Crowds gathered at I.E. Johnson Elementary School as Project P.U.L.L. held its kick-off meeting.

Lilitha Graham was among the about 250 people to attend the inaugural event.

"I thought it was wonderful," Graham said. "It should have happened a long time ago."

Graham, a mother of four, said the big lesson of the night was that she bears responsibility for her children's education at I.E. Johnson Elementary and Carver Middle School.

"Learning starts with the parents," Graham said. "If we don't support our kids, then it is hard for the teachers to go on with what they need to do. If we instill it in our kids, we are helping the teachers out and we are all teachers and it just makes for a better community."

Dr. Harold Livingston, event organizer and a teacher at East Laurinburg Alternative School, says he is dedicated to closing the gap and hopes this event will help.

"I'm a lifelong educator," Livingston said "Working with students and making sure they achieve is part of what I do. It's not just a job, its a career. We want to make sure that while we are here, we are working with kids and making sure they do their best."

He felt the event went great and hopes it invigorates a new conversation on positive outcomes for students.

"I hope we start a dialogue with the parents, with the community and with the schools so that we can understand that we have to work together to move students in a positive direction," Livingston said.

Pastor Darrel Gibson, one of the group's co-chairs, was ecstatic about the event.

"I just want to say thank you to everyone that came all from all areas of the community," Gibson said. "I think tonight was a success. My goal was to light a light within everybody to say they would commit to doing more to close the achievement gap. I think that goal has been accomplished.

"One thing I promise is that project P.U.L.L., the Closing the Achievement Task Force, is not stopping now," Gibson said. "There is more to come."

He asked that every community member who has ideas on how to improve student success, or who wants to get involved, to contact Project P.U.L.L.

The other co-chair, Associate Superintendent Susan Chase with the Scotland County School System, was also pleased with the turnout.

"We've had some Closing the Achievement Gap events in the past, but this one has been the best one I have seen in the five years I've been here," Chase said. "The turnout was tremendous."

"Everyone was really interested in the small sessions and the student entertainment was phenomenal, so I think we really brought many elements of the community together tonight," Chase said.

Chase hopes people left with a better idea of what was available both in the school system and in the community to help students do well in school.