District Manager of Government and Community Relations for Duke Energy Indira Everett presented the $11,000 check to CHCCS Superintendent Tom Forcella, and Public School Foundation Program Services Manager Lynn Lehmann at Estes Hills Elementary School on June 10, 2015.
School social worker Betsy Booth and some of the students who have participated in one of the projects funded by the grant were also included in the presentation.
STEM related programs that will benefit from the Duke Energy Foundation grant include “Super Science Saturdays” at Estes Hills Elementary which provides field trips to science-related destinations for lower-income students, parents and/or caregivers to experience hands-on engaging science opportunities.
The funding will also provide materials for Ocean Life units in the Morris Grove Elementary fourth-grade in order for students to conduct research and study text types and develop their ability to reason, question, and hypothesize as a means of making meaning as they read.
The grant will also fund two scholarships for each of the district’s high schools for seniors who will be going to college and are currently in the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program. AVID’s mission is to close the achievement gap by preparing all students for college readiness and success.
The focus of the Duke Energy support is to help provide opportunities for children who come from families that struggle economically and expose them to opportunities that will contribute to their future success.
“At Duke Energy, we seek to close the achievement gap and end the cycle of poverty that often separates low-income students from their peers,” said Indira Everett, District Manager of Government Affairs and Community Relations at Duke Energy. “Duke Energy is proud to support the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public School’s initiatives to increase all students’ ability to succeed.”
“There are stark differences in opportunity and family resources within our district,” said Public School Foundation Executive Director, Kim Hoke. “One of the top two priorities at the Foundation is to increase the learning opportunities for children within and outside of the school day. The other is teacher support. We appreciate Duke Energy Foundation’s recognition of these similar goals and are grateful for their support.”
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