Over 25 Years Making a Difference In the Lives of
Children at St. Helena Elementary School!
In 1995 Marge Jarvis and Earl Dietz, residents of Dataw Island, SC, had a vision to recruit volunteers from the community to partner with students and teachers at the local St. Helena Elementary School to provide tutoring in reading, vocabulary, math and science. The vision was met with overwhelming success, and Adopt-A-School of Beaufort County, Inc. was formally organized. For over twenty-five years, this non-profit 501(c)3 organization has continued to serve St. Helena Elementary School in many areas:
- Recruit, train, and coordinate volunteers from Dataw Island and Fripp Island to assist teachers and staff in a variety of ways
- Provide grants to the school for special projects, opportunities, and purchases outside of the school budget.
- Hold two Adopt-A-Book events every school year to provide each student the opportunity to select a new book of their choice to keep and take home – over 800 books are given away each year in this program.
- Provide monetary support annually to the United Way Operation Backpack program that supplies approximately 165 backpacks filled with new school supplies to St. Helena Elementary among other schools.
- Support and promote school projects and events such as the Spelling Bee, Angel Tree, and Teachers Appreciation Week
St. Helena Elementary School
St. Helena Elementary School is a proud Title 1 school with grades Pre-K through Five. A major percentage of the students are from low income households and are provided free breakfast and lunch daily.
The school is one of three in Beaufort County that has embraced the Leader-in-Me program. The program is designed to create a positive school culture with focus on leadership and personal responsibility. It is based on the book authored by Steven Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. The “habits” are being taught at all grade levels, and the students are fully engaged in the program. Their annual Leadership Day program, prepared and executed entirely by the students, is an amazing example of the program’s value.
