In April and May, in the midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic, visionary teachers from Bradley County Schools collaborated to meet the needs of their greater community. This teaching team produced over 600 personal protective devices and distributed them to 35 local medical entities. Amazing, but let’s begin at the beginning of this remarkable story…
Three years ago the science and math team at Bradley Central High School crafted a vision and plan to enhance their teaching and their students’ learning. This plan, presented to Bradley Cleveland Public Education (BCPEF), required significant funding of new equipment and targeted professional development for the teaching team members. Fortunately, this vision and plan fit perfectly with BCPEF’s mission and focus–supporting innovative public education, providing classroom resources and advancing teaching excellence. Over these three years $80,000 was raised by BCPEF from a generous grantor, a local family foundation and several individual donors who understood both the need and the value of the plan.
Fast forward to March and COVID-19. Using the resources and equipment provided through BCPEF, the BCHS team saw an opportunity to meet the local need for face shields which would protect essential workers from airborne transmission of the virus. Collaborating together towards this purpose, Educators from Bradley Central, Walker Valley, Ocoee Middle and Lake Forest Middle volunteered long hours in production and delivery to the gratitude of the recipients and the satisfaction of the team.
This team of educators, Charis Reagan, David Keylon, Wade Sacco and Alan Morris, have indicated they are not finished with the combination of innovative teaching and community benefit. Their next collaborative project, proposed for their students this academic year, promises to creatively design and produce two different products which impact the health of our community while enhancing student learning and demonstrating the value of community impact.
Stay tuned…
