News
McIntosh Middle School eighth-grade student Madi Driscoll, left, accepts the first desk donated by Desks for Success from the project’s founder, Grier Ferguson.
Aug. 11, 2010
SARASOTA - Desks for Success, a new project dedicated to providing home desks for middle school students to help them be successful at school, donated its first desk today. The lucky student was McIntosh Middle School eighth-grader Madi Driscoll. The donation kicked off the Desks for Success pilot project at the school.
“I’ll be ready to do my homework because I’ll have my very own desk,” said a beaming Driscoll.
Desks for Success, founded by McIntosh and Sarasota High graduate Grier Ferguson, was created to provide desks to eligible middle school students who can use the boost of having their own desk at home. McIntosh was selected as the pilot school for the project; Ferguson hopes to expand it eventually to other middle schools in the district and possibly beyond.
“We hope that a desk will not only be practical, but that it will also help motivate students to succeed, inside and outside of the classroom,” said Ferguson, now a sophomore at the University of Florida.
David Jones, the new principal of McIntosh added, “We’re thrilled to be part of this exciting new project.”
Jones knows Ferguson from his years as an assistant principal at Sarasota High. He welcomed the chance to work with her to help launch the Desks for Success project.
“When we looked for a student to receive the first desk,” said Jones, “our guidance counselors Rick Nastan and Jeffi Westberry, as well as our business teacher Jeri Cocchi, thought of Madi immediately. She is an awesome kid who is highly regarded here at McIntosh.”
Driscoll, who is involved in the Leadership Club at McIntosh, was the center of attention when her family members and friends gathered today to be part of the desk presentation.
“It’s nice that we could do something for such a special kid. I’m really proud of her,” said Cocchi. “We look forward to helping many more students like her.”
As Desks for Success gears up this school year, teachers and administrators at McIntosh will identify additional students who can benefit from receiving their own desk.
A $60 donation will underwrite the cost of one Desk for Success, but donations of any amount are welcome. For more information about Desks for Success, visit www.desksforsuccess.org or send an e-mail to desksforsuccess@verizon.net.
Three McIntosh Middle Students Get Desks for Success October 4
October 4, 2010
SARASOTA - Three McIntosh Middle School students received home desks from the Desks for Success project in a presentation at the school’s media center on Oct. 4.
The Desks for Success project was founded by McIntosh Middle and Sarasota High graduate Grier Ferguson to provide desks to eligible middle school students who can use the boost of having their own desk at home. McIntosh was chosen as the pilot site for the project; Desks for Success hopes eventually to expand to other Sarasota County schools and possibly beyond the county.
The project donated its first home desk in August to McIntosh eighth-grader Madi Driscoll, who said, “I’ll be ready to do my homework because I’ll have my very own desk.”
“We were pleased to be able to award the first Desk for Success to Madi,” said Principal David Jones. “Since then, more donors have come forward with cash donations. Thanks to their generosity, we were able to select three deserving students who received home desks on Oct. 4. The project is growing, and is already making a difference for the recipients.”
Students selected to receive desks on Oct. 4 were Jeff Gainey, grade six; Yalik Miller, grade seven; and Yaclesia Smith, grade eight. Miller and Smith are brother and sister, respectively.
Students are chosen to receive Desks for Success based on recommendations from teachers, administrators and guidance counselors at McIntosh. They are selected based on an evaluation of their individual situation to determine who will most benefit from receiving a home desk. The decisions are made carefully and the process is confidential until the recipients are chosen.
Because Desks for Success is a student-based organization, its mission includes student participation. Standardized desks, specifically selected to meet student needs, are delivered to the school unassembled. Students in school service organizations put the desks together; each recipient receives an assembled desk.
As more donors come forward, teachers and administrators at McIntosh will continue to identify additional students who can benefit from receiving their own desk. A $60 donation will underwrite the cost of one Desk for Success, but cash donations of any amount are welcome.
More information about Desks for Success, including how to donate, news stories and frequently asked questions about the project, is available at www.desksforsuccess.org or by sending an e-mail to desksforsuccess@verizon.net.
Desks for Success gives 10 students home desks
SARASOTA – Desks for Success, a program designed to provide home desks to students in need, reached 10 more students at three schools in a ceremony Dec. 16 in the media center at McIntosh Middle School.
Three MMS students — two seventh-graders and one sixth-grader — received home desks. Desks for Success founder Grier Ferguson and McIntosh staff members also presented desks to two fifth-grade students from Alta Vista Elementary. Additional students from Alta Vista and Fruitville Elementary will receive desks before the start of the next semester.
The ceremony was held on the last day of school before students’ two-week holiday break to emphasize that the desk is a gift from community members, teachers and administrators. Family members of students receiving the desks attended the event.
“After receiving several generous donations from individuals and organizations, it made sense to expand Desks for Success to fifth-graders who are about to make the sometimes challenging transition to middle school,” Ferguson said. “We hope these home desks will allow the students to develop or continue good study habits as they finish elementary school and get ready for the next step in their education. The principals and staff of the participating schools were excited about helping the program grow so we could reach more students.”
The desks were purchased with a grant awarded to Desks for Success in spring 2011. The funding is from Ashoka’s Youth Venture, an organization that helps young people start social projects. In addition to Ashoka’s Youth Venture, Desks for Success also received funding from the Education Foundation of Sarasota County and individual donors — many contributing through the website of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation’s Gulf Coast Gives website.
Desks for Success was founded in 2010 by Grier Ferguson, a University of Florida student and a graduate of Fruitville, McIntosh and Sarasota High. The first home desk was awarded to a McIntosh student in August 2010. Later that year, three more students received desks.
Students are chosen to receive Desks for Success based on recommendations from teachers, administrators and guidance counselors at each school, who identify students who will benefit from receiving a home desk. The decisions are made carefully and the process is confidential until the recipients are chosen. Whenever possible, students in service organizations join school staff in assembling the desks.
More information about Desks for Success, including how to donate, news stories and frequently asked questions about the project, is available at www.desksforsuccess.org or on the Desks for Success Facebook page. Questions or comments may be sent via email to desksforsuccess@verizon.net.
Through mid-January, a donation may also be made to Desks for Success via the Gulf Coast Gives website at www.gulfcoastgives.org/projects/515. A $60 donation underwrites the cost of one home desk but cash donations of any amount are welcome.
