Rotary Club Donates $5,000 To Canton Elementary STEM Academy

CANTON, GA -- The Rotary Club of Canton is recognizing September as Basic Education and Literacy Month within Rotary International with a donation to a local school.

The organization on Tuesday, Sept. 13 presented at $5,000 District Grant to Canton Elementary School STEM Academy.

The grant, a combination of Rotary District and Canton Rotary money, will fund the first-ever Fall Festival and Book Fair at the school on Saturday, Oct. 22.

Designed to foster greater parent engagement, the event will see that each of the 800-plus students at Canton Elementary receive a book of his or her own's choosing.

More than 80 percent of the students at Canton Elementary qualify for free or reduced lunch, coming from families that cannot otherwise afford the luxury of purchasing a children's book.

Canton Rotarians, with help from students from the River Ridge High School Interact Club, will run the events at the festival, giving the teachers who normally staff such school events the opportunity to take part in the event and interact with parents.

At the Canton club meeting, Rotarians got a full rundown on all the activities that four consecutive years of District Grants, totaling over $20,000, have made possible.

STEM specialists Dr. Judy Wright and David Cornn showed a short video and talked about the aquaponics laboratory that is the buzz among schools at all levels in the Cherokee County School District and beyond.

Media Specialist Judi Bonner then explained how the Makerspace Laboratory, funded by last year's District-Canton Rotary $5,000 grant, has engaged students to create to the limits of their own imaginations.

Early Intervention Reading Specialist Patty Corneillie closed the program with an explanation of her "Reading Buddies" initiative that is helping first- and second-graders catch up to age-appropriate reading levels before falling irreversibly behind.

Last year, the Rotary Club of Canton was recognized by the Cherokee County Educational Foundation for being the district's school Partner of the Year and by the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce for being Elementary School Partner of the Year.

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Photo 1: From left to right are: Club President Matthew Thomas, STEM Specialist David Cornn, STEM Specialist Dr. Judy Wright, Assistant Principal Valerie Lowery, Early Intervention Reading Specialist Patty Corneillie, Media Specialist Judi Bonner, and Past Assistant Governor Peter Gleichman.
Photo 2: Canton ES STEM Academy Media Specialist Judi Bonner (right) talked about how the grant-funded Makerspace Lab is inspiring hands-on learning for kindergarteners to 5th graders as Canton Elementary Early Intervention Reading Specialist Patty Corneillie listens.
Photo 3: STEM Specialist Dr. Judy Wright, right, talking about how a $5000 grant from the Canton Rotary Club two years ago funded the aquaponics lab that is the envy of schools at all levels throughout the Cherokee County School District and beyond. STEM Specialist David Cornn assisted Judy with the presentation.
Photo 4: Canton Elementary Assistant Principal Valerie Lowery giving an overview of the Fall Festival and Book Fair on Saturday, October 22 being funded by the $5000 Rotary District-Canton Rotary grant.
Photo credits: Rotary Club of Canton