Student Awards

Lake City Reporter 5/27/2005
FORT WHITE – The Fort White Community Thrift Shop gave 49 $25 awards to students at Fort White Elementary School.

The shop, founded in June 1997, gives money to teachers so they may honor students who work to the best of their ability, but are rarely recognized for their efforts.

“We started this in 2001,” said Connie Moseley, volunteer. “We gave about 17 then, and 44 last year. This year we were able to give money for 49 awards.” In addition to the annual awards, the FWCTS hosts a back to school breakfast for teachers and raises money with the Pumpkin Patch event for the Accelerated Reader program.

“The kids really love it; it makes them feel special,” Moseley said. While most honor roll children get rewarded all the time, there are not many programs that recognize children who try their best but sometimes fall short of all perfect grades.

In addition to providing money to teachers in each grade level, the FWCTS also allocates money for art, music, physical education, reading, speech and writing instructors among others.

The shop will be sending 1,008 toothbrushes and tubes of tooth paste to Nicaragua. It also donated a generator to benefit a mobile dental clinic in Central America.

Wanda Conner, curriculum resource teacher, calls the shop one of best business partners of the school. “We couldn’t do the fantastic job we do here without support from businesses like theirs,” she said. “The shop is a tremendous asset in our community.” The FWCTS in an interdenominational ministry staffed 100 percent by community volunteers.