WC Education Foundation Donates $4,600 for Life Skills Room

The Worth County Education Foundation voted Tuesday to donate $4,600 to the Worth County School for development of a Life Skills room for students at the school. This is in addition to the donation made by A Few Good Men of Worth County.

The money will be used to purchase equipment and assist in the development of a room where students requiring supportive services can interact with other children, develop social skills, and learn life skills so they can pursue an independent lifestyle as adults.

“WCEF’s mission statement is ‘Extra for All.’ We believe that this project fits perfectly into our mission to make sure every student, regardless of their situation, has an opportunity to excel at Worth County R-III through enhancements that fall outside the scope of a normal school budget. WCEF is proud to team with a Few Good Men to provide these young folks some tools to pursue a full, productive life after graduation,” said Joel Miller, WCEF Chair.

The Worth County Education Foundation is a not-for-profit, 501(c3) organization that allows alumni and community members to support special projects for the benefit of current Worth County R-III students and staff. It is governed by an independent board of volunteers comprised of Worth County R-III alumni.

 

WCEF Funds School Drone

The Worth County business department recently completed a grant through the Worth County Education Foundation to purchase a drone for classroom use and for FBLA use.  The drone purchased has 4k HDR video quality and will allow students to learn how to fly a drone and also give them unique abilities to capture videos and pictures for class video productions and for FBLA projects.  The drone is under 250 grams so it is not required for students to be licensed to fly the drone.    Since the drone has arrived an FBLA group has already used the drone to capture video footage for a website that they are designing for the FBLA contest event of E-Business.  Ali Brown, Taylor Sanders, and Drew Welch teamed up with Dan and Bobbi Gladstone of Worth, MO to feature their unique grain bin rental property to build the website for (See Page 1).  The team is confident their rental property will be the coolest in the competition.  John Galanakis tagged along to help fly the drone in tight spaces. FBLA heads to district leadership contest in early February to present their videos, websites, and speeches to judges. 

Donations Helped Fund Reading Program Field Trip to Kansas City

The week long Summer Reading Program from June 20th – 24th was a success.  72 students registered by early May.  The program ran Monday through Thursday at the library and school facility from 9:30 to 11:30.  The days were filled with numerous activities including games, crafts, videos, story time, reading books, a science project and a photo booth.  Thursday included a blue light tour of the bottom of the sea from the shore to the abyss.  The hope was to take a field trip on Friday.  However, we have been advised by the state that the Worth County Library operates on the second smallest budget in the State of Missouri.  Thankfully Phil & Leslie Youngs donated some money through the Worth County Education Foundation for tickets to tour the SEALife Aquarium in Kansas City and a pizza party lunch.  

The library was able to stretch out enough money after paying for all of the week long needed supplies for transportation and t-shirts for the trip.  We were excited to go when we received notification that Ron & Rhonda Richards were donating Science City tickets to add to our day.  Now that the weeklong activities have concluded the library is inviting all the students that participated in the program and any other children that are interested to come into the library to continue the summer long ‘Oceans of Possibilities’ program.  Each day the children attended the weeklong program at the library they were given a brag tag.  There are 10 tags in total that can be collected.  Stop by to read another book and get another tag! 

–Kandi Hughes, Librarian     

Worth County Teacher Receives Technology Funding

Worth County elementary teacher Jodi Lawrence, requested and was awarded funding to purchase a science and technology computer program called Raz-Kids from the Worth County Education Foundation. The program focuses on key reading skills while incorporating technology. It allows the student to work independently on their own reading level. A portion of the funding also purchased Science kits for hands-on classroom science experiments. As quoted on the Education Foundation’s Facebook page, Ms. Lawrence expressed, "These kits include everything we would need for an interactive experience for the students in a classroom setting."

Worth County Education Foundation Provides Increased Educational Opportunities

The Worth County Education Foundation is providing increased educational opportunities for Worth County students from donations. Worth County students are using books and other educational materials that have been provided through donations of alumni.
The Foundation provides opportunities for students that are not provided for by public tax dollars. They can provide increased learning opportunities as well as educational and extracurricular experiences that the school district may not ordinarily fund or has ceased funding. The Foundation supports district goals and enhances learning experiences in the classroom and beyond. In addition, the Worth County Education Foundation provides the Worth County teaching staff with opportunities to get creative about teaching by offering grants. The Foundation is working to create a connection between the alumni of all Worth County schools, the students, and the community.
People can make donations of any amount. You can also include the Worth County Education Foundation in your estate planning. You can leave a percentage of your assets to the Foundation including personal assets such as stocks, bonds, CD’s, real estate, vehicles, or art. The donation of these gifts may even provide tax savings to your estate. You can also name the WCEF as the beneficiary of your IRA or a life insurance policy. You can also honor a loved one by designating memorial gifts and honorariums to the Worth County Education Foundation and encourage others to do so as well. Some employers will also match your charitable donation as well.
The mission of the Worth County Education Foundation is to provide financial support for all student programs. The Foundation will provide Worth County Alumni the opportunity to give something back to the school and community that nurtured and supported them during their formative years.
The purpose of the Foundation is to enhance all of Worth County students’ educational experiences by supporting them through financial gifts provided by alumni and community members. The goals are to provide grant money for student groups and teachers to enhance education and extra-curricular activities, promote scholarship opportunities, develop a close partnership between students, alumni, and the community, and develop long-range plans for various improvement projects as they are identified.
Board members are Frank Ross (President), Craig McNeese (Vice-President), Janice Borey (CEO), Rhonda Richards, Joel Miller, and Judith Matteson. To make a contribution, make checks payable to the Worth County Education Foundation, 510 East Avenue, Grant City, MO 64456. For more information, call Janice Borey as (660) 564-2655 or e-mail her at jborey@wc.k12.mo.us.