Jill Parsons, CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of the Mid-Ohio Valley, Misti Sims, founder, owner and lead planner of Little Black Dress Events and Rentals, Williamstown Elementary Principal Lee Ann Cumpston and Wood County Schools Superintendent Christie Willis signed paperwork Monday making Little Black Dress Events and Rentals the newest Partner In Education for Williamstown Elementary. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

WILLIAMSTOWN — Misti Sims, a Parkersburg South High School graduate and founder, owner and lead planner of Little Black Dress Events, signed documents Monday at Williamstown Elementary becoming their new Partner In Education.

Partners In Education is a program started by the Chamber of Commerce of the Mid-Ohio Valley that aims for partnerships that support students’ growth, fosters achievement and deepens community connections

“This opportunity came up with the elementary and I was like, my heart is always going to still be with the littles, just because this is the groundbreaking part of showing them things that they may not be shown in everyday life, at their home or whatever,” Sims said. “All walks of life, all financial backgrounds come through the school as well as others.”

Sims said her son attended Williamstown Elementary and is now in sixth grade at the middle/high school. She said while he was at the elementary level she was heavily involved with the PTA and other events. She said Principal Lee Ann Cumpston approached her last year about becoming a Partner In Education. Sims said she wasn’t very knowledgeable about the program and assumed schools could only have one partner and that they wrote big checks.

“The things that I can bring to the table, it’s not necessarily that,” Sims said. “I’m not some big company.”

Jill Parsons, CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of the Mid-Ohio Valley, Misti Sims, founder, owner and lead planner of Little Black Dress Events, Williamstown Elementary Principal Lee Ann Cumpston and Wood County Schools Superintendent Christie Willis signed paperwork Monday making Little Black Dress Events and Rentals the newest Partner In Education for Williamstown Elementary. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

She said Cumston informed her that the program isn’t just about writing checks.

“The more community we can bring into the school, the more things that we can expose kids to,” Cumpston said Monday. “And like she alluded, there are kids that come in here from all financial backgrounds and partnerships like this allow us to do special events for our students that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to do.”

Sims said this was all she needed to know to make the decision to become a partner in education.

“We talked a lot about STEM during last year, and I just wanted to kind of circle back to that and just because my kid isn’t here, and I just have the one, doesn’t mean that I can’t still be involved in some capacity. So it just means a lot to me.”

Jill Parsons, CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of the Mid-Ohio Valley, said the chamber tries to match potential partners with schools that will fit their individual level of participation in the program.

“She (Sims) thought maybe being a partner was out of the ballpark for her, because she couldn’t write a big check like a bigger company could do,” Parsons said. “But she’s got passion, and she has ideas, and she has manpower that can come into a school that is different from some of the partners that can help more on a financial basis, who maybe aren’t able to come into the school and help with the events.”

Parsons said the chamber uses artificial intelligence to make better connections with local businesses that will lead to longer lasting relationships.

“We’re the only county using AI to match schools and businesses,” Parsons said. “We want to create long-term relationships that extend beyond just having a child in the school.”

She said both potential partners and schools will fill out a three-minute survey listing the levels of interest and needs both are looking for.

“It might generate two or three ideas of schools and two or three businesses,” Parsons said. “Just so that relationships in the partner in education program are long term.”

Businesses interested in participating in the Partners In Education program can contact the chamber at info@movchamber.org or call 304-422-3588.

“At the end of the day, it’s about supporting our community’s children and showing them what’s possible,” Sims said.