DILLON, S.C. — Students at a rural South Carolina middle school whose shoddy condition was highlighted in a speech by President Barack Obama have a spiffed up cafeteria and new classroom furniture.
Students arriving at J.V. Martin Junior High in Dillon on Monday said the new desks, chairs and tables and a revamped cafeteria show that people care about them.
The ergonomic classroom, band and cafeteria furniture was custom-built in school colors. It was donated by a Chicago furniture supplier whose CEO called the school after eighth-grader Ty'Sheoma Bethea appeared beside the first lady during Obama's address to Congress in January.
The 14-year-old's plea for help for the school — a hodgepodge of buildings with the oldest dating to 1896 — prompted a response.
______
Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Students arriving at J.V. Martin Junior High in Dillon on Monday said the new desks, chairs and tables and a revamped cafeteria show that people care about them.
The ergonomic classroom, band and cafeteria furniture was custom-built in school colors. It was donated by a Chicago furniture supplier whose CEO called the school after eighth-grader Ty'Sheoma Bethea appeared beside the first lady during Obama's address to Congress in January.
The 14-year-old's plea for help for the school — a hodgepodge of buildings with the oldest dating to 1896 — prompted a response.
______
Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
