Geneva’s Williamsburg PTO donates nearly $25K to school

GENEVA – Williamsburg Elementary School now has water bottle filling stations in each of the four wings of the classrooms, paid for with part of a nearly $25,000 donation from the PTO to the school.

The school already had two in the building, one each on the first and second floors, Principal Julie Dye said. But having one for each wing makes it so much easier for students to refill their water bottles.

“Because of the pandemic, all the water fountains were turned off and students were bringing water bottles,” Dye said. “This is awesome that each grade level wing now has its own water bottle filling station. No kid is standing in line to get his water bottle filled.”

The $6,345 donation for the water bottle filling stations was part of a PTO gift of $24,745 that the Geneva District 304 school board accepted last week. Because the gift was more than $500, it required the board to take action to accept it.

The total also included $4,800 to support kindergarten through fifth grade teams, $2,500 for field trips, $2,000 for the library media center, $1,800 for outdoor education and for the Broadcast Podcaster – a portable broadcasting studio – and $1,000 for Kids in Need.

The donation also provided $800 each for art, the Advanced and Enriched program for fourth and fifth grade students in reading and math; $500 each for music, physical education, the Reading Team and the Student Services Team – made up of the school psychologist, speech-language therapist and learning behavior specialists – $400 for the technology department, $300 for Leader in Me and $200 for safety patrol.

“It is amazing,” Dye said of the nearly $25,000 gift. “We have amazing parents and they do some awesome fundraising.”

Because of the pandemic, the PTO was unable to do the same kind of fundraising as in the past, but they were still able to raise a significant amount for the school.

To explain what some donations will help support, Dye said Kids in Need is a fund to assist any Williamsburg student.

“If a child needs a winter coat, if a child needs some shoes, if a child needs some snacks – we have a fund we can go to. We certainly do have students who have these needs,” Dye said.

The grade level teams are made up of how many classes there are in a particular grade, Dye said.

“That means … each teacher gets approximately $200 to $250 to spend in their classrooms – such as for stickers or other incentives,” Dye said.

Grade level teachers can also choose to pool their money, she said.

The Reading Team is made up of reading specialists and tutors, and the donation also allows them to buy stickers, incentives or basic supplies.

The Leader in Me program is an after school club that gives students the opportunity to develop leadership traits.

Fifth graders at the district’s six elementary schools go on an outdoor education field trip to Camp Timberlee in Wisconsin for two nights and three days, and the donation helps offset the cost for parents, Dye said.

“No child is excluded from a field trip or activity for cost,” Dye said.