Back-to-School Expos hope to attract families

The Beaufort County School District is teaming up with Hargray and other corporate sponsors to hold a pair of “Back-to-School Expos” designed to give students and their families a day of fun, food, door prizes and valuable information about the upcoming school year.
The annual expos are scheduled for the next two Saturdays — at Whale Branch Early College High School on July 28 and at Bluffton High School on August 4. Both events will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and free transportation will be provided from several centralized locations.
Students and their families are encouraged to attend the events, which will feature:
• Forums for teens that focus on this year’s anti-bullying theme:  “Respect and Responsibility — Building a Safe and Caring Community.”
• Booths operated by district schools that can supply information about school activities.
• Door prizes that will include iPads and Kindle Fires donated by Hargray.
• Free school supplies for students, courtesy of Walmart.
• Free blood pressure and blood glucose screenings provided by Doctor’s Express.
• Ronald McDonald Mobile Care will provide information on dental hygiene.
• Performances by WTOC-TV celebrity “Magic Marc.”
• Special sessions designed to energize and inspire students and families as they begin the new school year. These sessions will be conducted by Leading to Change, a Charlotte professional development and training company with corporate clients across the Southeast.
“Students and their families will find a wealth of useful information at this year’s expos,” said Superintendent Valerie Truesdale. “Our corporate, civic and faith-based partners have contributed their time and resources, and they have really worked with the district to help make sure that the events are a big success.”
“This is Hargray’s third year partnering with the Beaufort County School District on the Back-to-School Expo,” said Eddie Andrews, Director of Marketing for Hargray. “Having the opportunity to show our support to students and families from throughout the community makes this a truly rewarding experience for us each year.”
For families needing transportation to the July 28 expo at Whale Branch Early College High School, school buses will make pickups at St. Helena Elementary School (8 a.m.), Lady’s Island Intermediate and Middle School (8:20 a.m.) and Beaufort Elementary School (8:40 a.m.).
For more information on the two expos, contact Lakinsha Petty (322-5451) at the Beaufort County School District.