Jasper Elementary Spirit Shop Gets Assist From Fluor-BWXT Donation

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(Piketon) – Excitement has been building at Jasper Elementary for The Spirit Shop that was recently opened to provide opportunities for children to earn free gear by working hard and being helpful. On March 30, Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth (FBP) held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the school to celebrate the grand opening of the shop with a $12,000 donation from the Community Commitment Fund.

Fourth graders at the school explained how it worked.

“You have to earn Spirit Bucks for the shop, which is basically like a real shop, but for kids. Ms. Buckler gives us the Spirit Bucks to shop in there,” Khalil Thompson, said.

While some students received Spirit Bucks for folding clothes for the homeless, or by participating in educational competitions, others earned them for being kind to one another.

“I’ve learned how to help others, like the kindergartners, 1st and 2nd graders, how to count their money,” Bentley Anderson said. “You have to be good [well behaved] to get paid.”

The students helped select what they wanted in the shop. Some of their favorites were colorful lights, shoes, projection lamps and non-stick Slime©. The shop is available to pre-4th graders.

“We started The Spirit Shop because we felt we had a need here at Jasper,” Technology Teacher Jennifer Buckler said. “As it grew, we decided we could teach more about positive behavior so the kids could earn Spirit Bucks and everyone could benefit from coming to The Spirit Shop.”

“We were thrilled when Jennifer approached us with the idea of opening a spirit shop at Jasper for the students,” FBP Community Commitment Chairman Tim Poe said. “Some of these kids do not have much, but they are willing to work hard and just need a little bit of encouragement. This is a perfect opportunity to make a positive difference in their lives.”

Many items were purchased for the shop by parents, teachers and friends.

“We’ve had lots of people reach out to us and they’ve been super generous in giving back to the community,” Buckler said.

When the kids were asked what they liked best about The Spirit Shop, the resounding answer was “helping people.”