A hometown connection recently led to a donation of classroom materials in excess of $30,000 made by a curriculum company to aid in tornado recovery efforts at the Poplar Bluff Kindergarten Center.
Pitsco Education, based in Pittsburg, Kan., hand-delivered several pallets’ worth of STEM kits (science, technology, engineering and math), sensory activity learning products and furniture last month to help get the school year started.
“At Pitsco, we have a workforce of purpose – and passion-driven people, and we wanted to step up and offer support to the students, teachers and the school community during this difficult time,” said Pitsco Chief Executive Officer Matt Frankenbery, who described the devastation as ‘heartbreaking.’ “Working together with district leaders, we focused on providing resources, building strong connections and addressing the most urgent needs to help bring back a sense of normalcy and stability.”
Craig Yantis, Pitsco chief operating officer, happened to have graduated from the Poplar Bluff High School Class of 1988, and explained how he keeps up with the news from his birthplace, where his family still resides. When he learned about the damage sustained at the Kindergarten Center on March 14, he reached out to emergency officials, who in turn connected him with his former classmate Patty Robertson, now retired as R-I assistant superintendent of curriculum.
“It was organic. The town got hit; we are an education company. How can we help?” Yantis recalled when reflecting on his initial thought process. Kindergarten Center Principal Christy Young has since reported that all the materials found a home, stating: “It couldn’t have come at a more perfect time!”
For over 50 years, Pitsco Education has provided a wide range of scalable, hands-on STEM resources and curriculum to help educators create environments that cater to all learning styles, offering more than 3,000 products, according to the company's website.
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Cutline: (From left) R-I Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum Dr. Rondi Vaughn, Kindergarten Center Principal Christy Young and Patty Robertson, now retired from the school system, stand with Chief Operating Officer Craig Yantis in front of a donation from Pitsco Education.