Floyd County Schools will join with Georgia’s top educators and 13 other Georgia school districts in the Atlanta metro media market for a Be There celebration to kickoff the involvement of WSB-TV and metro Atlanta districts in the parent involvement initiative.  Be There is a national movement to inspire parents to become more involved in their children’s education. The multimedia campaign and WSB’s involvement will be launched on Thursday, August 27, 2009, 10 AM at the WSB-TV Atlanta headquarters, 1601 West Peachtree Street N.E., and all media are invited to attend.

Georgia’s State Superintendent Kathy Cox, the Executive Director of the Georgia School Superintendents Association Herb Garrett, and the President of the Georgia School Public Relations Association Sloan Roach will be on hand to talk about the importance of parental involvement to children’s success in school and in life. They will be joined by several parents and students who will share their personal stories on how “being there” paid off in positive ways. Bill Hoffman, Vice President & General Manager WSB-TV, will host the event and explain the station’s role in promoting the campaign.

Floyd County Schools was the first school system in Georgia to implement the parent involvement campaign two years ago.  The school system is beginning its third year as a Be There school system.  Floyd County parent Kathy Tate and her son Markele Smith, an eight grader at Pepperell Middle School, will share their Be There experience during the launch event in Atlanta.  Participating school districts include: Atlanta Public Schools, Clarke, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Floyd, Fulton, Gwinnett, Lamar, Meriwether, Newton, Rockdale, Troup and Walton counties.  More than 18 other Georgia school districts outside the Atlanta metro media market are also participating in the campaign. The Be There campaign is growing across the U.S. and Canada.  

The campaign has been promoted locally by Floyd County Schools and its media partners Rome Radio Partners LLC including radio stations; South 107, WRGA, Q102 and WSRM-FM; and the Rome News Tribune.  Floyd County Schools and the Rome Radio Partners added the radio promotion component to the Be There program and produced Be There moments for radio.  School districts and radio stations across the country are now using the radio commercials made available on the Be There Web site.

Be There is produced by Voss & Associates and offered to school districts at no charge. It is designed to inspire parents to connect with their children during the everyday moments of life, turning them into "teachable moments."  Media and corporate partners, along with several state and national education associations, are backing the campaign to help spread the word.

For more information, go to www.bethere.org.