annual Excellence in Education Awards Conference, October 20 and 21 at Virginia Tech.

Graham's address will be Thursday, Oct. 20, at 7:30 p.m. in the Donaldson Brown Hotel and Conference Center auditorium. The public is invited to attend, free of charge. Presentation of award-winning programs and exhibits will be held from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. the following morning, Friday, Oct. 21, in the DBHCC. Reservations for the awards luncheon can be made through the Donaldson Brown Center.

Graham is a 1979 doctoral graduate of the College of Education and superintendent of Wise County schools. He began his career in education nearly 40 years ago as a teacher in Wise County. He has distinguished himself as a member of the board of directors of the Virginia Education Association, the Forward Southwest Virginia Board of Trustees, and the American Association of School Administrators Advisory Council. He is the recipient of the Virginia P.T.A. Distinguished Service Award.

Since its inception in 1983, the Excellence in Education Awards Conference has recognized innovative approaches to educating students in Virginia's public schools and community colleges. The awards conference, presented annually by the College of Education, has become a forum in which public school educators from throughout the commonwealth gather to present ideas and exchange information with Tech education professors. "This conference underscores the importance of the partnership between public education and colleges of education," said Wayne Worner, interim dean of the College of Education. "We are all working with the same goal in mind: to solve some of the critical problems facing education in the 1990s."

Selection of award winners is highly competitive. This year, 129 programs competed. Twelve award winners and 30 certificate-of-recognition recipients were chosen, including one special certificate of recognition. The winners include:

* a Montgomery County education program for children who are homeless or whose mothers are victims of domestic violence;

* "Friends in Sign," a Stafford County program that teaches students to communicate through sign language;

* "Fitness for Life," a Henrico County early-morning workout program for fourth and fifth graders;

* a Franklin County program in which industries participate in recognition of student accomplishments;

* "Safety Net," a joint effort of Norfolk Public Schools and the Southeastern Virginia Job Training Administration which provides classroom instruction and summer employment in fire or police departments;

* "Kids as Consumers," a Montgomery County program which teaches children consumer skills and community involvement.