On Wednesday, Nov. 8, St. Petersburg College (SPC) hosted leaders from Pinellas County Schools (PCS) at 2023 Pinellas Together. The half-day event was the perfect opportunity to discuss how the two institutions can continue to partner together in our shared mission of student success.
“Pinellas Together allowed us to have open dialogue and be all in for Pinellas,” said SPC President Dr. Tonjua Williams. “I am proud of the support SPC provided the county and the support the county provided SPC. We really are Pinellas together. We are ready to be successful together!”
PCS hosted SPC this past spring for a similar event. College administrators, faculty, and staff traveled to various middle and high schools to learn more about PCS academic programs and district initiatives.
“We saw great work here today,” said PCS Superintendent Kevin Hendrick. “Collaborative events like this allow us to do better as a county, and to solve problems for our citizens. We continue to look forward to coming together.”
At Pinellas Together, leaders journeyed across SPC’s campuses and the College’s Career and Academic communities as SPC leaders showcased the College’s award-winning programs and highlighted why students choose SPC. Employees from the College and the district broke into groups to learn more about SPC’s 10 Career and Academic Communities – including information about specific degrees, curriculum, facilities, and special programs. The teams discussed articulations between K-12 and college programs, accelerated degree programs like Dial Enrollment and Early College, financial aid, and scholarship options, and more.
After completing campus tours, the group returned to SPC’s Seminole Campus for an address by Dr. Tonjua Williams and activities facilitated by the college’s Collaborative Labs. Participants were asked to describe their day in one word, and some of those words included informative, inspiring, fascinating, collaborative, and enlightening, to name a few.
Leaders from SPC talked about how they visited parts of the campus they had never been to before, such as the planetarium, and the information they learned at Pinellas Together made them want to go take a class. PCS staff suggested that SPC students volunteer to intern at the schools, and it could show them how they can work for the county. All participants agreed that the more information they could get to middle and high school children, and the more communication the two institutions could exchange, the brighter the path to success. This open dialogue was noticed by Dr. Williams, as she addressed the crowd at the end of the day, encouraging everyone to be all in for Pinellas.
“Look at what we did – together,” Dr. Williams said. “PCS and SPC, we’re it, so, let’s go make it happen. Let’s go!”