The resounding sounds of joy from the Eastport Elementary School strings ensemble and chorus today heralded a huge new benefit for the school and its students: more than $12,000 in classroom and media center materials for Eastport’s International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP).
As a result of the generosity of the Eastport community, including the Eastport Civic Association (ECA) and the Eastport Business Association (EBA), the school has been given enough materials to create an IB Readers & Leaders Library in the media center and classroom libraries that support the IB program. Eastport Elementary is a 2016 candidate school for certification as an IB PYP site, one of 11 authorized and candidate sites in Anne Arundel County Public Schools.
“These materials will be an incredible resource for our staff and students,” Eastport Principal Lynne Evans said. “They will create opportunities for students to expand their knowledge and answer questions about the world around them. We are grateful to all of our community partners who made this possible and who exhibit the true meaning of positive action.”
Jenny Kottler, immediate past president of the ECA, coordinated the effort to raise funds for materials in French, Spanish, and a variety of other languages to support language development – a foundational piece of all IB programs. Students will use the resources as part of their PYP units of study.
The ECA provided a $5,000 grant for the media center IB Readers & Leaders Library and helped to raise additional funds for the 14 classrooms to have age-appropriate texts and resources on rolling carts.
The EBA provided funding for two grade levels, and individual donors have contributed more than $5,000 toward the classroom libraries.
The project began over a year ago when Dick Franyo, owner of Boatyard Bar & Grill in Eastport, suggested that the Eastport Community wanted to make a positive impact in their “community school.” He organized a meeting with the leaders of the ECA and EBA and a goal of raising $19,000 was established.
The community is less than $7,000 from that goal, which would provide the language development resources to every Eastport Elementary classroom. Anyone wishing to donate to the effort can do so by clicking here. Donors should designate “My School/My Project,” in the Donation Information section, and then type in Eastport PYP. Donations of $1,000 or more will be recognized on a plaque on one or more of the classroom library carts.