“Our job is to make sure that you have everything you need, so that school is awesome.”
Those words spoke by Josh Whiteside, Executive Director of The Education Partnership, sum up his organization’s role in helping Sto-Rox and other schools.
Sto-Rox Upper Elementary benefitted Thursday from The Education Partnership’s “Adopt-a-School" program. PNC Bank teamed with The Education Partnership to provide homework kits for fourth, fifth and sixth graders. The kits feature all sorts of supplies for students, from pencils and glue to notebooks and paper.
Students were assembled in the Upper Elementary gym to receive their kits. But before that, Whiteside chose four students, splitting them into teams of two and pairing them with an adult, each team tasked with making a building out of school supplies.
As students rushed to complete their buildings in just four minutes, they learned the value of what they were building. They even learned that competition doesn’t have to be nasty. At one point, one student had to ask for tape from a student on the other team.
“Who thinks it’s an important skill to be able to ask someone for help?” asked Whiteside. Many hands shot up.
The competition helped show students the importance of community. With that in mind, Whiteside brought up the other party responsible for their new homework kits: PNC Bank.
“What I really like about our partnership with The Education Partnership, is that we get to provide school supplies,” said Laura Swiss, Community Consultant in Community Development Banking at PNC Bank, to the assembled students.
The program closed with a treat from the students to The Education Partnership and PNC Bank representatives: They sang “Down By The Riverside,” a selection from the school’s recent Black History Month celebration. Then, one-by-one, the students received their kits and went back to class – ready to put them to good use.
We’d like to thank everyone at The Education Partnership, including Executive Director Whiteside; Kiki Reis, Advancement Director; and Halee Porter, Adopt-A-School Program Coordinator, along with Sharon Cercone, Manager of Community Affairs for PNC Bank and Community Consultant Swiss in Community Development Banking at PNC Bank. Their time and effort in speaking with our students and delivering these critical supplies are deeply appreciated.