School Partnerships
K - Kids
K-Kids is the largest service organization for elementary school students. K-Kids members discover their passion to serve, desire to lead and their ability to engage and collaborate with others. Service projects in our local elementary schools have included raising funds to purchase turkeys, hosting food drives at their schools for families at Thanksgiving, making cards for residents of local nursing homes, and painting buddy benches on the playgrounds.
Elementary Schools with K-Kids Programs Include:
- Mary Lee Clark Elementary
- St. Marys Elementary
- David L. Rainer Elementary
- Woodbine Elementary
- Kingsland Elementary
- Crooked River Elementary
Builders Club
For middle school students, Builders Club help members develop self-awareness as they discover their passion to serve, develop leadership skills and work well with others. Service projects have been involved with coordinating food drives at their schools for families at Thanksgiving, participating in a local Alzheimer's Walk, and volunteering at our local annual Kiwanis One-Day beautification project.
Key Club
Key Club is a student-led high school organization. Our members make the world a better place through service. In doing so, they grow individually and as leaders by answering the call to lead, summoning the courage to engage and developing the heart to serve. Key Club have conducted food drives at Camden Co. High School for families at Thanksgiving, participated in our local annual Kiwanis One-Day beautification project, and helped during Adopt-A-Highway events.
Terrific Kids
This program recognizes elementary students who are identified by their teachers as they demonstrate the monthly character trait they are trying to improve. Students receive a certificate, pencil, and bumper sticker proclaiming "I am the Parent of a Terrific Kid" which parents can proudly display on their vehicle.
Read Across America
The Kiwanis Club of St. Marys participates each year in the national Read Across America in early March which normally coordinates around the date of Dr. Seuss's birthday on March 2. Our members visit our elementary schools and read to children in classrooms. It's a toss-up who enjoys this activity the most -- the students or the Kiwanians!
STAR Recognition
The Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) program honors Georgia's highest achieving high school seniors and teachers that have been most instrumental in their academic development. Students from every accredited high school in Georgia are eligible to participate. Seniors scoring the highest SAT score at their school on a single test date of the senior year are awarded the honor. The student names their STAR Teacher which could be a teacher from Pre-K through 12th grade as their STAR Teacher.
The Kiwanis Club of St. Marys hosts a luncheon in their honor and these STAR Students are joined by their parents along with School Superintendent, Principal, and counselors from the high school. In addition to a cash award for the student and teacher, our club sponsors them to attend the district event -- and in the case of being named a district winner -- on to the state competition.
Scholarships
The Kiwanis Club of St. Marys annually presents four scholarships to graduating seniors at Camden County High School who will be attending an accredited secondary education college or technical school. Out of the four scholarships awarded one is designated exclusively for a Key Club member.
Dictionary Project
The Kiwanis Club of St. Marys participates in The Dictionary Project, a nationwide effort in which over 10,000 civic groups across the United States put paperback dictionaries in the hands of third-grade students in their community. In 2023, our club donated more than 700 dictionaries to Camden students. This year -- 2024 -- we hope to provide dictionaries to all third-graders in Camden County, Georgia. For some students, this dictionary might be the only book they own. For others who do not have internet in the home, this is a way they can research words they're using in their school homework. Every year our club enjoys putting dictionaries in students' hands and contributing to improved literacy skills in our young people.