April was National Volunteer Month, a time dedicated to promoting, encouraging, and celebrating volunteerism. At PENCIL, we are beyond grateful for the organizations and individuals that give tens of thousands of hours each year to Metro schools and students through our programs.
Meet Carlos Calderon, MNPS teacher and PENCIL Connect volunteer
[May 6, 2023] PENCIL, in partnership with the Kids In Need Foundation (KINF), kicked off Teacher Appreciation Week with a massive giveaway on the first Saturday in May. Almost 500 MNPS educators signed up to take part in the distribution, which took place at Pearl-Cohn High School. Read more.
PENCIL is officially entering a new chapter in our history by embarking on a long-planned leadership transition from current President and CEO Angie Adams. A proud MNPS parent, she has timed her stepping down from PENCIL with her daughter’s graduation from high school in spring 2024. Read more.
A Little Night of Music (ALNM), PENCIL’s signature fundraiser, returns to the Grand Ole Opry House on Wednesday, April 26, and as usual, anticipation is running high as we anxiously await the announcement of this year’s performers. But before that happens, we want to introduce you to Rachel Hawksworth, Amani Kelly, and Nancy Floyd, our remarkable Event Chairs who have been planning this exciting evening for months. Let’s meet our 2023 Little Night Event Chairs…
With 35 different Academies in 12 high schools, Metro Nashville Public Schools students have a world of career opportunities to explore in order to make informed decisions about life after high school. Academy Coaches, counselors and teachers help them navigate pathways and classes, and PENCIL’s business and community Partners give them a “day in the life” look at a field of interest through on the ground experiences, a signature piece to the program.
PENCIL Partner Omni Nashville is currently giving a behind-the-scenes look at the hospitality industry to 32 students in the Hospitality and Tourism Management pathways at McGavock and Hunters Lane high schools. The job shadow program just happens to be managed by two MNPS graduates who are thrilled to be giving back. Read more.
PENCIL is pleased to announce that Jane Grimes Meneely has joined the staff as the organization’s Chief Administrative Officer. Read more.
PENCIL was honored to conclude the fall semester with a fun and unique opportunity for MNPS teachers. Last week, more than 550 Metro educators visited the PENCIL warehouse to participate in two mass giveaways. An unexpected shipment of two tractor trailer loads of goods from the Kids in Need Foundation (KINF) and the generous donation of new books from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation made this possible.
The first giveaway was the distribution of almost $450,000 in products that are not normally carried in PENCIL’s DG PENCIL Box supply store. MNPS teachers had access to classroom and household items, student incentives, electronics, and more. During the second distribution, educators chose from among 110,000 books suitable for the earliest readers to young adults.
Read more.
PENCIL is pleased to announce that Olivia Blake has joined the staff as the organization’s first Chief Technology Officer in its 40-year history. Read more.
PENCIL is thrilled to announce that the Dollar General Literacy Foundation will continue its investment in local teachers and students, as the Presenting Sponsor of the PENCIL Box, PENCIL’s free school supply store for Metro Nashville Public School (MNPS) teachers. With a renewed investment of $175,000, the program will continue under the Dollar General name – DG PENCIL Box (DGPB) – to ensure that Metro teachers have access to the free core classroom supplies needed to impact student success. Read more about the grant and the DG PENCIL Box program.
NASHVILLE, TN, September 26, 2022 – PENCIL (Public Education Needs Community Involvement and Leadership), the premier nonprofit community resource recruiter to Metro Nashville Public Schools, is pleased to announce that LP Foundation has committed an investment of $40,000 to create the LP STEAM Lending Library.
Beginning this fall, PENCIL’s LP STEAM Lending Library will provide Metro middle school students with access to a first-of-its-kind lending library in Nashville, consisting of specialized “kits” that teachers use to supplement lessons from physics to geology. The lending library will serve all 17 MNPS traditional STEAM middle schools within the first two years of the initiative. Learn more!
