CAMPBELL Swanston fund gives grant to help student programs

Staff report

CAMPBELL

Encouraged by promising results of a year-old, multi-discipline program for elementary school students in the Campbell City Schools, the William Swanston Charitable Fund today announced a $599,400 grant to continue the effort, marking the largest commitment in the fund’s history.

The grant will fund two years of support for Campbell Works for Children, a consortium of educational and social programs that has proved effective in enhancing student achievement since its launch in July 2011.

“Early results are quite impressive, which is one of the reasons the Swanston Fund has extended its commitment,” said Paul M. Dutton, chairman of the board of the Swanston Fund.

“We are seeking to develop strategies and encouraging collaborations which might be replicated for at- risk children in other communities,” he said.

Dr. Robert Walls, principal at Campbell Elementary, said the school has documented in the past year a significant increase in the number of second-graders reading at a third-grade level. That is highly significant, he said, because reaching that level by third grade is a leading indicator of whether a student ultimately will graduate from high school.

“We are very focused on giving all students in Campbell the best opportunity to reach that goal,” Walls said.