Adopt-a-Class has seen some major operational changes in response to the pandemic but is working to provide support for three local adopted elementary schools.
Karen Hamerslag, Adopt-a-Class founder and director, said this year will be “very unique” as the group serves Loudon, Steekee and Vonore elementary schools.
With Loudon County Schools’ strict guidelines, Hamerslag had to temporarily suspend the classroom volunteer program at LES and SES. Monroe County’s guidelines were “looser,” but Hamerslag thought it was in the best interest of students, teachers and volunteers to suspend the Vonore program as well.
“I wanted to use this year, because of that, as a — looking at the silver lining at least — as an opportunity to more fully develop our donation program and take every opportunity to support the schools and maintain our relationship with the material support we can give them, working as a team, because they’re facing these unique challenges that we understand, and it’s very difficult for them above and beyond being in two school districts that have 75 percent of the children with economic needs,” Hamerslag said. “It’s always harder under those circumstances. Now, it’s that much harder to provide a safe education in these times.”
New challenges facing teachers this year include finding ways to keep children socially distanced and implementing safety dividers when that isn’t possible, she said.
“One of the challenges that we are able to help them with is avoiding children sharing classroom supplies that they might otherwise,” Hamerslag said. “So each child will have to have their own set of crayons and markers and pencils and erasers and folders that they keep within their personal space, so they’re not sharing back and forth, and that requires more supplies, and that we can help them with, and we have. So we’ve been purchasing some items that will help increase the supply load in the school.”
The program collects supplies by using donation bins in Tellico Village. For now, the bin at the Wellness Center is not available because of limited access to the center. Bins at the Welcome Center and The Public Library at Tellico Village are operational and off to a good start, Hamerslag said. Another bin was added to the clubhouse at Kahite to support VES.
The fundraising committee has planned to set up a booth Sept. 5 at Food Lion in Tellico Village where volunteers will be available to share information about Adopt-a-Class and collect contributions.
Monetary contributions have made up the bulk of recent donations and allow Hamerslag to purchase supplies to distribute to the three schools or support a teacher through DonorsChoose, a 501(c)(3) created by an educator, which allows donors to fund teachers’ projects for classrooms.
“Teachers can post a specific project on DonorsChoose online and donors contribute to DonorsChoose to help the teacher meet their goal,” Hamerslag said. “… It can be anywhere from a $200 project to a $1,000 project. Various donors contribute. We monitor the DonorsChoose projects to our three adopted schools. We have been able to make five donations this summer for projects that are, I think, going to be very helpful in their response to COVID-19. Teachers are creatively trying to redesign their classrooms to make them safer for the children as well as promoting an enriching educational environment.”
Hamerslag said there has been discussion of a virtual tutoring program similar to the classroom volunteer program, but the details haven’t been worked out. Before COVID-19, Adopt-a-Class was working with almost 60 volunteers in the classrooms, and Hamerslag hopes they all return next year when the program resumes. In the meantime, she’s working with a core team of volunteers and Jason Graening, director of communications and webmaster.
Graening has been with Adopt-a-Class for three years and works as a classroom volunteer at LES. He hopes the schools can figure out a way to include a virtual tutoring program.
“I really enjoy on the classroom volunteer side working with the kids and just seeing the kids’ reaction when I’m in the class and how they relate to me week to week and kind of know me from one week to the next,” he said. “I think with the suspension of our classroom volunteer program for this year, I’m going to miss that connection I think the most.”
Graening said the tutoring program would be a good supplement to maintain his connection.
Maureen Hrynizsak, classroom volunteer at SES and fundraising committee member, said she would also take the virtual tutoring route if given the chance.
Hrynizsak, who has worked with Adopt-a-Class since September, said her favorite part is watching students progress and finally be able to read on their own or with little assistance. When she found out about the program suspension, she was devastated.
“I cried like a baby,” she said. “I worked for 45 years as a therapist with children and family, and the school that I worked at is such a rural school, and I knew that there was a lot of kids that just weren’t getting what they needed at home probably emotionally and the support that they needed with their homework, and I didn’t provide therapy for the kids. That wasn’t my responsibility, but certainly I had a little bit greater insight because I worked with children and family for so many years. It just broke my heart that I was not going to be able to get back in the classroom.”
Hamerslag said she’s felt welcomed at the three schools. The program is good for the volunteers as well as students and teachers.
“It’s a good symbiotic relationship, because the volunteers get tremendous personal satisfaction and pleasure being able to have relationships with the students and help them with their education,” she said. “They get back as much as they give and the administration and faculty have been extremely appreciative of the contributions that we make both in the classroom and with the donation program. It’s a very good relationship. I’m very glad we are able to reach outside of Tellico village to be part of our general community.”
For more information about Adopt-a-Class, email adopt.a.class.tn@gmail.com or visit www.adoptaclasstn.org. PayPal contributions can be given at www.paypal.me/2serveschools.
