Volunteers from the local business community are visiting ninth grade classrooms throughout the county this month to talk with students about the important connection between achievement in school and success in the workplace and in life.

The Maryland Business Roundtable for Education (MBRT) and Montgomery County Business Roundtable for Education (MCBRE) have recruited about 80 young adult volunteers to participate in its Achievement Counts speakers program.
The speakers will be visiting Montgomery Blair, Albert Einstein, Gaithersburg, John F. Kennedy and Wheaton high schools during October and will reach an estimated 2,500 ninth grade students.

The intention of the program is to send a positive message to students that schoolwork counts and that success in school translates into opportunities in the future, according to June Streckfus, executive director of MBRT.

"It is equally important for the speakers to listen to the students' concerns as they move through school and into college or on to the workforce," Robert Anastasi, executive director of MCBRE, noted.

This is the first year Montgomery County is participating in the Achievement Counts speakers program. The program began as a pilot in Baltimore and Harford counties in 1999. Last year, the program reached more than 25,000 students in 54 high schools in six Maryland counties and Baltimore City. It is part of a broader program developed by MBRT, which includes a radio campaign, parent support website and employer involvement, that aims to demonstrate the connection between school achievement and workplace success.

Career-minded adults under age 35 who are interested in volunteering to speak to high school students can contact MCBRE at 301-279-3100. For more information, visit MCBRE's website at www.mcbre.org and click on the MBRT link.