Newton County School System (NCSS) and the Newton County Chamber of Commerce are pleased to announce that Beaver Manufacturing has been named the 2015 NCSS Partner of the Year. NCSS has approximately 150 individual school-business partnerships and each year the district selects one business partner that stands above the rest as the Partner of the Year.

Beaver Manufacturing partners with Mansfield Elementary School and according to Principal Dr. Lori Thomas, “Beaver Manufacturing has a well-established history and continued desire to serve and give back to the community.”

She added, “They have consistently demonstrated their dedication to meeting the needs and providing the support necessary to our small community school. We know of no other partner whose support benefits not only the present day education of students but the future post-secondary education of them as well.”

According to Dr. Thomas, Beaver Manufacturing supports and promotes student academic achievement at Mansfield Elementary School in many significant ways. Each year, the school’s staff prepares portfolios that are reviewed by the company owner and staff in conjunction with the teachers to select the students they believe have exhibited the most improvement. In honor of this achievement, those students are awarded brand new bicycles donated by Beaver Manufacturing and other community groups, including the Service Guild and Shriners. In addition, to promote a college and career readiness mindset, Beaver Manufacturing also offers savings bonds of substantial value to students who earn all “A’s.” Because the amounts of the bonds are extremely generous, Dr. Thomas noted that students are highly motivated to put them away to assist in the payment of their future college education. Beaver Manufacturing continues this support of student achievement all year long, culminating in Mansfield’s end-of-year celebration.

“Beaver Manufacturing provides a multitude of engraved trophies for students recognized in the school’s year-end academic celebration,” said Dr. Thomas. “The students and families of Mansfield Elementary anxiously anticipate this day each year, much like a small child waiting for Santa to visit on Christmas Eve!”

Because Beaver Manufacturing recognizes the importance of academic achievement for the children in their community, they truly focus considerable time and attention on supporting the total educational program at Mansfield Elementary.

“In the past, when Newton County School System was transitioning to 21^st Century classrooms, most of the district’s schools utilized funds provided through federal programs to purchase the needed technology,” explained Dr. Thomas. “Unfortunately, Mansfield Elementary did not qualify for the federal funding. Beaver Manufacturing was not about to let the students at our school fall behind, so they partnered with our school PTO to purchase the technology and other media needed to ensure the students in Mansfield had equal access and learning opportunities. They also purchased books and magazines for not only the school media center but also individual classrooms in order to ensure that all students had access to a wide selection of rich literature and current events. Beaver Manufacturing truly believes that a student’s success is also a community success.”

According to Dr. Thomas, Beaver Manufacturing doesn’t limit their attention to student academic achievement. They also focus and are concerned about the health and well-being of the students at Mansfield Elementary School.

“They understand the important role exercise and good physical health play when educating children,” said Dr. Thomas. “Not only has Beaver Manufacturing ensured that our school has one of the best playgrounds in the school district, they have donated land for the building of Beaver Park. Many of our students and their families enjoy the community park on a daily basis. And our school also makes great use of the park for field trips, Field Day, and Accelerated Reader party picnics.”

In addition to Beaver Park, Dr. Thomas noted that the company has donated and is joining the City of Mansfield and the Mansfield Tree Board in constructing a park which will connect to the Mansfield Elementary nature trail located just behind the school’s playground. Among many other things, this new park will feature an outdoor classroom which was planned in conjunction with Mansfield teachers and administrators with Mansfield Elementary School students specifically in mind.

“The students, teachers, and families of Mansfield are super excited about the future outdoor learning space, which will be within walking distance from the school,” said Dr. Thomas.

“Mansfield Elementary staff and students are extremely blessed to have Beaver Manufacturing as a Partner in Education,” added Dr. Thomas. “They have been supporting our programs and students for many years. I believe the current relationship started back in the 70’s when Mrs. Nonie Needham, owner of Beaver Manufacturing, began volunteering at the school.  If you have never had the opportunity to meet Mrs. Nonie, let me tell you, she is truly a kind, supportive person who enjoys seeing kids rewarded for great behavior and excellence in academics. She is the perfect example of giving back to the community she loves!  Good leadership results in good companies and great leadership results in great companies. I consider Beaver Manufacturing a GREAT company that cares about its workers and local community. They have a history of serving others and giving back. Mansfield Elementary has benefited year after year from their generosity.  Our school is very thankful for their support as we work together to provide our students the very best.”

When presenting the award, Mansfield Elementary School assistant principal Mr. Chris Haymore said, “An organization reflects leadership. And it was the leadership of Mr. Ed Needham and Mrs. Nonie Needham and their spirit of generosity that has built that company into what it is and built this relationship into what it is. If you’re from Newton County you know the positive force that the Needhams have been in this community for many, many years. The Needhams have been a positive influence in the community and Beaver Manufacturing is continuing to be a positive influence in our community.”

Ms. Nonie Needham and Mr. Charlie Needham, technical account manager for Beaver Manufacturing, accepted the award on behalf of the company.

“It’s really important to us and for the future of our communities to get behind these kids early and really help them,” said Charlie Needham. “I love being a part of a company like Beaver Manufacturing and I can promise everybody in this room that this is going to continue. We will not stop and we’re going to continue to stand behind Mansfield Elementary and our entire school system here in Newton County to really make these kids the most prepared kids possible to go out into the middle school and then to high school and then to college and then to the work force because we’ve got to start at the very beginning. The partners in education are doing a great job of that.”

“As the president of the Newton County Chamber of Commerce, it makes me so proud to know that we have businesses that truly want to make a difference in our community and truly want to make a difference in the lives of our children—they are our future,” said Mr. Ralph Staffins.

On behalf of the entire Newton County School System, Superintendent Samantha Fuhrey said,  “I want to congratulate Beaver Manufacturing on being named our 2015 Partner of the Year. Their support of Mansfield Elementary School is indicative of the support all of our schools receive from our many partners in education. We are grateful for the local business and community organizations who continually step forward to assist our schools on a daily basis. I can assure you that the support we have received from our partners in education has paid dividends in terms of academic achievement, improvement in student behavior, and attendance.”

For more information on the NCSS Partners in Education program, contact Ms. Sherri Davis-Viniard, Director of Public Relations for Newton County Schools at [email protected].