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Foundation funding helps schools deal with COVID-19
McCOOK, Neb. -- Everyone’s world has been turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic but maybe none so more than our young people.
Students no longer have a regular school schedule and are not able to see their friends on a daily basis. They may not have access to regular meals. And they may have difficulty accessing the internet, now a necessity to complete their homework.
But McCook schools have been working to alleviate some of these issues with funding from McCook Community Foundation Fund’s new COVID-19 Response Account.
Over the past month, MCFF has provided three grants to McCook Public Schools to help with specific issues during this crisis.
Technology
With nearly all learning taking place online right now, the need for technology is greater than ever. And while the McCook High School students all have Chromebooks -- similar to a laptop -- individually assigned, the McCook Junior High and Central Elementary students either used the devices during school or checked the laptops out on an as-needed basis.
While some families have their own devices at home, many do not and that is where a grant from MCFF came into play. A $8,500 MCFF grant will help purchase 30 Chromebooks to be used by students at home.
“With E-Learning abruptly changing our instructional practices, our equity gap among our kids seemed to be magnified,” said Joel Bednar, Central Principal/Curriculum Director, McCook Public Schools. “We realized the need for more Chromebooks to distribute for E-Learning and to utilize within our classrooms when schools resumes.”
Bednar added, “We want all students to have the same access and learning opportunities. Using these devices will allow kids to see/hear their teachers and have the organized social interactions that is clearly needed during E-Learning days.”
Nutrition
While school is generally thought of a place for education, it also serves as a place where some kids may get their only complete meal of the day. And the demand is being met by the school’s nutrition program in unprecedented numbers.
According to McCook Public School Business Manger John Brazell, the McCook Junior High kitchen was designed to serve around 400 Jr/Sr high school students on a regular school day. “Currently, we are serving more than 700 breakfasts and 700 lunches per day in our drive up grab-n-go service,” Brazil said.
Preparing the increased number of meals has stretched the capacity of the kitchen and especially the storage of all of the prepared meals.
The McCook Community Foundation Fund has provided $17,500 in funding to purchase carts, which will provide additional storage and will allow the staff to roll them out to the delivery site at the junior high. The carts are designed to be used for either hot or cold foods and will maintain the temperature of the meals for longer.
“This will be extremely important as the daily temperatures rise as we move into spring and summer.,” Brazell. “And at this point, our plan is to continue the meal program through the end of June.”
Education for At-Risk Students
While all students are figuring out how to learn from home, alternative instruction methods are especially important for many of the school’s at-risk families, including those in the school’s credit-recovery program. These students are most at-risk of dropping out or failing to complete school due to a variety of reasons and need specialized help to graduate from McCook High School.
To help continue this program from the safety of the student’s own home, “site licenses” were purchased with the help of $3,000 grant from MCFF.
“On behalf of McCook Senior High School, I would like to thank the McCook Community Foundation Fund for their generosity during these challenging times,” McCook High School Principal Jeff Gross said. “We have several students taking advantage of earning credits via online classes. We are also anticipating the increased need for this service as we continue in these uncertain times in K-12 education.”
“It is a blessing, knowing that we have such great community support,” Gross said. “Thanks for MCFF’s leadership and dedication to our school system…”WE ARE ONE.”
The McCook Community Foundation Fund continues to accept grant applications as well as donations for the newly-established COVID-19 Response Account. More information is available online at mccookfoundation.org.
The regular spring grant deadline is Friday, May 1. Since 2003, more than $400,000 in grants have been provided to organizations and individuals, benefitting McCook and Southwest Nebraska. A complete list of grants is available on the MCFF website. MCFF is an affiliated fund of the Nebraska Community Foundation.