Civil Municipal Magazine - Dec 2023

242 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 12 classroom environment to overcome challenges. Community Partnerships and Engagement BHCS places a strong emphasis on community collaboration, as Clements notes, “In our beliefs, we say that family encompasses all of Ben Hill County, its school, citizens and resources. We have to work together in the community to support one another because we are small. Our city, county and our school system all try to work together to benefit our stakeholders.” With this in mind, Ben Hill County Schools has established partnerships with local organizations to provide valuable resources and support to their students. This includes a collaboration between the county, and the local 4H club. “They needed a new facility, and we have an old media center on our elementary school campus,” Clements recounts. “We leased our building to the county, and they are investing a significant amount of money, about $300,000, into renovating that building.” This not only creates a useful purpose for an otherwise