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Students, staff and families highlighted at Griffith board ‘Panther Spotlight’; family donates $2,270 to food service
Summary
At the board’s Panther Spotlight segment the district recognized students and staff for competitions and service; Casey Verity announced a $2,270 donation in memory of cafeteria worker Fran Evans to support students with food insecurity.
Griffith Public Schools used the Panther Spotlight portion of the April 10 board meeting to recognize students and staff and to announce community donations supporting student needs.
Why it matters: The board spotlighted career-center competitors and district staff who work with students facing food insecurity and trauma; a family donation to food service will support meals for students in need.
Casey Verity spoke on behalf of her family and announced a $2,270 donation to Griffith Food Service in memory of her mother, Fran Evans, who worked in the district’s food service program from 1985 until 2020. Verity said her mother “was never going to give anybody a cheese sandwich” and described Evans’s decades of work buying coats, pencils and other items so students would not go hungry. The board and food-service staff thanked the family; the district said the funds will be used to assist students with food insecurity.
The meeting also showcased student achievements from the Area Career Center (ACC): Aiden Nieves described the ACC’s multimedia/news-broadcasting program and an upcoming state competition; Bryce Graham described his construction TeamWorks carpentry competition and a community-service project to assemble a torch for Indiana Special Olympics. Students said competitions start at the Indiana State Fairgrounds and that winners advance to national competitions in Atlanta.
The board also recognized Erica Rios (Erica Rios Corbin), the district’s police social worker, who described her role supporting students and families through trauma, housing instability and connections to social services. The superintendent noted the district shares Rios with the police department and praised her 24/7 availability for families.
Donations and community support noted during the meeting included items and cash gifts from Griffith First United Methodist Church, Griffith First Christian Church, VB and K Dental, Griffith Educational Foundation, local PTCs and corporate donors. Board members thanked volunteers and emphasized the district’s upcoming community Easter egg hunt, which the administration said will use tens of thousands of donated filled eggs and will be open to Griffith residents with ID checks.
