An African proverb says “It takes a whole village to raise a child,” claiming that the whole community is responsible for educating its children and providing the best opportunities to them. Partners In Education (P.I.E.) uses this concept as one of its main goals. P.I.E. is made up of community members, parents, teachers and staff. “We want to make Kimball Elementary School’s educational experience number one,” said P.I.E. member Kris Nelson. Throughout the year, P.I.E. hosts different activities at the school. It coordinates the “Think Spring Day” where popsicles are donated for staff and students. During Monster March, students have a special parade in Halloween costumes. For “I Love to Read” month, P.I.E. donates prizes to reward the children for their reading efforts. The group also organizes a used book exchange in January. At fall conferences, P.I.E. serves staff members a meal for their long evening of work. P.I.E. also funds field trips and purchases school supplies. “We have brought positive and fun things into the school, which kids love,” said Nelson. Being involved makes a difference in the success of KES students P.I.E. members spend a significant amount of time in the elementary school throughout the year. Being in the school, staff members recognize the efforts made by P.I.E., which reinforces the belief that everyone needs to be involved in our children’s education process. “We need their input to help guide us,” said KES Principal Jon Clark. Nelson feels that parental participation in education shows students that school is a great place to be, and emphasizes that learning can be fun. “The most important part is making education a priority in your family,” said Nelson. She indicated that her P.I.E. involvement has shown her children that she wants to be active and involved in their education. Not only this, P.I.E. helps out all KES students. “[P.I.E.’s] services are very important to our school,” Principal Jon Clark reinforced. “They are our go-to people whenever we need help.” Clark explained that the group also provides representation on the site level, the curriculum advisory committee and the district staff development curriculum. “The group is a sounding board for us.” Become involved with education through P.I.E. “[P.I.E.] is such a great opportunity to meet with staff members and parents who are really positive forces in our district,” said Nelson. Anyone in the community can be involved with P.I.E., as a member or by donating to the cause. Donations can be as simple as saving certain items and shopping at Target and/or Cub Foods. The Target corporation gives money to KES whenever customers use their charge card. To sign up for the service, card holders can call the toll-free number listed on their bill and specify that they want proceeds to go to Kimball’s schools. Similarly, Cub Foods will donate money to the school. Simply, save your receipts and drop them off at the school. After finishing your milk or General Mills cereal, save the bottle cover and box tops as KES is reimbursed for these items. “It is amazing how much money we make off of these items, it really adds up,” said Clark. For more information about P.I.E., contact the Kimball Elementary School at (320) 398-5425. Volunteers can offer as much or little time to the group as their schedule allows. “If everyone does a little, we can get a lot done,” said Nelson.
