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JFK CAPT puts
fundraising surplus to good use at school
By Jeffrey
Pickette
Special to the Citizen
Barbara
Barrett, the president of the Kennedy Elementary School’s Canton
Association of Parents and Teachers (CAPT), was unsure of how
successful the organization’s fundraising efforts would be
heading into this past school year.
“We were
actually nervous about this year,” Barrett said. “We were
nervous that, financially, CAPT was going to take a hit, and the
opposite was true. Parents really joined together, continued to
fundraise, continued to support the school both financially and
emotionally.”
CAPT ended
up far exceeding its fundraising goal, raising $53,000 — $17,000
more than its budget — giving the organization the opportunity
to support some large-scale projects and programs to help
benefit the school.
The budget
surplus was the result of ambitious fundraising programs, like
selling wrapping paper or selling various gift cards for
restaurants, clothing stores, and even iTunes purchases — where
two to as much as 14 percent of the sale would go towards CAPT.
In addition, the second annual CAPT dinner dance, held at the
Blue Hill Country Club this past May, proved to be an
overwhelming success, helping to raise $22,000.
“We were in
uncharted grounds this year because we don’t often bring in as
huge amount over budget,” Barrett said.
In the past,
when CAPT has exceeded its fundraising goals, it has been able
to make one large purchase for the school, like the stage
curtains in the cafeteria donated four years ago.
This year,
however, CAPT asked the faculty to create a ‘wish list’ of
materials and programs to be brought to the school. The
teachers’ list included a vast array of hands-on supplemental
educational programs, as well as much-needed physical
improvements for the school, like revamping the cluttered lobby
or replacing antiquated chalkboards.
JFK
Principal Jen Henderson, having completed her first year at the
Kennedy school, said she was impressed with “the enthusiasm of
parents towards providing the absolute best education they can
for their children.”
Henderson
acknowledged that the school would not have been able to
participate in such a wide variety of field trips and in-school
enrichment programs without the generosity of CAPT.
“[CAPT]
truly realizes the critical nature of making the connection for
the children between our school building and the education
that’s going on there and the community and real-life
applications,” Henderson said. “That’s not something that all
organizations do.”
Henderson
finds CAPT to be particularly supportive of literacy programs.
The organization’s fundraising success has not only allowed
enrichment programs to continue, but to expand to all grade
levels.
This past
school year, the author in residence program allowed a different
children’s author to conduct a writing workshop for students in
each grade, helping these students hone skills geared toward
their specific grade level. Fourth-grade students, for instance,
were given a tutorial in writing a mystery.
CAPT funding
has also provided new books and materials for the Reading Buddy
Book Bag program, where a fifth grader is paired with a first
grader and the two take turns reading to one anther.
The
organization also financed $3,600 towards installing whiteboards
in the final six classrooms with chalkboards still in place.
Henderson estimates that without CAPT’s assistance, the $7,000
project may have taken four years to fund.
“When I
started last summer, probably one of the first things at least
six of the teachers said to me was, ‘Can you work on getting
these chalkboards out of our room and getting whiteboard
replacements?’” Henderson said. “So, we’re thrilled to have it
done so quickly.”
Henderson
and Barrett also agreed that the school’s lobby, cluttered with
collection boxes and out-of-date furniture, was the most
‘uninviting’ place in the school. Still, with CAPT’s budget
intended for educational programs and improvements, a long
discussion took place over whether the organization should
support such a project.
However,
realizing that a project like this is typically a low-priority
in the school budget, CAPT members decided to take advantage of
having extra funds and revamp the lobby. Without making any
structural additions to the school, the lobby will include a
reading center waiting area, as well as new furniture and a more
organized donation collection area.
“From my
opinion and from CAPT’s opinion, anything that we do to help
families in the school and anything we do that benefits the
school is under the mission statement of CAPT,” Barrett said.
“From my perspective, education involves so much more than just
the textbook or the pencil. It really is an environment.”
In the past
year CAPT has also provided digital cameras, flat screen
monitors, microscopes, and xylophones. This upcoming school year
CAPT will also fund a balance beam for physical education
classes and will provide each classroom with sanitary materials
like antibacterial wipes, hand sanitizing lotion and tissues.
Even with
all the fundraising success, Barrett sees the sense of community
formed between teachers, parents, and students as CAPT’s most
noteworthy achievement.
“I think it
has an incredible positive impact on the education of the
students,” Barrett said. “School is more than just eight to two
everyday. I think when the students see the parents getting
involved, school becomes a really neat place to be.”
With the support of CAPT,
Henderson has a positive outlook going forward for the Kennedy
school. “It is a very exciting place to be right now,” she said.
July 10, 2008
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