PROJECTS
Dual Language Immersion Program
In 2020, EAEF (now EEF) made a seven-year financial commitment ($50,000/annually) to the Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program taught at the Elkin Elementary School (EES). All classes are taught by native Spanish speaking teachers. A Dual Language program provides instruction through two or more languages with the goals of:
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- Biliteracy [reading and writing in more than one language]
- Bilingualism [speaking in more than one language]
- High academic achievement
- Exposure to other cultures
This video was recorded in October 2023 in the classroom of Mr. Ramos.
Teacher Grants
All ECS teachers are eligible to apply for teacher grants to fund projects not covered by public funding or through other designated funds. Grant applications are reviewed by a committee of EEF board members, and the winners are selected. Over $88,604.55 in teacher grants have been awarded since they were started in 2018 -2019. Some of the items purchased by teachers with their 2023 grants are library books, microscopes, VR headset and software, gym equipment, Teen gratitude journals, Canon camera, art supplies, decodable books for the Exceptional Children’s department, board games for brain breaks, and a Van de Graaff machine.
The following email was received by third grade teacher, Ms. Denise Cordova, describing how she used her teacher grant.
Third grade received an academic grant to purchase squid dissection kits and the PPE items needed for the activity. Students were in small groups, 4 students to 1 squid specimen. They were able to inspect the external features before dissecting squid to see and learn about the internal organs. This activity wrapped up our semester-long study in ELA that explored the essential question: Why do people explore the sea? We utilized art, poetry, informational and narrative texts to help answer that question. This enrichment opportunity allowed students to gain a deeper understanding of the essential question while gaining a greater appreciation for the authors, illustrators, and scientists who helped us answer that question. This was a perfect culminating activity for our first year with our new SoR aligned Wit & Wisdom curriculum. Thank you for helping us provide this opportunity for our third graders!
What the students say:
Mia A: “Students should do it next year. I learned so many things but what stuck out was that squid are fascinating and they have beaks and they are still hidden from us.”
Jaiden B: “I never knew that squid had three hearts. What I like was that in the lab was where we got to open the cone.”
Louis R: “I loved it. It helped me understand the sea and its animal senses. It helped me understand W&W and our first module of W&W by taking the animal into the sea.”
Presley R: “It helped me remember what things are called and it will help it stick.”
Norah T: “The squid dissection was really good. I thought it was super gross at first, but it was actually the best dissection I’ve ever done! And did you know that squids don’t have a bladder? There’s a lot of amazing things about squids!”
Kai W: ”It helped me by looking inside of the squid, that helped me so I know where its body parts are so I can understand it better.”
Soccer Camp
EEF, in conjunction with the ECS, the Elkin Recreation Dept., and the Elkin Athletics Dept., has sponsored a free soccer camp for 108 boys and girls, ages kindergarten through 12th grade, for the past two summers. Sixty-eight youth participated in the 2023 summer camp that was once again led by Ariel and Luciano Oliveri, sons of Dr. Nestor Oliveri. Nestor Oliveri, an EHS foreign exchange student in 1963-64, became a famous doctor in Argentina, renowned for his work among the poor and for pioneering “Social Medicine.”
Scholarship
The Blue and Gold Alumni Scholarship was established by the alumni of Elkin High School in November 2020. The mission of the need-based scholarship is to assist students and recent graduates (5 years from graduation) of Elkin High School to pursue a degree/certification in a vocational-technical field that research indicates is critically needed in the larger Elkin/Tri-County Community. So far in our four-year history, we have awarded 36 scholarships to students studying in the following vocational-technical fields: Computerized Machining, Electrical Systems, Electronics, Nursing, Medical Technology, Law Enforcement, Commercial Art, Welding, Dental Hygiene, Mechatronics, IT/Networking and Business. Scholarship applications are accepted beginning January 1 and must be received by April 1. Scholarships are awarded in May of each year. To apply, see Kerri Mullis, Guidance Counselor at Elkin High School or download the scholarship application at the link below.