Thank you for supporting students and teachers in 2020!

Please view the 2020 Gratitude Report below.

Thank You For Providing Summer Camp To Students

The 2020 school year was abruptly moved from in-person to online, and Surry County Schools teachers adjusted instruction quickly. This movement carried into the summer, as all summer educational camps were virtual experiences where students could enjoy 19 different topics including cooking, a history of the Titanic, reading, math, stress management and many more. 

Levi, a student at Westfield Elementary, attended Fun Building Reading Fluency, a camp that focused on gaining strong comprehension skills with 1st and 2nd graders.  Levi said he liked the camp because, “they have fun games, and Ms. Payne makes reading fun.”

Your support provided over 400 students the opportunity to enjoy summer camps virtually, 350+ more than in 2019, at no cost. Students needed these learning experiences, and you made them possible.

Thank You For Bringing Learning To Students

Thanks to you, the Flat Rock Elementary “Magic Book Bus Summer Literacy Project” visited students in 2020.  Your gift brought books and snacks to children in the Flat Rock community over the summer, helping students become better readers. 

For several weeks in the summer, your donation allowed volunteers to drive an activity bus in neighborhoods around the school and deliver a new book and a snack to students. Volunteers safely visited with the students and read with them.

Flat Rock Elementary principal Blair Lambert and volunteers created a safe environment for reading while having fun.  “The Magic Book Bus helps us continue relationships with our students while making sure they have books to read throughout the summer,” said Lambert.  “We are excited to see our students, and the kids are happy when the Book Bus pulls up to their stop.”

Your support made it possible for students to become better readers this summer.

Camp Mend It: Students Learned Basic First Aid and CPR Thanks to You

Katie Key, School Nurse at Pilot Mountain Elementary and Middle Schools, created “Camp Mend It,” a summer camp that taught 16 students basic first aid and CPR.  “Thank you to all the Foundation donors who made this camp possible,” said Key. “I hope we get to have the camp again next year.”

Thank You For Giving Students Musical Instruments

Your support provided students at Westfield Elementary and Flat Rock Elementary with individual instruments to keep music classes as safe as possible.  Students are learning music literacy, proper care and use of instruments, and how to read music.

The ability for students to play musical instruments positively affects not only the connection to reading and playing music, but also reading comprehension and understanding math concepts.

Your generous donation provided safe arts education to students.

Thank You For Providing Books For Students

At Dobson Elementary, students are participating in the "Principal's Book of the Month Club" because of your support in 2020. Principal Sharia Templeton selects a book that reflects the month's leadership trait. Students are learning how being considerate helps us reflect on the diversity of people and their circumstances, the need for charity, and that helping others brings joy. 

Art teacher, Mrs. Melissa Simpson, connects her students with the month’s focus by painting rocks and discussing how the rocks' imperfections shouldn't make us judge them as good or bad, similarly to how we should always treat others with kindness, consideration, and respect.

Your gift supported teachers’ creative projects that make learning fun for students.