The Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education’s 17th annual bus tour made a stop in Troup County on Tuesday for a school that “pushes the envelope” in educational innovation.

Unity Elementary School was one of six schools chosen for the program to celebrate its good works and pass its ideas on to others.

“What a great way to kick off this program here at Unity,” said Mike Worley, community development manager for Georgia Power and the GPEE chairman.

Nearly 70 educators and community leaders from Athens to Statesboro, including LaGrange City Councilwoman Norma Tucker and Troup County assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction Sylvia Hooker, will spend three days traveling the state on charter buses to the chosen schools, noting their excellence and bringing back what they learn.

The bus riders were greeted by Unity students lining the halls, ready to shake hands with every person that walked through. Up and down the stairs, from one end to the next, students were ready to greet the school visitors, sing the Unity fight song and welcome everyone to their home away from home.

Some were so enthusiastic that they’d grab hands before the visitors noticed.

At the end of the line, students sang the national anthem and said the pledge of allegiance in front of a group of educators and officials they’ve never met.

“These are our pride and joy,” special education teacher Pam Wilbanks said.

Principal Micki Wallace was ready to greet the visitors in the auditorium as well, standing in front of a curtain reading “Teamwork makes the dream work.”

Although smaller than most of the schools represented by the bus riders, Unity’s innovations remain strong enough for recognition among the more than 60 schools nominated for the tour.

“How honored we are that the bus stopped here,” Wallace said.

Unity has made Adequate Yearly Progress for 10 consecutive years - only 13 other schools in the state can claim that same distinction, she said.

The school has also been named a Title 1 Distinguished School for seven consecutive years, thanks to what Wallace calls a village - their partnership between the school, its community and its leaders.

Unity has strong ties with county school officials, who helped it become nominated for the tour, as well as partnerships with Western Heights Baptist Church, LaGrange College and Community Bank and Trust.

“We talk about innovation and probably one of the most innovative things we have ever done is partner with our community, and I mean a true partnership,” she said.

During the tour, groups were given names of book characters like the popular boy wizard Harry Potter or the long-named mouse Chrysanthemum. Students led the groups to classrooms with the educators taking note of how mathematics was taught in third, fourth and fifth grades, as well as kindergarten.

Fourth-grader Vito Chambers led group Chrysanthemum to the classrooms.The 10-year-old knew exactly where to go.

Vito talked about the school’s Accelerated Reader program and the Re-sponse to Intervention groups they hold every day from 8 to 8:50 a.m., when every teacher and administrator takes a small group of students and concentrates on important topics in math and reading.

He had plenty to talk about and was very excited about Unity Elementary.

Only the first stop on the tour, the buses also will visit an Atlanta middle school, an Alpharetta charter school, a Gainesville arts academy, a Madison high school and an early college program at Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville, giving the group a chance to see what innovations others have brought to the table.

Their first stop, however, was a 422-student school in Troup County.

“Let me tell you, I didn’t do it by myself and these 35 certified teachers certainly didn’t do it by themselves nor our paraprofessionals,” Wallace said, “but our village came in and helped us, and what a village we have.”

Trey Wood can be reached at twood@ lagrangenews. com or (706) 884-7311, Ext. 228.