HAVERHILL - Rarely have Haverhill public schools had such a profitable and morale-boosting few weeks.
The cash-strapped district has received $38,000 in private donations for IMAC computers, much-needed science and English textbooks, and to pay for a middle-school basketball tournament.
The schools have also received a cache of thesauruses - one for every fourth-grader in the district, or roughly 658 books.
Haverhill Community Television donated $25,000 that was used to buy 12 IMAC computers and television-production and editing software. The computers were recently installed at the high school and are already being used by students, Principal Bernard Nangle said.
The district also has received $13,000 from the Skrivanos Group, which owns seven Dunkin' Donuts shops in Haverhill. The group contributed $10,000 to the district's Text Book project, bringing the fund's running total to $46,900, Superintendent Raleigh Buchanan said. The textbook fundraiser was started about a year ago to help replace old and outdated textbooks in subjects that are tested by the state on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System exam.
The Skrivanos Group has also donated $3,000 to pay for an annual, four-day middle school basketball tournament that also includes a cheerleading competition. The group has funded the tournament every year but one since 2002. Konstantino Skrivanos, who owns Dunkin' Donuts franchises throughout New England, is from Haverhill. Last year he donated $25,000 to the high school athletic program.
Also this month, the Haverhill Lodge of Elks stepped up for the youth of the city by buying a thesaurus for every fourth-grader in the district. Last year, the Elks gave dictionaries to every third-grader. Elks members will be visiting city schools over the coming weeks to deliver the books in person, said Joseph Michaud, exaulted ruler of the local lodge. Children get to keep the books, which are small enough to slip into their backpacks.
Buchanan said the generosity shown by the various groups gives him hope for the district's future.
"These examples of goodwill give all of us a shot of morale like nothing else can," he said. "This kind of generosity is what spurs us on and helps us deal with some of the problems that come up from time to time."
The cash-strapped district has received $38,000 in private donations for IMAC computers, much-needed science and English textbooks, and to pay for a middle-school basketball tournament.
The schools have also received a cache of thesauruses - one for every fourth-grader in the district, or roughly 658 books.
Haverhill Community Television donated $25,000 that was used to buy 12 IMAC computers and television-production and editing software. The computers were recently installed at the high school and are already being used by students, Principal Bernard Nangle said.
The district also has received $13,000 from the Skrivanos Group, which owns seven Dunkin' Donuts shops in Haverhill. The group contributed $10,000 to the district's Text Book project, bringing the fund's running total to $46,900, Superintendent Raleigh Buchanan said. The textbook fundraiser was started about a year ago to help replace old and outdated textbooks in subjects that are tested by the state on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System exam.
The Skrivanos Group has also donated $3,000 to pay for an annual, four-day middle school basketball tournament that also includes a cheerleading competition. The group has funded the tournament every year but one since 2002. Konstantino Skrivanos, who owns Dunkin' Donuts franchises throughout New England, is from Haverhill. Last year he donated $25,000 to the high school athletic program.
Also this month, the Haverhill Lodge of Elks stepped up for the youth of the city by buying a thesaurus for every fourth-grader in the district. Last year, the Elks gave dictionaries to every third-grader. Elks members will be visiting city schools over the coming weeks to deliver the books in person, said Joseph Michaud, exaulted ruler of the local lodge. Children get to keep the books, which are small enough to slip into their backpacks.
Buchanan said the generosity shown by the various groups gives him hope for the district's future.
"These examples of goodwill give all of us a shot of morale like nothing else can," he said. "This kind of generosity is what spurs us on and helps us deal with some of the problems that come up from time to time."
The computers from Haverhill Community Television are part of an ongoing effort to bolster technology at the high school. The city's public-access television station has also promised $100,000 to equip the high school's new television studio with a state-of-the-art control room including production computers and cameras. The station is holding the money until the new studio is built, said Darlene Beal, executive director of Haverhill Community Television.
"We've always held a strong commitment to education in Haverhill," said Beal, noting that the station also provides an annual $1,000 student scholarship.
Students in the high school's computer-aided design class recently completed the blueprints for the studio, and the plan is to start building it as soon as the School Committee approves money for the project, Nangle said. He said the district was unable to afford the project this fiscal year but that he intends to ask for $28,000 to build the studio in next year's budget.
"First we need to get the plans our students made certified and put out (proposals) to build it," Nangle said. "Our carpentry kids are going to help build it, and I'm trying to get the Whittier Voc School kids to help with the electrical work," he said of students from Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School.
"I'll start building it three days after I get approval from the School Committee," Nangle said. "We hope to have it ready by next (school) year."
Haverhill Community Television is a nonprofit entity with a mission of providing public television access to Haverhill residents. In exchange, it receives 5 percent of the cable revenue from Haverhill subscribers, Beal said.
BOX
In a giving mood
Haverhill schools have received donations from:
* Haverhill Community Television - $25,000 for computers and editing software for the high school
* Dunkin' Donuts' Skrivanos Group - $13,000 for school books and to pay for a middle school basketball tournament
* Haverhill Lodge of Elks - 658 thesauruses, one for every fourth-grader in the school district
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