School district OKs donations
Leader Herald
JOHNSTOWN, NY – March 26, 2012 -- The Greater Johnstown School District Board of Education recently approved nearly $7,300 in donations to help students in areas ranging from music to classroom work.
The board accepted a $1,400 donation from the Johnstown Music Support Group for the district's general music fund.
Glen Scribner, the group's vice president, presented the check to the Music Department. The donation came from the work of students selling fruit.
The board also accepted two donations from the Glebe Street Elementary School Parent-Teacher Association. The first was a $3,798 donation to buy two 32-unit Mimio Vote handsets. The polling tool is used to accurately measure student understanding on the spot, increasing class participation through a handheld response system.
"This was extremely generous," school Principal Daniel Carroll said. "The teachers are really excited."
He said his school's PTA bought the sets after hearing a board curriculum presentation about the handsets.
The board also accepted a $2,098 donation from the Glebe Street Elementary School PTA to upgrade software for its Accelerated Reader program.
Johnstown's three elementary schools have special Accelerated Reader program events, including gatherings set for April 19 and May 16 at Glebe Street. Carroll said the AR programs are among his "favorite social events."
Students read books associated with Accelerated Reader, take computer quizzes that test their comprehension and accumulate AR points for various prizes. Each month at Glebe, the top 10 Accelerated Readers are posted. There will be a celebration at the end of the school year for students who participated in the program.
Carroll noted the donations and added, "It really strikes me how invaluable the PTA really is."
Glebe Street Elementary School PTA Co-President Eric Hauser said the school has a "pretty strong PTA."
He said many of the proceeds come from an annual golf tournament the group conducts in September. Planning for it begins early in the year.
District Superintendent Robert DeLilli also noted NBT Bank provided the district with a $1,000 donation for the Sweethearts & Heroes anti-bullying program conducted Wednesday at Knox Junior High School.
He labeled it a "goodwill program," which involved former state University of New York at Brockport wrestlers Tom Murphy and Jason Spector as presenters.