A row of fifty white plastic sacks filled two tables at McNabb Elementary last Friday.  Each sack was with filled with food that would be given to students to take home for the weekend as part of the “Backpack Program”.

Two branches of BB&T- the main branch and the Concord branch- have volunteered to take on the McNabb Backpack Program, and will provide 50 bags of food every Friday for 32 weeks.  The bags are provided to students based on teacher recommendations.

The purpose of the Backpack Program is to provide food for students who may not have enough to eat over the weekend.  BB&T president Randy Hendon said the catalyst for BB&T’s involvement was a corporate-wide initiative called the “Lighthouse Project”. 

The BB&T Lighthouse Project is designed to provide teams of BB&T employees with an opportunity to make a difference in their communities through company supported and funded community projects.

“Our CEO wanted BB&T to be involved in helping the community, so money was set aside for that purpose, and each city came up with a project and submitted a budget,” Hendon said.  “We want to help with making sure every child has something to eat this weekend.”

Students with birthdays in September huddled around Principal Kim Bryant and received "Birthday Bags" at McNabb Elementary on September 11.

"This is the best part of the day," Bryant said.

Birthday Bags are sponsored by Kids Company Too! and began eight years ago.

Stephen Bradley, Kids Company Too! coordinator, said the program began as part of an effort to provide students with books to read at home. Birthday bags are part of a yearly series of events that offer free books to students that include report card pickup and Reading is Fundamental, a library event.

 School supplies have also been added to the bags to help students replenish supplies that may be missing or used up.

McNabb students showcased their football skills on September 3 as they competed in the Punt, Pass, and Kick competition coordinated by Paducah Parks.

The Punt, Pass, and Kick competition is sponsored by the National Football League.  Students at individual schools compete to accumulate points awards for distance and accuracy as they pass, punt, and kick a football.

Paducah Parks Athletic Specialist Allen Treece said winners of the local competition will advance to the state competition at Bowling Green. 

As a top ten performing Kentucky Elementary School (in 2008, 2007, 2006 & 2004), McNabb teachers have a wealth of information to share with educators in the state. As a result, McNabb 5th grade teachers Rona Knox and Jamie Roche have invited to present at the KASC (Kentucky Association of School Councils) "Schools That Lead the Way" conference in Louisville on September 22-23. Congratulations to all McNabb staff and students!

Icy Tales, an anthology of personal writings from the 2009 Central Plains and Midwest Ice Storm, has been published by the Purchase Area Writing Project at Murray State University.  The book contains poetry and narratives from 46 McNabb students, with nine being selected for commendation.  Students whose writing was commended will participate in a reading at the fall conference of the Purchase Area Writing Project.