Catoosa County Partnership 2000 honors business partners at annual kick-off breakfast

In 1988, a small group of Catoosa County business owners shared a vision of encouraging students to graduate and take advantage of job opportunities in their home town. Today, Partnership 2000 is still nurturing that vision and celebrated with its annual kick-off breakfast Thursday morning, Sept. 28, at Heritage High School.

Guests were treated to breakfast and a slideshow commemorating last year's memories and events. Soloists Aimee Garner, a senior at Heritage High School, and Caroline Roach, a third-grader from Ringgold Elementary School, also performed.

Superintendent of schools Denia Reese, keynote speaker, thanked attending business partners for their diligent support of the school system and used a creative visual aid to drive home her message. Standing beside a display of puzzles with missing pieces, Reese asked each guest to take a puzzle piece from bags placed at the center of each table.

“I want you to know how much I appreciate the fact that you are helping us weave a safety net around our children,” Reese said. “You may not realize how important your partnership is in our schools, but there are times when it makes all the difference to a child. When students see adults (who aren't parents or teachers) in the school, it helps them realize, 'I am important to this community.' When you look at your puzzle piece, I want you to remember that you hold a unique piece of the puzzle, much like your unique role in the schools. You are an essential piece.”

Reese also announced Partnership's campaign slogan for the year: “Set the date to graduate.” Students entering kindergarten this year will graduate in 2025, Reese said, and the Partnership's vision is to help those children focus on the future with that graduation date set firmly in their minds.

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