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Press Release – September 18, 2012
Bonnell Aluminum donates over 1,600 dictionaries to Coweta 3rd graders
Employees of the Newnan’s Bonnell Aluminum company visited all 19 Coweta County elementary schools in this week, personally delivering over 1,600 Merriam-Webster dictionaries to students in every third grade class.
It is the eleventh year the Newnan company has sponsored the county-wide donation, which is intended to promote literacy and academic skills among Coweta County elementary students.
Bonnell Plant Manager Rick Miller and Bonnell Senior Assistant Operations Manager Mike Caldwell kicked off the visits to the county’s elementary schools with a visit to Western Elementary School on Monday, September 18.
“Supporting our schools and the students is very important for Bonnell. It’s also a lot of fun for us to get out and visit classrooms,” said Miller. Miller noted that many of the company’s employees enjoyed visiting their children or grandchildren’s schools across the county to hand the books out.
They did, with about 1,630 dictionaries donated throughout the week. Bonnell employees played word look-up games with students in each classroom at the schools, handing out Bonnell ‘B’-shaped pencils to the students with the quickest dictionary skills.
Miller also got to explain to Western students what Bonnell did. He explained how the Newnan manufacturer extruded aluminum parts for companies and products across the country.
The annual tradition has gone on since 2001. Miller noted that many of the students who have received dictionaries from the company have gone on to high school or graduated.
Superintendent Steve Barker, Western Principal Denise Pigatt and Curriculum Director Karen Barker met Miller and Campbell at Western, and walked with them to the school’s three 3rd grade classrooms.
“I know you will get a lot of use from these dictionaries,” Barker told students in teachers Mandy Binion, Rebecca Hand and Sandi Thompson’s third grade classes. “And I hope you go home tonight and tell your parents that Bonnell gave these to you.”
“We appreciate Bonnell for their generosity to our students and their partnership with our school system,” said Barker.
Bonnell Aluminum continued an 11-year tradition of providing every third-grader in Coweta County with a new dictionary this week, handing out over 1,600 Merriam-Webster dictionaries in the county’s schools. Above, Mike Caldwell, of Bonnell, hands a dictionary to student Deon Arnold in Rebecca Hand’s 3rd grade class at Western Elementary School Monday morning.
Bonnell Aluminum Plant Manager Rick Miller and Western Elementary School Principal Denise Pigatt lead students dictionary games in Rebecca Hand’s 3rd grade class at Western Elementary School, after the Newnan manufacturer donated new dictionaries to the students. Company employees delivered over 1,600 dictionaries to Coweta third graders this week. From left to right are students Ty Tenney, Rosie Shepherd, Alexis Gaston, Leighton McClendon and Lexie Buchanan.
