Parsons USD 503 was the recipient of two grants last night from the Parsons Area Community Foundation totaling $15,000.
Parsons Middle School Student Council member Marissa Valdez and Leadership Class member Allen Keaton were on hand Tuesday evening during the awards ceremony to accept a check for $10,000 to help with the purchase of an electric sign for in front of the middle school.
Parsons Middle School principal Tyler Gordon said the school has filled out a grant application every year he has been there to assist with various needs. The first year he was able to by Chromebooks for staff. “The next year they helped us buy four new score boards. Last year we turned it over and gave it to our student council. They surveyed the students about what they wanted. What they expressed was activity field equipment. The Parsons Area Community Foundation gave us $15,000, so we went out and bought corn hole sets, a volleyball net, an exterior volleyball net. We bought new basketball goals for the kids, and we bought new bleachers and replaced the old wooden ones that were falling apart,” Gordon said.
This year, they checked with Student Council and the Leadership Class to again get their input on what they felt was a priority. Both of those groups have the responsibility of going out and changing the marquee every week.
“One of the things the kids wanted to pursue was a new digital sign, so it can be updated from my desktop. We’d like to replace the sign-up front with something updated,” Gordon said. “So we wrote a grant through Parsons Area Community Foundation they gave us $10,000 toward it.”
Now the Leadership Class is using the entire month of April to raise funds.
“Some of the kids are doing cold calls to local businesses, asking them if they want to participate in this project. Others have created a flyer and infographic they share with the businesses. Then another group of students in that class, they have prepared a presentation. … So, they’ve got a system set up. They are hoping to get another $10,000 because the whole project, we’re looking at $30.000, so we’d like to keep the cost off the district as much as possible. It’s mostly led by the eighth graders, so it is them leaving their mark on it.”
Marissa and Allen expressed their thanks to the PACF.
“They’re super and very supportive,” Gordon said. “We’re very thankful to continue partnering with them. They’ve been really good partners with us.”
The second grant received was $5,000 to the Parsons High School Technology Student Association. Three members of the TSA team were on hand to receive the check and thanked the foundation for the generous donation. Senior Jayce Quirin said a lot of schools qualify for nationals but cannot afford to attend. The generous donation from PACF will help ensure the team’s winning students get to attend the national competition.
While not given to USD 503 schools directly, two other grants were given that benefit its students. SparkWheel, formerly Communities in Schools, was given a grant for $2,500 to help with integrated supports for Parsons’ students.
Also, Parsons Presbyterian Manor received $1,500 for its Generation Buddies, a program that allows residents of the facility to spend time doing activities with first grade children from Lincoln School.
Thank you PACF for helping to improve the lives of USD 503 students and the community.