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Clark County Public Schools is presently a Winchester-Clark County Chamber of Commerce member.

However, it added to its association on Thursday morning.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place with several education officials present to celebrate the membership of Rejuvenating Community Education into the Winchester-Clark County Chamber of Commerce.

“What we’re trying to do is diversify and get different parts of Clark County School systems [such as] community [and] individual schools so that we’re advertising specifically to content and opportunities for our community, students, parents, grandparents, [and] stakeholders to access,” said Superintendent Dustin Howard. “We can specifically target and educate, get information to those folks [and] try to be strategic so folks can find their niche.”

Through community education, officials look to present several opportunities.

These can include summer, after school  and art classes, as well as those allowing individuals to learn skills such as completing taxes independently.

Thus, folks can be ready for classes that fulfill a hobby and train them in skills applicable to daily living needs.

Sylan Mayes, who serves as District and Community Relations Coordinator for Clark County Public Schools, has been influential in helping to develop programs.

Adding that finding ways to engage students outside school is a motivator, Mayes mentions that reaching out to Clark County is also essential.

“Bringing back that connection with the community and the school is very important,” he said. “It’s a dual partnership that’s going to graduate toward more things in the community.”

While educational courses are understandably a focus, ways to be involved in different festivities and events have also been considered.

Cora Heffner played a crucial role in setting up classes.

“That’s more of us engaging and reaching out, and then connecting with other people to help promote their classes or connect other people to classes as we create ours and build ours back up,” Mayes said.

As well as entering Rejuvenating Community Education into the Winchester-Clark County Chamber of Commerce, the Clark County Board of Education office on Lexington Avenue decorated its front office.

Those entering the building can now see the logos and names of each school associated with Clark County Public Schools.

This list includes Conkwright, Justice, Strode Station, Shearer Elementary Schools, Baker Intermediate School, Robert D. Campbell Junior High School, and George Rogers Clark High School.

As with community education, one benefit will be attracting others to the local area.

“We’re really working on not only branding Clark County Public Schools but reflecting the things that are in our building,” Howard said. “Not everyone gets into the high school to see what happens in the classroom or an elementary school to see our teachers working. With the visual, it needs to display what our vision is…and we’re truly one community [with] one vision.”