Butler Academy has received a $10,000 grant from First Citizens Bank to help create the BA Scientist program in the 2023-2024 school year.
“Through Butler Academy’s Academic Success Fund, our school’s new BA Scientist program will bring some of the unique strengths of our community into our classrooms,” said Butler Academy President Dr. Jerome Reyes. “But, more than that, it will bring our scholars into new learning environments beyond the classroom.
“Beginning this year, with generous support from First Citizens Bank, we will create opportunities for middle-school scholars to work with community partners so that they can begin to understand connections between inquiry-based exploration and fulfilling careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
“Butler Academy enjoys strong relationships with community partners including Sonoco, Duke Energy, American Honda Company, the South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics, Coker University and others well known for supporting excellence in STEM education. Through this new program, we will create BA Scientist Days featuring team-oriented contests, industry guest speakers and, for the first time, student trips to STEM-driven organizations in the region,” Reyes added.
“We see our investment in Butler Academy’s Academic Success Fund both as an opportunity to ignite the passion of budding scientists and as a way to support the professional development of local teachers by increasing their exposure to corporate leaders in our community,” said Business Banker and Vice President Allen Griffin. “Our donation to the school is a natural extension of First Citizens’ unshakable commitment – our forever promise – to keep evolving and keep serving the needs of our communities.”
Butler Academy’s Academic Success Fund is central to the school’s mission to create an enthusiastic culture of learning that positions every child to succeed academically. In addition to the new BA Scientists program, the school’s Academic Success Fund supports passion projects, college visits and expanded opportunities to deepen the school’s rigorous academic curriculum. For more information, please contact Vice President for Development and External Affairs Barbara Chappell, chappell@butleracademy.us.
