Feature

PENCIL’s Board of Directors welcomed four Student Ambassadors from Glencliff High School into the quarterly meeting on February 23. Accompanied by Academy Coach, Thommye Kelley, the students shared their perspectives on the impact of PENCIL Partners in their lives; and how their educational experience has shifted during the pandemic. Following their presentations and breakout sessions, GHS seniors Ana and Mercy elaborated further on their Academy experiences and plans beyond high school. Read more!

The ability to leave work and travel to-and-from a school to share industry knowledge with students is often challenging for businesses. To help remove geographic and scheduling barriers, PENCIL is launching PENCIL Connect – our new virtual engagement tool. This platform is a digital booking service used to craft engaging classroom experiences with ease. PENCIL Connect is an innovative space where business and community partners provide details on their areas of expertise and educators can browse for digital guest speaking engagements, job shadow experiences, and field trips that fit their individual classroom needs. The service has email-enabled messaging, built-in calendar booking, and more.

Did you know on average Metro teachers spend $410 out of pocket to supplement their classroom supplies?

The DG PENCIL Box, PENCIL’s free teacher resource center, was established to help alleviate that pressure for Metro Nashville Public School (MNPS) teachers. MNPS educators are invited to shop for classroom supplies once a quarter at no cost to them. The store is filled with supplies ranging from notebooks and pencils to hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes.

During the first shopping trip of 2022, we interviewed several Metro teachers to see what they had to say about their shopping experiences.

PENCIL’s free teacher resource center was officially renamed the DG PENCIL Box in honor of its new Presenting Sponsor, Dollar General Literacy Foundation, on Wednesday, January 26, with a ribbon cutting at PENCIL’s new ancillary supply store in Antioch. Read more…

During the Fall 2021 semester, art students across MNPS were given the unique opportunity to create upcycled works of art from nearly 50,000 pounds of old Southwest Airlines seat leather. Read more!

As a Gifted and Talented teacher at Tulip Grove Elementary School, Lesley Baxter has had the opportunity to see the impact of High Impact Tutoring firsthand. Read about Lesley and why she encourages community member to sign up for High Impact Tutoring.

As a former PENCIL board chair, Kathy Nevill has a deep understanding of the work we do for Metro Schools. But as a mother and grandmother, she also wants to demonstrate to her family how she values that work.

Read about Kathy and her decision to contribute to PENCIL’s endowment.

We have welcomed several new team members so far this fall, and we want you to meet them.

Education opens a world of possibilities. Yet, many schools lack the necessary classroom supplies to prepare students to be successful in their studies. So, teachers often step in to fill in the gaps. That’s what makes the LP PENCIL Box so special. The store enables teachers to focus on instructional time by filling the resource gaps. But they can’t do it alone.

Hear more from our friends at Crayons & Marketers.