Clifford O. Kirklane Elementary School Mission Statement

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The non-profit organization I volunteered for was Clifford O. Taylor/Kirklane Elementary School. Opened in 1970 as the second public elementary school in Palm Springs (The Village of Palm Springs, n.d.), it is located at 4200 Purdy Lane. The school does not have a mission statement, but is under the jurisdiction of the School District of Palm Beach County, which has a mission statement: “The School District of Palm Beach County is committed to providing a world-class education with excellence and equity to empower each student to reach his or her highest potential with the most effective staff to foster the knowledge, skills, and ethics required for responsible citizenship and productive careers.” (School District of Palm Beach County, n.d.) …show more content…

The racial demographics are 73% Hispanic, 13% African American, 11% White, 2% Asian, and 1% other or mixed race. Approximately 86% of students are eligible for free lunch, with an additional 2% able to receive lunch at a reduced price. Thus, most of their families are not well off (Public School Review, 2014). According to principal, Dr. Patricia Lucas, there is also a significant number of foreign students and those with refugee status, from many countries around the world. Dr. Lucas also notes that is it not uncommon for a child from a foreign nation to come to the school in the middle of a semester, having never set foot in a school.

Due to the generally low income of the families of the students, Kirklane Elementary School, in partnership with Good Shepherd United Methodist Church, will operate a holiday shop at the school. The holiday shop will allow students to purchase nice but inexpensive gifts for their families from November 15 to December 2, except on the weekends and during the Thanksgiving break. Classrooms are assigned certain dates in which the students will visit the holiday