Love Oliver
Brook Hills has had the great privilege of developing a partnership with Oliver Elementary School in Gate City over the past few years, a partnership known as “Love Oliver.”
Every year, Brook Hills asks our Faith Family to sacrificially give to the Love Oliver initiative to help provide everything students need to learn, including backpacks, all classroom supplies, coats, and clothing. Brook Hills also shows our love and support for the amazing Oliver teachers through special meals and small gifts throughout the year.
Last year, because of your amazing generosity, we were able to also give 180 chromebooks to ensure that every student has access to the resources they need at their fingertips. This year, our intention is to continue to upgrade the technology at Oliver Elementary School.
How will this year’s offering be used?
With a goal of $45,000, we aim to be able to provide the basic school needs of each child, but also to begin two new programs at Oliver. First, we want to help create a robotics club for students in fourth and fifth grade. The lack of technology for low-income students means that in addition to trailing in academic achievement, they are missing out on opportunities to learn the technical skills from typing to coding. The new robotics club will give students an opportunity to get hands on learning in the areas of electronics, computers, and engineering.
In addition to the robotics club, we would also like to purchase rolling science labs so that all grades can experience the excitement of science! Students in low-income schools are much less likely than their peers in wealthier schools to experience hands-on activities in science. More than half miss out on these critical opportunities to build early interest and mastery of S.T.E.M. ideas. Although we cannot install a science lab in every classroom at Oliver, we can purchase a rolling lab to make hands on science activities easier for the teachers to incorporate in their classes.
We know that because of your abundant generosity, we will raise enough to cover both the cost of the school supplies and the start up costs of both new programs! We want every child and family at Oliver Elementary to have both the opportunity to receive an education and to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. By helping with the first, we also get the chance to help with the second.