During a Red Carpet Tour of Varnell Elementary School on Thursday, Feb. 1, school counselor Keri Blackwell spoke to community members about “branching out.”
“Something that is really important to us here is how we branch out into the community and how the community comes back and branches to us,” she said.
Red Carpet Tours, held throughout the year by area public schools with Believe Greater Dalton and the Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce, give community members and leaders an inside look at local classrooms.
During a tour of Varnell Elementary, Blackwell gave a presentation on the school’s community connections and partnerships with businesses and local stakeholders.
Receiving money from a Parent Teacher Association (PTA) fundraiser, Blackwell said the school was able to fund new playground equipment.
“It’s also ADA (the Americans with Disabilities Act) approved, so it’s accessible for anyone who might be in a wheelchair or might have some difficulties,” she said. “It is a great piece that we have now for our students.”
Blackwell said one of the school’s larger programs is the Varnell Community Christmas.
“For that, we partner with the Varnell (United Methodist) Church (at 3485 Highway 2) and Varnell City Hall,” she said. “We identify families in need during the Christmastime here and we provide them with food, clothing and gifts.”
During that time the school also participates in a canned food drive.
“That gets the parents involved,” Blackwell said. “This (past) year we collected 2,235 cans and we were able to help 93 children in these families from birth to age 18, so that was a total of 32 families.”
Blackwell said school staff members also donate toiletry items such as detergent, toilet paper, shampoo and body wash to families in need around the community.
“During the Christmas season it can be a little tight financially for families,” she said. “So it’s just to help lighten that burden.”
In 2023 the school partnered with Synovus Bank in Dalton for a toy drive during the holiday season.
“They helped tremendously,” Blackwell said. “They also came and helped us sort and pack cans. When there’s over 2,000 cans, that’s a lot of packing. They helped us transport them to (Varnell United Methodist), because that’s where we give out the gifts and do the pickup. They were a huge help.”
Another longstanding partnership includes Salem Baptist Church, who “help us with the Snack Pack program,” Blackwell said. “On the weekends we give out snack packs to families who might have some food insecurity.”
Varnell Elementary helps 130 children from newborn to 18 years old through the program.
“It’s not just elementary students, but it’s their siblings as well,” she said. “Salem Baptist has also given us backpack donations and coat donations. That’s always a need. Especially with it being so cold, that’s helped out a lot of different kids here.”
Recently, North Georgia EMC granted Varnell Elementary a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) grant of $2,500 for the school to use.
“That’s actually going towards some more of our outdoor things we’re starting,” Blackwell said. “Our agriculture classes are wanting to do a garden with some vegetables.”
Blackwell said the things that Coahulla Creek High School students have done with Varnell Elementary students have been “tremendous.”
“They have the buddy program with Big Brothers Big Sisters where they come every week and kind of mentor an elementary student,” she said. “The kids love it because they get to hang out with a high-schooler.”
Members of Coahulla Creek High’s Spanish Honors Society are also very engaged with students, Blackwell said.
“They will come and read to our students in Spanish,” she said. “So not only does it help those students who are learning Spanish, it also helps our students who already know Spanish and might have trouble learning English to hear a book in their native language. It’s a really cool opportunity.”
The Spanish Honors Society has recently started a program at the elementary school known as Kicks from the Kings, which is inspired by traditions in Spain and other parts of the world during a Jan. 6 holiday known as Three Kings Day. As the tradition goes, children leave their shoes by the door of their home the night before in order for the three kings (from the Nativity story) to come and fill them with candy or toys.
“Here, high school students get an elementary student that they sponsor and they will buy them shoes and put little gifts in there with them,” Blackwell said.
Another program the school has adopted in recent years is the Live Like Lee Fun Run, named after the school’s longtime physical education teacher Rodney Lee, who passed away in 2021.
“It’s our PTA fundraiser in his honor,” Blackwell said. “He was someone who showed love all throughout our community. With the Live Like Lee Fun Run, we get local businesses around the community to sponsor it and we raise money. That’s actually what went towards our playground.”
Paula Wheeler, Varnell Elementary School’s principal, said the opportunity for community members to visit the school during the Red Carpet Tour helps to strengthen the school’s emphasis on community outreach.
“We couldn’t do any of this without community support,” Wheeler said. “We’re always excited to be able to invite new community members into our schools to see the wonderful things that we do here.”