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Zaxby’s Todd Faulkner presenting the Urgency to Serve classroom grants to BCSS teachers at the Board of Education meeting in January 2020.
Zaxby’s officially became a District Partner in Education in 2018 with the Barrow County School System. At Zaxby’s, they are intentional and focused on creating a culture centered on an ‘Urgency to Serve,’ which is evident in their excellent customer service.
When developing additional ways to engage with BCSS teachers and students, Zaxby’s wanted to support local educators by extending the ‘Urgency to Serve’ into classrooms as well. In true Zaxby’s style, they designed a specialized classroom grant opportunity that is not a franchise program. Twenty-one innovative teachers were awarded grants, which ranged from $298 to $500 each, and totaled $8,400 last year. The ripple effect of those 21 grants impacted 9,000+ students in 12 schools across Barrow County.
Teachers used their grants on everything from animal dissection to STEAM Specials-Bots. At Russell Middle School, Mr. Robertson started the “Barking Bean Coffee Pod Cart.” (Their mascot is the Dog Pack.) This cart has been transformed into a coffee shop on wheels. Special education students help to make the coffee, serve teachers, collect payment, and manage inventory with their mobile caffeine cart. Students are learning important life skills, and proceeds from the student-run business are used back in the classroom for supplies. Truly, Zaxby’s was successful in extending their culture of service to students as well.
For this school year, Zaxby’s has more big plans. While continuing their teacher grant program, they will also be offering Zaxby’s incentive cards to reward student academic success in programs like Zaxby’s Wordy Bird Club, Zaxby’s Mathmagicians, and Zaxby’s High Five Award. Zaxby’s also focuses on student success after high school with their support of the Work-Based Learning and Georgia REACH Scholarship programs. Thank you Zaxby’s for your strong district-wide partnership with our school system, and your considerable reinvestment in tomorrow’s leaders in our classrooms today.
RMS Barking Bean Coffee Pod Cart, which was funded by the Zaxby’s Urgency to Serve classroom grant. From left to right, Viri Brown, Markees Jackson, Channing Carder, Waylon Collins.