It’s a busy week at Malabar Intermediate School – announcement of the receipt of a $94,162 grant, the sale of new “No Excuses” shirts and hoodies and an open house Thursday evening.
The grant, awarded through the Richland County Foundation, was outlined for the Mansfield City Schools Board of Education Tuesday evening by Tom Hager, Malabar assistant principal, and Brady Groves, president of the foundation.
“It’s been a wonderful summer. It started in June when I got the idea to contact the Richland County Foundation about possible money for math text books,” Hager said. “Andrea (Moyer, Malabar principal) said, ‘Yes. Do it.’”
A series of emails between Hager and Allie Watson, the foundation’s program officer, produced good news.
“Early in August we got the word that Malabar would received $62,000 from the Fran and Warren Rupp Fund for the purchase of GO MATH! textbooks,” Hager told the board. “It’s a wonderful series. We have a five-year contract for the textbooks.”
But that wasn’t the end of the good news.
"I met with Allie and she said, ‘Maybe we (the foundation) could do more,’” Hager recalled.
Ultimately, the Fran and Warren Rupp Fund allocation swelled to $94,162. In addition to the textbooks, Malabar received $25,029 for field trips which the fund specified to be used for destinations that many students would not have the opportunity to visit in their family situations.
Hager said initial field trips will take three groups of sixth-graders to the Ohio State University campus in Columbus for “college awareness” visits on three different dates. The first will be Oct. 23.
Other elements of the grant include $5,280 for tutors as needed, $2,000 to promote Malabar’s two family math literacy nights during the school year and $1,500 for Elmo projectors.
“We couldn’t be happier,” Hager said. “We can’t say thank you enough to the Fran and Warren Rupp Fund and the Richland County Foundation.”
Groves said the award to Malabar was one of the top five grants through the foundation during his tenure as president.
“Tom and Allie did all the work,” he said. “Our staff is out in the community where they can see where dollars can be best invested.”
Groves said Steve Frampton, who represents the Rupp fund, had an opportunity to see the work being done at Malabar.
“That’s what really sold the program – what’s happening at Malabar,” he said.
Malabar will welcome families and friends to an open house from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday (Sept. 18). Visitors will have an opportunity to tour the building and meet staff.
They also will have an opportunity to purchase Malabar’s new “No Excuses” T-shirts and hoodies.
The T-shirts are bright orange and the hoodies are dark brown. Both have “We Are Malabar” and a tiger face on the front and ‘No Excuses” on the back.
T-shirts are $5 and hoodies $15. Sizes XX and XXX are slightly higher.
Orders also will be taken during students’ homeroom periods on Thursday and Friday. Shirts and hoodies will be distributed during homeroom periods on Oct. 6.
The No Excuses campaign, begun two years ago, has four components:
-- Don’t make excuses.
-- Have positive attitudes.
-- Display effort at all times.
-- Build confidence in yourself and others.