GALION — Galion Building and Loan Bank continued its support of education in the Galion community with its donation of calculators to the Galion Middle School Tuesday, Dec. 7. This is the thirtieth year the bank has made the donation to sixth grade students.
The Board of Directors, along with the bank’s President Don Barr, chose to form a partnership with Galion Middle School in 1992. The goal has been to have a positive impact on the education of every student at GMS.
“The program began when former GMS math teacher Mrs. Patti Miller suggested that calculators be provided for every sixth-grade student,” Galion Building and Loan representative Jody Fraley said. “She believed that having a calculator would give every student the equipment necessary to be a successful math student.”
The students received a Texas Instruments TI-30X IIS calculator, which is the official Ohio Graduation Test calculator.
“Galion Building and Loan Bank has distributed 6180 calculators to Galion students since 1992,” Fraley said. “The calculator students received is approved for the Ohio Achievement Test, Ohio Graduation Test (OGT), the ACT and SAT, and is a very versatile model and should follow the students through high school and into college.”
The calculators were distributed to students at a brief presentation assembly at GMS. Each calculator is engraved with the student’s name and is affixed with a sticker that includes the bank’s name and a statement declaring the bank’s concern about the education of our youth.
“I want to thank Don Barr, Jody Fraley, the bank’s Board of Directors and the entire Galion Building and Loan Bank staff for this generous donation,” Galion City Schools Superintendent Jennifer Allerding said. “We appreciate their continued commitment to providing resources to help our students achieve at their highest level possible.”
In addition to the annual donation of calculators, Galion Building and Loan Bank also does a yearly presentation to all Galion first grade students on “Teach Children to Save Day.” Students receive a Billy Buck piggy bank and learn about the importance of saving money during the presentation. The bank has also supported Junior Achievement in the Galion City Schools by sending volunteers into classrooms to teach children about business.
