The South Carolina School Boards Association (SCSBA) will honor the Twin City Rotary Club and the Batesburg-Leesville Rotary Club with the Champions for Public Education Award on Tuesday, June 14, during the Lexington School District Three School Board Meeting at 7:30 p.m.

Dr. Tiffany Richardson, SCSBA General Counsel and Director of Policy and Legal Services, will present the association’s award along with Lexington Three Board Chairman Rev. Leon Drafts and Lexington Three Board Member and SCSBA Regional Director Cheryl Burgess.

The Lexington Three board nominated the Twin City and the Batesburg-Leesville Rotary Clubs for the award, which is presented to community residents, organizations or local businesses/industries whose support of and contributions to public education have significantly benefited the school district or public schools statewide.

The Twin City and the Batesburg-Leesville Rotary Clubs have ongoing projects in Lexington County School District Three that support students of all ages through resources, time and collaboration. The two rotary clubs work closely together in service to benefit the students of the district through club projects and programs throughout the year.

“The clubs provide support for several priorities established by the Lexington Three Board of Trustees. Specially, many of the projects support our vision to improve literacy, promote college and career readiness for all students and provide student life and leadership opportunities for Lexington Three students,” the nomination reads.

Some of the clubs’ more recent support includes partnering to promote literacy by providing dictionaries for all third graders in the district, providing a special book for all 4K students, and offering an innovative “Rainy Day Reader” program. The clubs sponsor an annual career fair for high school students allowing them to interact with business professionals from across the community and provide financial support for Lexington Three students to attend the Rotary Youth Leadership Academy.

“The passion and dedication demonstrated by these rotary clubs in Lexington Three is extraordinary. It is evident that the clubs collaborate to provide great support for the district. On behalf of the South Carolina School Boards Association, I want them to know how much their efforts are appreciated,” said SCSBA Executive Director Scott Price.

To receive the award, recipients must meet the following criteria:

• show leadership in support of ongoing or special programs authorized by the school board

• demonstrate, through actions, pride for the school district and effectively work for the betterment of the schools in the district as a whole or for public schools statewide

• understand public education’s importance to a democratic society and actively inspire support for quality public schools within the community or state

• make a difference for the entire school district or schools statewide

Re-posted from MidlandsBiz.com.