PARTNERS IN EDUCATION; CAPESCHOOLS ADOPTED BY LOCAL BUSINESSES

Cape Girardeau businesses and public schools have teamed up again this year to help each other toward a better understanding of education.

The Adopt-a-School program, started in 1985, continues this year. But two schools are "orphans": Alma Schrader Elementary School and Central High School do not have partners. Each of the district's other schools have business partners.

Richard Bollwerk, director of elementary education, said, "This has been a program that has fostered a lot of cooperation between the public school system and the various businesses that have chosen to participate."

He said once partnerships are established, schools and businesses set their own guidelines for activities.

"We don't want to establish these partnerships for the sole purpose of financial support," he said. "We want to tap the resources of the company and also determine what we can do in return.

"From the kind of comments heard from the schools, they've found it to be extremely successful," Bollwerk said.

"The program has enriched the school program. Many of the Adopt-a-School partners have come up with unique ways to help the school that we wouldn't have thought of on our own."

Charles C. Clippard Elementary School is teamed with Spartech Plastics Corp. Donna Loop, personnel administrator for the company, said that Spartech participates in the program to promote goodwill throughout the community.

"We've been with Clippard from the beginning of the program," Loop said. "We've got a real good relationship. They can call us up and ask for things they need, but they don't expect us to say yes to everything."

Loop said Spartech gave the school the money to build a walkway and basketball court.

"We helped do Project Read and gave the kids incentives for reading," she said. "We also do the copying of their handbooks at the beginning of the year."

Jefferson Elementary School is paired with Savings of America. Bill Ramsey, branch manager and assistant vice president, said, "We do a lot of small things to try to make things better at the school."

For example, the company has given money to the school to help develop a courtyard garden.

"At Halloween, we furnish them with pumpkins to make displays and at Thanksgiving they use the pumpkins to make turkeys," Ramsey said.

The company bought a camera for the school "to keep a record of things that go on."

"We have art displays here in the office. They bring in the pumpkins to display and on certain days they supply us with goodies."

He said bank employees go to the school to visit with children, sometimes to eat lunch, other times to judge contests.

"Our major concern is trying to build the image of that school," Ramsey said.

He said one project he hopes to get started is a lesson on saving money.

"I feel we have a good relationship between the business and school district. We are helping provide some of their needs and if we got nothing out of it, it would be a good program. We are helping the children in the area. We are building for the future."

Franklin and Washington elementary schools share Adopt-a-School partner Boatmen's Bank.

Janet Scheper, marketing associate at Boatmen's Bank, explained how the bank ended up sponsoring two schools.

"Boatmen's was originally the Adopt-a-School partner for Franklin and Centerre Bank was the Adopt-a-School partner for Washington," she said. "At the point of merger of the banks, we went ahead and kept both schools."

"This is the seventh year we've been a sponsor," she said.

The bank helps provide incentives for students to do well, and support for faculty and staff, Scheper said.

"We have attendance incentives. Each month we reward the class that had the highest attendance on a percentage basis."

The bank sponsors plays each spring through the SEMO Council on the Arts.

"Throughout the year, we try to do some special things for the teachers and staff, also," she said.

"We do coloring and story contests and volunteer at play day and holiday activities. We host faculty and staff luncheons."

Scheper said, the bank enjoys its association with the schools. "We are doing something the school system cannot provide. We provide incentives and those extra things that, with the school's budget so tight, they couldn't afford.

"It's been very successful for the kids and for us. It also lets people know we are investing back into the community."

May Greene Elementary School is paired with Procter & Gamble. Paul Garland, production manager at P&G, said the company is interested in showing students the importance of education.

P&G representatives sponsor an honors program for students and provide certificates and prizes for students who make the honor roll.

Annually, students are invited to tour the plant.

Garland said, "We hope to show them the connection between skills you use to do a job and lessons you learn in school.

"We are planning a cultural arts performance," Garland said. Teacher appreciation activities are also planned each year. Already this year, company personnel participated with sixth-grade students in the YELL for Newspapers campaign to sell newspapers.

Garland said the Adopt-a-School activities also provide positive role models for students.

"Especially at this school, one where the socio-economic situation of most parents is less than at other schools, it is important for the kids to interact with role models in the business community.

"We stress to the kids the importance of education. If they can grasp this at an early age, it sets a good foundation," Garland said. "Truly education is their ticket to whatever they want to do in life."

L.J. Schultz Middle School has been adopted by the Southeast Missourian since the program began in 1985, said Kim McDowell, who coordinates the program for the newspaper.

The major project of the partnership is publication of a school newspaper, The Paw. The newspaper is produced by students and printed by the Southeast Missourian.

McDowell said the reward of the Adopt-a-School project is seeing students succeed. "They have been putting together an award-winning newspaper and we think that's pretty special. Students and teachers every year receive state and national recognition."

McDowell said, "We also provide in-school cultural programs."

The newspaper presents Student-of-the-Month awards. Missourian employees make presentations of A and B honor roll certificates and help at the annual "field day." Employees also volunteer as "big brothers" and "big sisters" as needed.

In return, students have Christmas caroled in the newspaper office. "On blustery, winter days, we have had hot, cinnamon buns delivered to us," McDowell said.

The newspaper's association with Schultz through Adopt-a-School lead to expansion of the Newspaper in Education program the past two years.

"We want to do something for education they can't do for themselves," McDowell said. "The seventh grade would not have a newspaper if not for us."

Central Junior High School's Adopt-a-School partner is St. Francis Medical Center. Mary Spell, director of public relations, said the relationship is an investment in the future.

"This is one way to be involved in the community, but it is also one way to assure better employees. We are investing in the future of the medical center by encouraging education," she said.

The school and medical center have a reciprocal agreement, she said. "If they need something, they ask. If we need something, we ask."

During summer school this year, for example, St. Francis provided prizes as incentives for students.

"We send supper for the Beta Club lock-in every year, and other treats during the year." The medical center also helped out with a stop-smoking program.

She said art teachers from the school come to St. Francis to judge their employee pumpkin-decorating contest and the choir sings at their Christmas program.

Eighth- and ninth-grade students also tour the medical center for career day. "We let them go into the different departments and learn about the different occupations," Spell said. "We let them know, not just physicians or nurses work in a hospital."

Spell said the program is also fun. "It's a good opportunity to get to know young people that many of us in the work setting might not have otherwise."