By Kathy Chaffin
kchaffin@salisburypost.com
Rowan Partners for Education is trying to help the Rowan-Salisbury schools recruit volunteers.
Louise Wooten, executive director of Rowan Partners, said she distributed forms at a meeting of school principals for them to use in compiling their schools’ volunteer needs. “The good thing is there is such a variety of needs that we’re hoping they will appeal to different people,” she said. “We’re trying to find a perfect match in the community for the various volunteer needs.”
Wooten said most of the needs don’t require any money. “They just need caring people to make a difference,” she said.
Rowan Partners for Education had tables set up with volunteer sign-up sheets at its third annual Education Summit on Oct. 15. Former Carolina Panthers player Mike Minter, the keynote speaker for the event at Jesse Carson High School, spoke on “Education … It’s Your Business.”
The hope was that people would be motivated by Minter to sign up for the various volunteer needs, but it was a rainy night and many left without signing up.
“Now that the schools have identified their needs,” Wooten said, “I don’t want to let them down. They know that Rowan is a giving community, and I want us to be able to prove to the teachers that they are supported and that the community sees those true needs that are there.”
People of all ages are encouraged to volunteer in the schools. Wooten said it’s oftentimes as rewarding to be the volunteer as it is to be on the receiving end.
She knows firsthand, having just started volunteering an hour a week in a reading program at Koontz Elementary School. “It’s amazing to see the teachers with the students,” she said, “and also seeing the joy on the students’ faces when they get something right.”
Rowan Partners for Education is an independent partnership created by the Rowan County Chamber of Commerce and the community to educate citizens about public education and advocate for public school excellence.
Wooten asked that anyone who wants to volunteer at any of the schools contact her at 704-642-0700.
Volunteer needs submitted by the schools are as follows:
East District:
– East Rowan High ó Remediation, three hours; proctoring tests, four hours; selling tickets, six hours; and tutoring, three hours.
– Erwin Middle ó End-of-grade test proctor, three hours; assist with book fair, seven hours; dance chaperones, three hours; and concessions at ballgames, three hours.
– Granite Quarry Elementary ó Test proctors, one week in May; mentors, ongoing; Picture Day volunteers, two days in spring and fall; Thursday folder helpers, Thursdays; teacher helpers, as needed; Field Day volunteers, one day in June; and tutors, ongoing.
– Morgan Elementary ó Office helper, one hour two times per month; lunch partner, 30 minutes twice per month; homework buddies, one hour two or four times per week; Adopt a Class, read with students one hour per week; duty-free lunch, two hours per month; and business partnership, money for technology to purchase Promethean boards at $2,000 each.
– Shive Elementary ó Lunch buddy 30 minutes one or two times per month; mentors (male and female), ongoing; and reading buddies, one hour four times per year.
– Rockwell Elementary ó End-of-grade test proctors, three hours; Field Day volunteers, one day in June; and teacher helpers, various times.
Southeast District:
– Jesse Carson High ó Mentors for students at risk, one hour per week; speakers on specific topics, one hour per semester; and judge graduation projects, three hours per semester.
– Bostian Elementary ó Eat lunch with students, ongoing; clerical work, ongoing; reading to students, ongoing; help with Thursday take-home folders; work one-on-one with students, ongoing; create activities for students, when available; and help as an assistant, when available.
– China Grove Middle ó Field trips, day commitment; workroom volunteers, ongoing; reading/tutoring/academics, one or two hours; PTA president; and PTA vice president.
– Faith Elementary ó Class helpers, any amount of time; tutor math and reading, ongoing; share travel and career experiences; duty-free lunch coverage, one hour; and crafters, any time available.
– Knollwood Elementary ó Read with students, 30 to 45 minutes daily or three times a week; and assist with character education, social skills and reading celebrations, quarterly, one hour at end of quarter.
– Koontz Elementary ó Work with targeted K-2 students on basic reading and math skills in small groups or individually, 30 minutes to an hour; and share skills with developmentally appropriate age groups, time varies.
– Southeast Middle ó Proctor end of grades, May 13-June 4; chaperone school dances, two hours; assist with duty-free lunch, three hours; and community guest speakers for staff development and understanding of cultural differences, one-hour presentations.
West District:- Cleveland Elementary ó Listen to students read, flexible time; remediate students, flexible time; work with small groups, flexible time; shelf library books, two hours daily; and tear apart consumable books, two hours a week.
– Hurley Elementary ó Duty-free lunch on Monday, two hours and 15 minutes; K-3 volunteers with reading and math centers, one hour two days a week; and volunteer to drag the walking track with a baseball infield drag, once a month.
– Mount Ulla Elementary ó Read with students, flexible times; help with PTA events, various times; and help with book fair, two times a year for one week.
– West Rowan Middle ó Speakers for grade-level assemblies, 15 to 20 minutes quarterly; mentors and lunch buddies, weekly; nature trail (clear paths, etc.), one weekend per semester; and coordinate “Girls on the Run” program, yearlong.
– Woodleaf Elementary ó math tutor, one hour; read and listen with students, one hour; conduct reading conference, one hour; shelf books in library, one hour; help with technology projects, one hour; general landscaping, as needed; mentor at-risk students, one hour; and lunch buddies, 35 minutes.
– West Rowan High ó Graduation project mentors; graduation project viewers/judges; media center volunteers; end-of-course test proctors; and speakers for student groups.
North District:
– Hanford Dole Elementary ó Reading tutors, 30 minutes per week; math tutors, 30 minutes per week; mentors, 30 minutes per week; and classroom volunteers, as needed.
– North Rowan Elementary ó Mentor/tutor, one hour per week; master gardener to speak about caring for a garden, one hour; volunteer to oversee tending garden, one to two hours per month; and reshelf books, one to two hours per month.
– Henderson High ó Algebra tutors, two to five hours per week; science tutors (biology), two to five hours per week; and one-on-one mentors, one to three hours per week.
– North Rowan Middle ó Front office assistant to sort mail, distribute supplies and run copies, 30 minutes to an hour; assist in building PLC lab, 30 minutes to one hour; and assist in after-school activities, one hour.
– North Rowan High ó Lunchroom assistant, 10:35 a.m.-12:20 p.m.; end-of-course volunteers, 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; after-school tutoring, Upward Bound, 2:45-4:15 p.m.; sign-in/sign-out volunteer, 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m.; and end-of-course proctor.
Salisbury District:- Isenberg Elementary ó Lunch buddies, 30 to 60 minutes per week; one-on-one remediation, 45 minutes per week; career-related speakers, once a month; books for media center; help with book fair, twice a year; and cafeteria monitors, varies.
– Overton Elementary ó Volunteers to be trained to administer research-based interventions to at-risk students, three times per week with 10 minutes per student; and progress monitor and plot data from research-based interventions, one to two times per week, 10 minutes per student.
– Rowan County Early College ó Internship locations for students; sponsorships for field trips for sophomore project (historical sites in Rowan County); pay for publication of a book for the sophomore project (approximately $60); donation of video-editing software; sponsor for literary and arts magazine; and speaker on historical sites topic, one hour.
– Knox Middle ó Proctor for end-of-grade testing, four days, four hours; duty-free lunch coverage, 40 minutes per month; and mentors, one hour twice a month.
– Salisbury High School ó Proctors for end-of-course testing, five days, five hours; mentor at-risk students for after-school sessions, two days per week for one hour and 30 minutes; speakers for implementing freshmen transition programs, one per month on Fridays; sponsorships for chorus musicals (sheet music); sponsorship for seminars for Student Athlete NCAA Clearinghouse, one-time seminar per school year; and hall monitors for school, five days a week during lunch periods (10:30 a.m.-12:56 p.m.).
South District:- China Grove Elementary ó Corporate sponsorships for field trips to Patterson Farm, Lazy 5 Ranch and for T-shirts for students in grades K-5.
– Corriher-Lipe Middle ó Volunteers for end-of-grade testing in May, three hours; after-school tutors (reading and math), one to two hours per week; meal-time mentors, once a week or month; and someone to serve on Human Relations Council, meets monthly.
– Enochville Elementary ó Bus monitor, 6:45 to 7:45 a.m. or 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. daily; listen to students read, 30 to 45 minutes any day; assist teacher, as needed; reshelf books, one hour; cafeteria monitor (breakfast or lunch), one to two hours; and answer phones and greet visitors, one to four hours any day.
– Landis Elementary ó Volunteers to help with “reading conferencing” for grades 1-5, two hours per week.
– Millbridge Elementary ó Reading conferencing, one hour per week; math conferencing, one hour per week; and read to students, one hour per week.
– South Rowan High School ó Graduation project, three hours; and graduation project mentor, up to 15 hours.
Contact Kathy Chaffin at 704-797-4249.