Foundation News PAGE Foundation Donors Profoundly Impact the Lives of Georgia Students and Educators
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AGE Foundation donors, many of whom are PAGE members, powerfully alter the course of student and educator lives. From PAGE academic competitions, such as the Academic Bowl for Middle Grades and the Georgia Academic Decathlon, to the Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) program — the state’s premier academic recognition program — PAGE Foundation awakens in young people an awareness of capabilities and inspires them to strive for achievements that previously seemed out of reach. The PAGE Foundation also supports the core business of PAGE: statewide profes-
sional learning that helps Georgia educators meet the increasingly complex challenges associated with teaching children, many of whom are impoverished. Furthermore, the foundation provides financial scholarships for aspiring, as well as veteran, educators. Finally, you can learn about state legislative actions, best practices in education and foundation academic programs through PAGE TV, which is operated by the foundation in support of PAGE. Because our programs have been so successful, the foundation has set higher goals for 2016. We want to make it possible for many more students and
educators to experience the excitement, sense of accomplishment and increased motivation that have benefitted previous program participants. PAGE Foundation goals for 2016 include: • Expanding the PAGE Georgia Academic Decathlon; • Expanding corporate support for the PAGE Academic Bowl for Middle Grades; • Offering additional scholarships to aspiring and veteran educators; • Perpetuating the 57-year old PAGE n STAR program.
Each year, the PAGE Foundation helps nearly 3,000 Georgia students and teachers fulfill academic dreams. Below are highlights of just a few of the people who credit the PAGE Foundation for positively altering the course of their lives:
Alex Gregory: Chairman, President and CEO of YKK Corporation of America Gregory credits the PAGE STAR program for making him aware of his full potential. “As my senior year began, I had just ended 18 rebellious months during which I had questioned everything established, and I intentionally made the minimum passing score on many of my high school tests. Being named the STAR Student of my high school caused a big light to turn on inside my head. I realized that perhaps I did have some potential after all. … I decided to go to Georgia Tech and become a textile engineer. I also did graduate work and have had a wonderful career with YKK. Receiving the STAR award literally changed my life.”
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Sarita Griggs: Teacher and GAD State Champion Coach Griggs, a Marion County High School teacher and six-time GAD state champion coach, credits her PAGE Georgia Academic Decathlon experience as a student with paving her career path. “My parents were academic decathlon coaches. I was part of their first-time team and won gold medals in speech and essay. The experience inspired me to become a teacher. As an educator, I have been lucky enough to coach six state championship decathlon teams. This program is a wonderful, diverse opportunity for students to learn curriculum they would never experience in a regular high school classroom setting.”
Rodney Bullard: V.P. of Community Affairs and Executive Director of the Chick-fil-A Foundation Bullard credits the PAGE Foundation’s Academic Bowl for Middle Schools for helping him learn a valuable life lesson. “Academic Bowl was a great learning experience. I learned that preparation and the amount of work you put into something really does result in the success of that effort. I would wholeheartedly encourage students to participate in Academic Bowl.”
January/February 2016
