Award winners named for Fort Smith Partners In Education

The Fort Smith Public School District Partners In Education program held its annual banquet on Thursday (May 30) and announced its partnership award winners.

The Norma Shaffer Partnership of the Year Award was established to recognize outstanding partnerships within the Fort Smith Public School District's Partners in Education Program.

Established in 1998, the award is named for Norma Shaffer who coordinated Partners in Education from 1986-1998. Each year, the award is presented to one elementary partnership and to one secondary or program partnership. The 2013 recipients are:
• Elementary – OG&E with Cavanaugh Elementary School
• Secondary – Gerdau with Darby Junior High School

Partners In Education Whole Heart Awards are awards designed to recognize the incredible efforts of Partners of all shapes and sizes. “Whole Heart” was gleaned from the dozens of nominations that note partners are engaged “wholeheartedly” in their efforts to support student achievement and well being. The 2013 recipients are:
• Richard Taylor
• University of Arkansas at Fort Smith
• Ameriprise, FS Radiation Oncology, First Western Bank, International Paper and Morrison Elementary School

The Bud Jackson Teamwork Award honors FSPS Partners In Education program founder Bud Jackson. Jackson, former CEO at Weldon Williams and Lick, approached then Superintendent C.B. Garrison with the Adopt a School Program. In 1982, with the support of Garrison, Jackson established a partnership between Howard Elementary School and Weldon Williams and Lick.

Many other schools have followed in the 30 years since the first school/business relationship began. In 2003, The Bud Jackson Teamwork Award was established to recognize outstanding team effort of partnerships. The 2013 recipients are:
• Beard Elementary School with Partners: Baldor, Bowling World, Eureka Pizza, Harps, HealthSouth, Liberty Bank, Noon Exchange Club and Beard PTA
• Euper Lane Elementary School with Partners Benefit Bank and Euper Lane PTA

The Cathy Williams Partner of the Year Award was established in 2011 recognizing the friendly, but persistent, leadership that Cathy Williams contributed as Partners in Education Program director from 1998 through 2011. This award honors an individual who demonstrates long term and consistent support to a school through the Partners program. The 2013 recipient is:
• Tim Bailey, Candy Craze