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Mainstay Academy wins Dollar General grant
Mainstay Academy wins Dollar General grant to purchase Chromebooks
dollar general grant
Photo ID (L-R): Trish Booth, Dollar General store manager; Trent Homiller, Dollar General district manager; Monica Brantley, Mainstay coordinator; Kirstie Nolan, Dollar General store manager; and Kacey Wommack, Dollar General store manager. - photo by Submitted Photo
COVINGTON, Ga. — Students at Mainstay Academy – Georgia Network for Education With Therapeutic Support will soon have new Chromebooks to enhance their literacy skills thanks to a $3,000 grant from Dollar General.

Mainstay Coordinator Monica Brantley and Newton County School System Grants Coordinator Tiffany Merriweather applied for the grant.
“We are so thankful for Dollar General’s support of Mainstay Academy-GNETS and our efforts to strengthen literacy with students in Newton County,” Brantley said. “The $3,000 grant check will be used to purchase Chromebooks for our students and open up a world of reading opportunities.”

According to Merriweather, the Chromebrooks will increase access to literacy tools online and will allow the students to have individualized learning environments day to day. Merriweather indicated the Chromebooks would serve 25 at-risk students with disabilities in grades three through 12. 

“Some students at Mainstay have moderate to severe disruptive behaviors,” Merriweather explained in her grant application. “That doesn’t reflect their wonderful gifts inside or their love for interactive learning activities using technology. Devices such as computers, tablets, laptops and smartboards have been found to be beneficial in the facilitation of learning.

“Technology integration in teaching to special education and in learning has influence on students’ motivation, attitudes, achievement and peer interactions. This project will emphasize technology integration for our neediest students using Georgia Standards of Excellence, district curriculum and face-to-face instruction combined with online learning to supplement and reinforce that instruction. Online learning to be used will include a variety of literacy software programs which have been found to be successful in schools and throughout the nation.”

“At Dollar General, our actions are guided by our mission of ‘Serving Others,’” Trenton Homiller, district manager, said. “This is not just about the in-store experience for our customers but also includes the career opportunities we can provide for our employees and the privilege we have to serve the communities we call home. Our customers and communities are at the center of everything we do and we are extremely grateful to be a part of each one.”