North Elementary Wins $10,000 Goody’s ‘Good Deeds for Schools’ Grant

North Elementary School will purchase $10,000 worth of technology for its new computer classroom thanks to a grant from Goody’s Family Clothing.

North is among the first 50 recipients of grants totaling $500,000 provided through the Goody’s Good Deeds for Schools program. More than 1,000 schools applied and 350 were selected as finalists. Winning schools were those that demonstrated the greatest need and best showed how their students would benefit from the project.

Local, district and regional officials from Goody’s Family Clothing presented the check in a ceremony May 9 at the school attended by all students, faculty, staff and guests.

Heather Self, assistant principal and technology facilitator at North, thanked the Goody’s company for the grant which will provide an interactive whiteboard package, laptop computers, LCD

projector and reading, math and science software for the new technology classroom adjacent to the school’s media center. She also thanked staff who co-authored the grant with her – Angela McKee and Lynn Witherspoon – as well as Mrs. Witherspoon’s son, John, who assisted on the video production. She also thanked Principal Lynda Stewart for her leadership and support of improving technology availability at North.

North’s grant proposal was submitted by Mark Crain, manager of the Goody’s Family Clothing store in Gastonia.

The technology lab will be run by certified faculty and will be available for teachers to use to improve lesson plans while focusing on student curricular needs.  The lab facilitator will teach students and collaborate with teachers during weekly meeting to incorporate technology into the curriculum.