Isenberg Elementary got an extreme makeover on April 2 thanks to an Outreach to Teach project involving teacher education students from Catawba College and 9 other college campuses across North Carolina. The project was funded by a $3,000 National Education Association grant and $6,000 in solicited donations from area businesses.

Spearheading the collaborative efforts at Isenberg was Catawba student Courtney Foster, who serves as president of the Student North Carolina Association of Educators at Catawba and is state president-elect for the organization. Foster wrote the National Education Association grant that provided the initial funding and was also instrumental in soliciting materials for the project, including laminate flooring, landscaping materials, food and funds to purchase needed supplies.

Projects completed at Isenberg included landscaping (with donated materials from Rufty’s, Godley’s and Cline’s); bulletin boards; painting (wall murals of Dr. Seuss and a world map, the teacher’s lounge, a conference room, a multipurpose room, and professional learning commons room); furniture built from Ikea; and carpet removal and wood laminate installation in both the multipurpose room and the professional learning commons. Books and school supplies were also donated to Isenberg’s media center.

Catawba was well-represented with students from across campus, as well as faculty member Amanda Bosch, who serves as director of the Curriculum Materials Center; Sydney Hydler Alexander, a 2015 alumna; and Darlene Ball, class of 1962 and chairwoman of the Catawba College board of trustees. Ball, Bosch shared, “even brought her own tools, got in the multipurpose room and ripped up 40-year-old carpet with the participating students! As far as I know, no other college has ever had a board member participate in Outreach to Teach.”

“It was an extremely long and exhausting day, very rewarding, but by far the largest project I have ever seen undertaken in one day,” Bosch said. “Isenberg Elementary Principal and 1999 Catawba alumnus Marvin Moore has urged us to follow them on Twitter as they will also have photos and video of the event on their Twitter feed.”