Old S.C. school gets new look (and probably more)

[Are_grits_groceries]

DILLON — When Teessance Mills, 10, entered her 113-year-old classroom at J.V. Martin Junior High School, the usually quiet and shy girl clapped her hands and jumped up and down as she circled the room, touching the new desks and chairs.

Her teacher, Frankie Camp, was surprised by Teessance’s bold reaction to the new furniture and couldn’t hold back the tears.

“She’s usually so quiet. She’s so excited,” Camp said. “This lets our kids know that somebody cares.”

Monday, J.V. Martin’s 500 students arrived at school to find their old, rickety desks and chairs, most of which were 40 years old, replaced with new, top-of-the-line ones designed with 21st century education standards in mind. The cafeteria was also remodeled with new furniture and paint during the weekend.


Sagus International Inc. president Darryl Rosser gets a hug from pupil Teessance Mills after she got a look at new desks in her classroom at J.V. Martin Junior High School. Sagus donated the furniture.

Gallery of photos: http://www.thestate.com/slideshows/gallery/774904.html

http://www.thestate.com/local/story/774897.html

I don't think anybody realizes what this really did for the kids. I know I probably only get a fraction of the happiness and hope. They didn't get just new items for the school. Those kids found out somebody does care, and that speaking up can work.

Good on them all!!

[DemoTex]

1. More links and pic ..

First, one Chicagoan -- President Barack Obama -- highlighted the plight of a crumbling 1890s-era South Carolina middle school, featuring in his first address to Congress an 8th grader's poignant plea for assistance as a symbol of the sorry state of many of the nation's schools.

Now another Chicagoan -- Darryl Rosser, the president of an Oak Brook school furniture company -- is stepping up to help, donating $250,000 worth of desks, tables and chairs to replace the 40-year-old hand-me-down furniture that fills the drafty, leaky classrooms at J.V. Martin Junior High School in Dillon, S.C.



Old desks were removed from J.V. Martin Junior High School in Dillon, S.C., to make way for $250,000 in furniture donated by Sagus International of Oak Brook. The students are still in dire need of a new school. (Photo for the Tribune by Amanda Burnette / May 1, 2009)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/content/education/chi-scschool_for_mon_wittmay04,0,1410101.story

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/may/04/dillonweb81008/

http://www.wral.com/news/national_world/national/story/5078172/

http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20090504005657&newsLang=en

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090504/ap_on_re_us/us_school_makeover_obama

I'm hoping those old desks made it into some students' homes so that they can have a dedicated and "special" place to study. That would be the icing on the cake!

[Are_grits_groceries]

2. The company that replaced the desks

is going to recycle the old ones.

[DemoTex]

4. Good ..

Waste not, want not.

[malaise]

3. How lovely

Love the quote! :evilgrin:

[Pacifist Patriot]

5. That picture gave me chills!

I just love seeing the words "President Barack Obama" and one of his quotes immortalized on a wall. Give me the willies like that any time!!!

[DCKit]

6. Wonderful, but are these corp.s standing up to spite Gov. Sanford....

or to provide cover (as in "private industry and individuals should be doing these things as a matter of course")?

[Libertyfirst]

7. You can say "well done" to the Sagus Company at www. sagusi.com

[csziggy]

8. OMG - in the third picture, the third desk from the left is the type that was new when I was

In school - in the 1960s! I can't believe any school system is still using those pieces of crap.

And it does make a huge difference to the kids what the school surroundings look like. I attended elementary and junior high in new school buildings, but ninth grade in an eighty year old building that was run down and overcrowded without proper facilities for labs, or electronics, even for those days. No plugs for running projectors, for instance. Science class was completely lectures since there was no way to safely handle chemicals. The entire building was depressing and I am sure it made a difference to the students.

What a super thing for the kids in Teessance Mills' school!

[BlooInBloo]

9. "the usually quiet and shy girl clapped her hands and jumped up and down"...

Good for her. :)))))))