With increased virtual learning for students this year, many children needed desks at home to create a productive study environment. Recently, 20 students at Daviess County Public Schools were provided with locally made desks thanks to a partnership between Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline and the Foundation for DCPS.
“At Southern Star, we are continuously looking for ways to be involved in the community,” said Jimmy Staton, President & CEO. “With so many students learning in a virtual setting, we wanted to find a way to help provide as productive a learning environment as possible”.
Scott Walston, Director of Supply Chain Services, recently constructed 32 desks in his garage to assist local students with remote learning. Several of Southern Star’s Information Technology team members joined forces to paint each desk. The desks were delivered by the Facility Services Team to students within the Daviess County Public School System along with the Oasis Spouse Abuse Center and Fresh Start for Women.
Vicki Quisenberry, Executive Director for the Foundation, said they worked with Kristy Brackin and DCPS Family Resource and Youth Service coordinators to identify 20 students in need of a desk for at-home school work.
They were able provide desks for students who attend Burns, Country Heights, Deer Park, East View, Highland, Sorgho and West Louisville elementary schools, College View and Daviess County middle schools, and Apollo and Heritage Park high schools.
Laura Whitehouse, Family Resource Coordinator at Burns, said one of their students had strong academics before COVID-19 but was having some trouble at home.
“Like many of our students, he struggled with the new reality of virtual learning,” she said. “After conversations with his mother, we determined he didn’t feel like he was in school when learning at home. The desk gave him a place to go to school at home. With his new desk, this student is thriving and has gone from below average grades back to excelling with As and Bs.”
Companies interested in partnering with the Foundation to remove barriers to education or provide educational enhancements for DCPS students may contact the Foundation for DCPS at 270-231-5583 or email [email protected].
