Phippsburg Elementary School received an unexpected gift this fall — $3,000 toward the purchase of classroom supplies and educational tools, courtesy of Bath Subaru.

Subaru of America, Inc. celebrates its annual Subaru Loves Learning month in August. The initiative connects local retailers, including Bath Subaru, with AdoptAClassroom.org to help supply community schools with needed resources. This year, the nationwide effort benefited more than 114,000 students and more than 4,700 classrooms.

This was Bath Subaru’s first year participating in the initiative.

“Bath Subaru took the opportunity to participate in supporting our local schools in an effort to make a positive impact on our community,” said Brooke McElman, business development center manager at Bath Subaru. “We understand the importance of hands-on learning and are excited to have influenced the lives of students who will make a difference in this world. Beyond grateful that we are in a position to supply our local schools with the specific resources our students need to succeed.”

The funds were distributed to kindergarten through fifth grade teachers at the school, who each received $500 for classroom supplies. Some teachers, like first grade teacher Donna Tardif, used their funds to buy new bags for children to use for their nightly home reeading, or sets of dry erase markers for handwriting and spelling activities. Others, like fourth grade teacher Sandi Brann, purchased headphones for students’ Chromebooks, books for the classroom library and pocket charts for word exercises.

“We are very grateful that our school is surrounded by such a supportive community,” said PES Principal Sandra Gorsuch-Plummer. “People who know the importance of supporting our teachers so that they can provide the best learning environment for our students. This was a wonderful gift from Bath Subaru.”

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