Driscoll's
Historical Overview:
During the 2008-2009 school year, Bradley School and Driscoll’s began an important community partnership for which we are very grateful. A number of meetings were held to assist us in finding common ground between Bradley’s mission and vision and those of Driscoll’s Philanthropy Division, the goal being to develop a strong and mutually beneficial
relationship between the Bradley Community and Driscoll’s.
Bradley School seeks to improve the quality of education, to improve the success of each student, to maintain the safety of the school environment, and to raise awareness of social responsibility. To achieve this we must align our goals with committed community partners.
For the first year, Driscoll's selected two areas for financial support of the school: Reading Intervention Program and a donation towards Library Materials for EL and Migrant Students. Support for the Reading Intervention Program continues to this day and we have been able to hire additional Reading Intervention Teachers to teach small leveled groups in the “Walk to Learn” model. As a result, struggling readers who score below grade level have been served in small targeted intervention groups and shown significant progress.
In addition to direct financial support, Driscoll's has supported the school in other ways. Driscoll’s staff have served as judges at the Annual Bradley School Science Fair since 2009. Each year Bradley students are selected to attend the County Science Fair, and many move on to compete in the California State Science Fair. During Teacher Appreciation week each May, Driscoll’s delivers flats of gourmet berries as gifts to celebrate our outstanding teachers and staff.
Recent Support and Expanded Partnership
In 2012, Joe Begley, Director of Propagation at the Rancho Corralitos Farm, met with us and discussed opportunities for this valuable partnership to grow. The initial expansion would be a contribution to the 6th Grade Science Camp Scholarship Fund each year, to allow all Bradley students the opportunity to spend an unforgettable week in an exciting outdoor education setting in the Santa Cruz mountains.
Joe's invitation to meet with Driscoll's and discuss additional possibilities for collaboration in supporting Bradley School was an enormous step in the growth of our partnership. As we prioritized the current needs of Bradley School, three areas emerged: Reading Support, Technology, and Science/Health/Nutrition. Driscoll's is an innovative leader in the areas of science/health/nutrition and technology as can be seen with Driscoll's state of the art Corralitos Ranch Propagation Facility. There are in fact innovations in the areas of science/health/nutrition and technology that we hope to bring to the Bradley campus.
Driscoll’s Philanthropy Advocates Daniel Torres, and Carlos Gonzales will work with the school to develop new ideas for collaborative opportunities to fund-raise with Driscoll's employees to support the school. In addition, there are also numerous activities and events throughout the school year that we invite and encourage Driscoll's employees and their families to attend. For example, we have movie nights, Art Night, Math Night, a Spring Carnival, Silent Auction, etc. All these events bring our community together and support our school.
On behalf of the staff, students, and entire community, I extend our warmest appreciation to Driscoll’s for the support of Bradley School and the education of our future leaders!
Kathy Arola, Principal
