A new partnership between the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce, the DCSS and area private schools is hoping to improve the perception of K-12 education and build new relationships between the business community and education.

Rachelle Bitterman has always been an advocate of the Dougherty County School System. Even during it’s struggles, Bitterman would often shrug off criticism and point to some bright spot amid the clouds. But even she had no idea of the kinds of things happening within the system until a recent tour of Monroe High School gave her a whole new perspective.

“I was completely blown away,” Bitterman said. “The students were so engaging and the outgoing; the technology they were using is just incredible and Mr. Davis...oh Mr. Davis is something special.”

Bitterman was a part of the first-ever school tour under a new joint program between the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce, the Dougherty County School System and area private schools.

Called “GoSEE!” the program is designed to connect business leaders with local schools through planned and coordinated tours. But there’s a catch.

“We’re not giving our principals a lot of advanced notice because we don’t want this to be something that’s staged,” J.D. Sumner, the spokesperson for the Dougherty County School System, said. “Amazing things are happening every day in our schools and we want our business community to see it as it is.” 

The program is the brainchild of the chamber’s Education Committee, which is launching two major initiatives this year: GoSEE! and PriorityOne, a volunteer/mentor program to engage the business community to become mentors for students.

The first GoSEE tour was held Sept. 16 at Monroe Comprehensive High School -- a school where Principal Vinson Davis has overseen a remarkable turnaround.

The group learned that Monroe has managed to turn its school around -- going from a 47 percent graduation rate just a few years ago to 84.1 percent last year.

After a brief presentation from Davis, the group stepped into Edrian Mallory’s class where students were designing houses using an AutoCAD drafting software and creating items using 3-D printers. The group then checked out Katherlene Stewart‘s class where students were designing and screenprinting shirts for a class on small business technology.