Teachers union, Heart of Revere team up for project

by Sheldon Ocker

June 30 board of education meeting

Union representative Jennifer Jacoby and Heart of Revere founder Torina White informed the Revere Board of Education about a project to help needy kids in the district.

Jacoby related the events that led up to the distribution of Revere-branded clothing items, plus necessities that some students are forced to scramble for.

Jacoby, on behalf of the Revere Education Association, obtained a grant of $8,000 and asked White if Heart of Revere could distribute the items to the proper people.

Initially, Jacoby donated $1,000 to the Senior Spotlight then she and White purchased Revere spirit wear: sweatshirts, T-shirts, beany hats and blue canvass bags, which they filled with toothbrushes and holders, feminine hygiene products, a comb, body wipes, a nail file, lip balm, a water bottle and other items.

White said Heart of Revere currently serves 15 students and 10 adults. When she began the organization, the purpose was to distribute gently used clothing to needy students in the district. More recently, Heart of Revere has been helping kids pay their student fees, buy school supplies and pay for background checks for parents wishing to volunteer for school events, among other school essentials.

Middle school project

Nicholas Gibbons, Wesley Tegel and Alex Birkner, all students at Revere Middle School, told the board about their project to increase safety at the school by installing railings alongside a slope that runs from the school building to the school bus area.

The boys raised the money, obtained experts to map out the project and came in under budget. To complete the task, they spent $635 of a $1,000 budget.

Donations

Edward Butler contributed $1,000 to the Paulette Memorial Scholarship. KIDS 4 KIDS Inc. donated $1,500 to the Carson Higgins Scholarship. Fussy Properties gave $2,000 to the Baraona/Long Memorial Scholarship. Homes by Friedl contributed to Revere Middle School for Washington, D.C. shirts. The Henry V. and Frances W. Christenson Foundation donated $5,000 to the Robert Gilbert Memorial Scholarship.

Ningjiao Zhang contributed $1,919, his compensation for coaching the high school chess team, back to the team. The Revere Schools Foundation gave $6,000 to the Revere Schools Foundation Scholarship. The middle school PTA contributed $1,000 to the Revere Middle School Legacy Project.

Also of note

  • The board approved the renewal of a memorandum of understanding with the Summit County Sheriff’s Office for a school resource officer (another is supplied by Richfield Village) for the 2026-27 school year. To pay the officer’s salary, the use of a vehicle and a radio transmitter will cost the district $139,357.
  • Superintendent Dan White was absent. Director of Operations and Personnel Nikki Campbell took his place.
  • The board approved a new tool for kindergarten: Voyager Sopris Power Readers, in which students practice reading books that focus on the phonics patterns they are being taught.
  • The board approved a Revere Model UN Team field trip to the International Model United Nations Conference in Chicago from Dec. 3-6.