Formerly the B.R. Thompson Charitable Trust, the Elgin Foundation strives to carry out the late B.R. Thompson Sr.’s vision to give back to the communities from which he employed workers for his coal-mining businesses — including the counties of Bell, Clay, Laurel, and Leslie in Southeast Kentucky.
The name “Elgin” refers to B.R. Thompson’s birthplace of Elgin, Tennessee. For the past several years, the foundation has primarily concentrated its efforts on providing dental and medical care to the most disadvantaged children in the ten counties it serves. But recently, the Foundation expanded its focus to include education initiatives.
Linda J. Vinson, Education Consultant for the Elgin Foundation, recently visited Middlesboro and spoke about the foundation’s recent shift to educational focus.
“Based on the research that is out there in terms of academics, the foundation strongly felt that we needed to find a new way to help kids become more academically successful,” stated Vinson.
Vinson said that the purpose of the educational workshop is to present the foundation’s plan to develop additional partnerships for education and health support of the most underprivileged children in the region.
She said that the foundation recently began implementing educational initiatives, and decided to launch “an after-school program with total academic focus” for several schools in Bell County — including Pineville Independent, Middlesboro Primary and Middlesboro Intermediate. The after-school program is referred to as “The Academy”, said Vinson.
She said that the reason the Elgin Foundation started in this area was because the school administrators in Bell County “were really receptive” and “very open.”
She also explained that the Elgin Foundation is currently offering area schools professional development and training for all teachers.
“We come in and coach. We have consultants that come into the schools once a month and spend time with the after-school teachers in their after-school programs, ensuring that the students are successful,” asserted Vinson.
“The programs that we’re implementing are very structured, so we are really trying to help teachers help our most at-risk children move forward,” stated Vinson. “We feel like this is a really fun program.”
She added that, “The Academy makes a very nice, elite sound and the kids are excited to be here.”
Vinson continued by saying the way the program is structured at the Middlesboro Intermediate School is that each of the teachers are considered “coaches.”
“The kids are with their coaches for the two hours of instruction,” Vinson conveyed. “They have time for extra-curricular activities, outdoor time, and they have something good to eat before they go home.”
She claimed that area schools have already seen some “positive growth,” and children have been really responsive and active in the educational program offered.
Vinson said that another important aspect of the program was to have “documentation that shows the actual performance of students.”
According to MIS Principal Steve Martin, high standards are set for the students attending “The Academy” after-school program. He said that students are encouraged to do their best and use the allotted time to become better students.
“It’s been wonderful for our kids and for our school,” contended Martin. “Our kids are already showing some growth in just two months time.”
Martin added, “We are just so happy that we’re able to do this for our kids.”
Martin said that “The Academy” meets on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday every week.
He explained that the first hour of the program is dedicated to homework assistance, or tutoring in reading and/or mathematics. A child, Martin said, may be selected to participate in a specific program to improve his/her reading ability during the selected timeframe. In the second hour, teachers offer fun activities for students while incorporating opportunities for learning.
In addition, he said that MIS is “hopeful” that they’re going to be able to organize a summer school program this year with the help of the Elgin Foundation.
“We have a lot of loss of ability through a summer. As a school, we are out two months and our students lose a lot,” Martin maintained. “In some cases, they are not exposed to materials and things that they need to do during the summer months, or they just don’t have enough support to read. Summer school will be a great bridge.”
Martin expressed that the summer school program will not be a negative affair.
“It’s just a way a way for our kids to be more successful, and continue the programs that they’ve started during this year,” said Martin.
Adam Young is a Staff Writer for the Middlesboro Daily News. He can be contacted by e-mail at ayoung@middlesborodailynews.com.
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