What High Ticket Items Are On Ames School Supply Lists?

By Kathy Hanson

 Ames Community School District

Individuals and organizations considering donating school supplies for students of the might be surprised at some of the high-ticket items on the list.

Yonas Michael, district’s alternative learning program director, said all students must bring their own headphones or “earbuds” this year for use with computers, for example, because of health concerns.

“These are things you might not expect to see on an elementary student’s supply list,” Michael said.

Michael said students also would benefit from donations of USB drives (at least 2 GB) and three-ring binders sized from 1 to 2 inches.

“People often have elementary students in mind when they make donations, but middle school and high school students need expensive items like (TI-84) scientific calculators,” Michael said.

The local store had the right idea when its supply drive garnered several soft backpacks and composition books along with the usual supply of rulers, markers and crayons, he said. The supply drive brought in nearly than $650 worth of items that will be formally accepted as a gift to the district at an upcoming school board meeting.

Alternative Learning Program department Secretary Linda Jones said the district “tries to help every family that expresses a need.”

“We realize there are a variety of factors that can make it hard for a family to stretch its budget to fit the cost of school supplies,” she said.

Besides individual and business donations, students in the District benefit from the Ames Education Foundation Save Our Students supply fund drive, Michael said. The team of SUCCESS Program and Alternative Learning Program family counselors and the building principals and secretaries distribute vouchers and supplies equitably among the schools to students who need help.

The elementary supply list is available online at http://www.ames.k12.ia.us/Schools/12_13SupplyList.pdf and the middle school supply list is available at http://www.ames.k12.ia.us/AMS/downloads/AMSSupply13.pdf. High school students will receive supply lists based on their individual courses. Information on donating funds to the SOS program is available at http://www.ameseducationfoundation.org/en/programs_i_campaigns/sos__support_our_students/