The Mississippi Association of Partners in Education recognized Mississippi’s top school-community partnerships during the 17th annual Governor’s Awards luncheon Tuesday at the Lake Terrace Convention Center in Hattiesburg, and Vicksburg was well-represented.

MAPE awarded 12 school-community partnership programs that have produced outstanding results for students in K-12 public schools throughout Mississippi. The Vicksburg Warren School District, Vicksburg Warren County Chamber of Commerce and Ford Next Generation Learning shared the community-wide Partnership in Excellence award for the Vicksburg Warren College & Career Academies Project.

VWSD Superintendent Chad Shealy was “glad to have our business partners recognized for the work they have done. We certainly couldn’t have done this alone, nor would we want to. We are forever grateful for the expertise our business community has shared with us. This work is changing Vicksburg and Warren County for the better.”

The Governor ’s Award selection committee, comprising representatives from business, industry, nonprofits and education, judged each entry using a uniform set of criteria to measure overall effectiveness of partnership activities.

The luncheon was part of activities planned for the Mississippi Education Partnership Conference featuring keynote speakers, exclusive workshops and partnership training.

“When we talk about improving school performance in Mississippi, partnerships should always be an important part of the conversation — and the Governor ’s Awards program proves this point,” said Dr. Leslie Griffin, MAPE president. “Year after year, we learn about the many creative ways that schools and communities across Mississippi are working together to improve student outcomes. Their success stories are truly making a difference.”