North School Partnerships
Wheels, Inc.
Kraft Foods
North School – Wheels, Inc. Partnership
 Wheels, Inc. is a family owned car-leasing company that manages corporate fleets internationally. Zollie Frank, a car dealership owner at the time, founded it in 1939. He was approached to manage the cars of an outside corporation. At that point Frank developed the concept of car leasing. The rest is history and today Wheels, Inc. manages over 200,000 vehicles worldwide.
At Wheels, Inc. the family concept is not only a fact of ownership but a philosophy that the company embraces. Strong family commitment remains a part of the Wheels culture. The company is still managed by a member of the Frank family. The company employees enjoy many benefits like an emergency care resource program for both children and the elderly family members. They hold an annual Family Day, which includes games, food and entertainment for the entire family.
The current CEO, James Frank, participates in the Wheels, Inc. and North School partnership. He is one of the Pen Pal Program members. Taking care of the Wheels, Inc. family is smart from a business perspective and is a hallmark of this company. North School students, staff and parents are considered a part of this family.
The relationship that exists between North School and Wheels, Inc. is a win-win relationship in every area. Wheels employees eagerly ask the program coordinator in July when they can sign up to serve as a pen pal or a reading tutor. The employees are very excited when they receive letters from their student pen pals. They anxiously await the end of the school year when they are able to meet their pals at the Pen Pal Breakfast. Wheels also hosts visits from North students. Currently, Wheels is enjoying a North School Art Exhibit at their headquarters.
Corporate-school relationships are good for business as well as a boost to student achievement. Research indicates that students must have three things in place to facilitate learning. They need to feel safe; to trust the teacher and environment; and to feel that they can achieve what is being asked of them. This is also true in the workplace. Both Wheels, Inc. and North School communicate and share these attributes.
Every summer Wheels representatives, Barb Knoeppel and Joan Richards, meet with Gibbs to develop an action plan for the next school year. Below are descriptions of the North-Wheels partnership opportunities.
Pen Pal Program: Wheels employees look forward to serving as pen pals every year. They enjoy receiving the letters from the students. It is a good opportunity for the students to practice their writing skills. Approximately 30 employees participate in this program. At the end of year a breakfast is held at North. During this breakfast, students get to meet their pen pals for the first time.
Tutoring Program: This is the third year for this program. Approximately 15 – 20 employees assist one or two students each week with their reading by listening to the students read and helping them with end of the chapter activities. This year 97% of the students participating in the tutoring program experienced an increase in their reading fluency.
School Supply Drive: Over the past 3-4 years Wheels has donated boxes of school supplies such as rulers, paper, markers, pens, pencils, folders, spiral notebooks, glue, glue sticks and more.
Clothing Drive: Last year, Wheels organized a winter clothing drive for the students.
Tree Planting: The student council of North School raised money to purchase a tree for Wheels 60th Anniversary.
Student Visit/Acknowledgements: Wheels donated Halloween and Valentine’s Day cookies to over 600 students and staff.
Holiday Gifts: Wheels, Inc employees adopted 220 low-income students. Wheels provided wrapped gifts and toys during the holidays.
Aside from these long standing activities, there are numerous other ways in which Wheels, Inc. affords the North School student and staff support. North School has been the recipient of gently used office furniture. Wheels Inc. is an emergency evacuation site for the school. Wheels, Inc. has offered the North School secretarial staff a chance to take needed office supplies from their inventory. Wheels, Inc. has provided meeting rooms for staff development. Students earn rewards for reading and have been able to shadow executives in the workplace. When performing at Wheels, North students are taken on a tour of the facility. These are experiences that North students might never have without this partnership. One could only hope that students are inspired to move beyond their current situations and dream of a preferred future for themselves.
In the end, Wheels, Inc. is often that extended family member that many North students may not have. Their interest in serving the community is apparent by their kindness and commitment to North School. It is for all these reasons that we feel this long-standing partnership should be honored and acknowledged.
Kraft B.A.N.K (Balancing Activity and Nutrition for Kids) Program
The Balancing Activity and Nutrition for Kids program a.k.a. B.A.N.K. teaches third grade students the importance of eating nutritious foods and incorporating physical activity into their daily lives through a sequential curriculum. The program helps the students understand basic nutrition concepts, the importance of exercise and how these components cultivate a positive self-image. The program features a variety of hands-on activities delivered by one or two Kraft Foods volunteers. The program began at North School in the 2003-2004 school year and has been on-going.
The B.A.N.K. program was designed to provide area third graders, especially those in large minority populations, with practical information about the importance of eating a proper diet and physical activity.
|
