Everyone at Inskip Elementary School was busy Wednesday getting things in order for the arrival of students next week to start the new school year. They were uniformly dressed in blue and gold T-shirts emblazoned with “Watch Me Be Great” for the staff picture taken that afternoon. There were lots of smiles, laughter and bustling about with boxes of supplies and readying their rooms.
Assistant Principal Megan Blevins said teachers are ready to get back in the classroom.
“We’re ready,” she said, “we’re looking forward to getting our students back in here and interacting with them in a positive way.”
Megan Blevins shows the lowly state of Inskip’s stage curtains.
A tour down the hallways shows painted murals and messages of encouragement. A stop in the gymnasium shows a floor waxed so shiny you can practically see your face in it. There’s a fairly recent paint job and things look pretty spiffy.
Like many Knox County elementary schools, Inskip has a gym with a stage at one end, so it can double as an auditorium with fold-out chairs added to the floor. The stage is presently stacked with generous school supply donations from the Inskip Lions Club. Only one thing distracts from the otherwise impressive tableau, and it’s the curtains.
“I don’t think they go all the way back to the origins of the school,” Blevins said. “But they are really old and falling part. Like you just bump into them and they shred.”
Yes, the large, heavy velvet curtains are beyond seeing better days. Replacing them does not fall under the school’s budget from KCS nor any of their other funding resources, such as Title I. So, Inskip has to raise the money themselves.
With that, KnoxTNToday is proud to partner with the school in its fund-raising efforts. The project is still in its infancy. But one thing we can go ahead and do is ask our readers to get out their checkbooks and send a donation on over to the school at 4701 High School Rd, Knoxville, TN 37912. Put “curtain fund” in the memo. At the moment, mailing a check to the school is the best option for making a donation.
Blevins said she is still “working on estimates, but at a minimum, it will be several thousand dollars.” While she’s hoping to get them for about $2,000, that is just for replacing the front curtains. Other items that need to be replaced or repaired are the back curtains, stage lights and the sound board.
We’ll be finding some special ways to recognize donors as well, so pick your level and send those checks.
- Executive Producer: $500+
- Producer: $250
- Director: $100
- Choreographer: $50
- Set Designer: $25
Stay tuned to this space to find out more about the school and why these improvements are vital to programs at Inskip.
Beth Kinnane is the community news editor for KnoxTNToday.com