Program allows company employees to give students a boost

When staff members at the Nevada Title Company and its affiliate, Nevada Construction Services, delivered school and personal grooming supplies to fifth-grade students at Ira J. Earl Elementary School, 1463 Marion Drive, they hoped they were delivering a piece of the puzzle to create more successful students.

“It’s much more difficult for students to achieve success without the proper tools,” said Jeff Harris, president of the Nevada Title Company. “We’ve been doing this here for 15 years, and we’ve been mentoring the students for seven years.”

The Nevada Title Company became involved with the school 15 years ago when the company’s owner, Terry Wright, met with members of the School Community Advisory Council. Supplies are gathered from community and employee donations, including paper, backpacks, binders, crayons, pencils, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant and shampoo, which are distributed to the students as part of the company’s long-term partnership with the Clark County School District School-Community Partnership Program. The project’s mission is to bring together business and community resources to enhance the educational experience.

While the representatives from the Nevada Title Company were delighted to see the kids receive the supplies, they were more excited about the mentorship program.

“With some of the older students, there is face-to-face mentoring,” said Lisa Brown, who oversees education and employee development for the Nevada Title Company. “What we do is e-mentoring. Each student is paired off with someone from the company, and once a week, we exchange emails with the kids.”

Brown said they aren’t there to teach the children but to provide extra encouragement.

“A lot of these kids go home to an empty house because both parents are working,” she said. “We provide one more voice encouraging them. We give them an ‘attaboy’ or ‘attagirl.’ We don’t correct their emails; it’s all about being a friend.”

Principal Gina Harvey is starting her second year at the school and said she was thrilled to see the process from beginning to end.

“The one-on-one with the fifth-grade class is great, but the company also contributes to the school in other ways, like providing prizes for our (accelerated reader) store,” Harvey said. “Kids in our accelerated reader program take tests after reading a book, and if they pass it, they get points they can spend toward buying something at our AR store.”

The students are encouraged to read a greater number of books and more complex ones. They can move up the ranks for reading. Last year, a student made it to the top of the program and received the grand prize of a limo ride, which drove the student and his parents to a fast-food restaurant.

“We’re really lucky to have partners like the folks at Nevada Title,” Harvey said.

For more information about the School-Community Partnership Program and the Stay in School Mentoring Project, visit tinyurl.com/ccsdmentor or call 702-799-6560.

Contact East Valley View reporter F. Andrew Taylor at ataylor@viewnews.com or 702-380-4532.