In its largest gift to support public schools in the mid-Atlantic region, NationsBank has given $250,000 to pay for Baltimore programs to improve children's health and fitness and increase parental involvement.
The grant will allow two elementary and middle schools -- Westport Elementary/Middle School and Lakeland Elementary/Middle School -- to take advantage of well-proven programs from the Johns Hopkins University and the Harvard School of Public Health.
Children will receive help from mentors, take part in drug abuse prevention programs and have opportunities to be part of Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Maryland.
"I think John Morton [NationsBank, mid-Atlantic region president] took a huge step in saying, 'I want to be a good neighbor and invest in our community,' " said Nancy S. Grasmick, state superintendent of schools.
The gift will pay for programs designed to improve learning by addressing some of the problems lower-income families face. Students will be given Harvard's "Eat Well, Keep Moving" program, which teaches children the importance of exercise and what good nutrition means.
Parents will be offered child-raising courses and help in understanding how to assist their children with homework. They will be given more opportunities to volunteer in the schools.
A project at another Baltimore inner-city middle school enticed 200 parents to go to the school to pick up their children's report cards and talk to teachers one evening -- far more than the dozen who usually came.
"I am excited that this is not instruction. These are things that can enhance it," Grasmick said. She said she believes that student achievement cannot be improved significantly without a comprehensive approach to some of the problems of the children. "It is going to take more than five and a half or six hours a day to help children," she said.
Westport Principal Sharon VanDyke said: "The money is going to help us make Westport a community school."
Two weeks ago, NationsBank presented the money to Shaping Tomorrow, a public service partnership between WJZ-TV (Channel 13), NationsBank and the state Department of Education.
"We seek out the opportunities where we can make a significant impact on our communities," said Brooke Hodges, community relations manager for NationsBank.
Shaping Tomorrow was begun by the CBS affiliate as a community service program.
The station decided to work with state educators to focus on getting parents more involved in education, on children's health issues and on giving children recreational opportunities. WJZ-TV will be producing 30-second vignettes on those issues.
The station hopes to get other businesses to join the program, said Jay Newman, WJZ-TV's vice president and general manager.
The NationsBank Foundation gives $100 million annually to projects across the country. About 35 percent is spent on educational projects.
Pub Date: 3/12/99