Through our annual back-to-school volunteer initiatives, IBSS helps provide classroom resources, student essentials, and opportunities for local school communities to come together. This year, our efforts included a school supply drive, support for a local school’s annual Ice Cream Social, educator gift cards, a donation of sneakers for elementary school students, and presenting at Back-to-School Night.
Starting the Year With School Supplies
Supporting Silver Spring International Middle School through an annual school supply drive has become an important part of IBSS’ commitment to our local community. Our donations include everyday classroom essentials such as pencils, pens, erasers, notebooks, folders, markers, glue, scissors, and other supplies teachers and students use throughout the school year. By helping stock classrooms with these essentials, we can ease some of the costs students and teachers face and ensure they have the resources they need to support their students throughout the year.
Supporting the Silver Spring International Middle School’s Ice Cream Social
IBSS also proudly supported the Silver Spring International Middle School’s annual Ice Cream Social with a donation to help bring students, families, and teachers together before the new school year begins. Events like the Ice Cream Social offer an opportunity for the school community to connect, build relationships, and start the school year on a positive note.
Gift Cards for Classrooms
Teachers often find creative ways to make their classrooms engaging, but they can also face challenges when it comes to purchasing the resources and materials their students need. This year, the IBSS Volunteer Committee provided Amazon gift cards to five educators with nominations coming directly from IBSS employees. The educators represent schools across the region and teach students at different grade levels and in different subject areas.
These gift cards will support a variety of classroom needs:
- A special education teacher plans to use the funds to purchase books for a department-wide Literature Circle initiative.
- A high school computer science teacher will use the gift card toward equipment and materials for robotics and computer science projects, including items such as Raspberry Pi components, resistors, and motors.
- A kindergarten teacher will use the funds toward materials such as cardstock, laminating supplies, and other resources used to create interactive learning activities.
While the needs vary from classroom to classroom, the goal is the same: give educators additional resources to support their students and create meaningful learning experiences.
Providing Sneakers for Students
Back-to-school preparation extends beyond the classroom. This year, IBSS also donated sneakers to the Silver Spring Elementary School to help provide students with an important everyday essential. For families preparing for a new school year, the cost of clothing and school necessities can quickly add up. Providing something as practical as a new pair of sneakers can help remove one more barrier for students as they head back to school.
Continuing a Commitment to Our Community
At IBSS, community involvement is an important part of who we are. Our back-to-school initiatives are one example of how our employees come together to support educators, students, and local schools.
As another school year gets underway, IBSS is grateful to the educators who continue to make a difference for their students and to our employees who help make these community initiatives possible. We look forward to continuing this tradition and finding new ways to give back to the communities we serve.
About IBSS
Since 1992, IBSS, a woman-owned small business, has provided transformational consulting services to the Federal defense, civilian, and commercial sectors. Our services include environmental science and engineering (including oceans, coasts, weather, and satellite), cybersecurity and enterprise information technology, and professional management services.
IBSS is committed to service excellence – to our clients, employees, partners, and the global community as a whole. We proactively create value through science, technology, innovation, agility, and adaptability.
