Commissioner Corcoran Honors Florida Businesses for their Commitment to Students
July 8, 2020
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Commissioner Corcoran Honors Florida Businesses for their Commitment to Students
~ $25,000 awarded to support Florida’s education system ~
Tallahassee, Fla., July 8, 2020 – Last week, the Florida Department of Education (FDOE), in partnership with the Florida Education Foundation (FEF), announced and awarded five Florida school districts with the Commissioner’s Business Recognition Award (CBRA). Each district will receive a $5,000 award to enhance their educational programs supported by local businesses. Commissioner Richard Corcoran announced the winners through a social media campaign that highlighted several exemplary partnerships for their extraordinary contributions to Florida’s students and education system. These partnerships are intended to inspire innovative best practices within local communities.
“It takes the entire community to recover from COVID-19 and re-open our schools and I applaud these businesses and individuals for making the commitment to set our students and schools up for success,” said Commissioner Corcoran. “Businesses working hand-in-hand with our education system will help to ensure every Florida student gets a world-class education.”
During the virtual announcements, Commissioner Corcoran, with the help of other FDOE and FEF leaders, highlighted the award winners and their collaboration with local businesses to help Florida students:
- Bradford County School District and Chemours: Thanks to a $30,000 grant provided by Chemours, Lawtey Elementary School in Bradford County was able to create a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) lab and Lego Robotics program. In addition, Chemours has provided a $5,000 Future of Chemistry scholarship to a Bradford High School senior who will pursue a career in a STEM field. View the video announcement here.
- Duval County Public Schools and Emtec, Inc.: Since 2015, Emtec, Inc. has partnered with Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) to engage high school students from the district’s technology academies in a technology-focused student intern summer program. These students have repaired, cleaned and repurposed over 105,000 devices including laptops, projectors and computers. The hands on experience these students receive is vital to their education and ensures each classroom is ready on the first day of school, each year. View the video announcement here.
- A.D. Henderson University School and Builders Plus: Recently, Builders Plus designed, built and paved a new underwater robotics facility that has made a huge improvement on the overall safety of the programs that engage K-12 students at FAU's A.D. Henderson University School. The partnership has provided access to over 100 additional students to practice for local and state robotic tournaments at various times throughout the school year. View the video announcement here.
- School District of Manatee County and Anna Maria Oyster Bar: John and Amanda Horne, owners of Anna Maria Oyster Bar, founded and implemented the “Dive into Reading” summer program, where they recruited over 400 volunteers from their staff and patrons to mentor and support Manatee County's most academically at-risk students. Their goal is to enhance reading skills, combat summer slide and mentor/model social emotional learning skills. View the video announcement here.
- Walton County School District and St. Joe Community Foundation: St. Joe Community Foundation granted approximately $227,000 for the opening of the Magnet Innovation Center (MIC) at St. Joe Watersound and provided the facilities where the program is housed. St. Joe also invested $50,000 for books and technology to Walton County School District's newest elementary school, Dune Lakes. This business partnership also helped students place at the Odyssey of the Mind and win first place at the Lego League competitions. View the video announcement here.
The Commissioner’s Business Recognition Awards are administered by the Florida Department of Education and the Florida Education Foundation with generous support from our partners at the Florida Blue Foundation. The goal of this program is to encourage successful alliances within the business community and local school districts for the benefit of Florida’s students.
To view a full list of all the nominated businesses and organizations, visit the Commissioner’s Business Recognition Awards.
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