More News

Germaine Banner-Wills, a fourth-grade teacher at James H. Harrison Elementary in Laurel, raised her arm in victory when she found out last week that the department store, Target, would be donating about $1,500 to renovate the school's teacher lounge and provide students with new gym equipment.

"I was like, ‘Yes!'" Banner-Wills said.

A crew of four employees from the Target store in Columbia spent Tuesday painting and hauling in new furniture and appliances to the teacher's lounge. Jayna Whitehead, the store's manager, said the school makeover is part of a new program that calls for each Target store to select a nearby school for a renovation project.

There was no nomination process; the Columbia store chose Harrison because of its status as a Title 1 school, Whitehead said. The Title 1 designation is given to schools with a large number of students who receive free or reduced-cost lunches.

"We need to look at where we're going to get the biggest bang for our buck," Whitehead said.

Target is also donating new basketball nets and other gymnasium equipment to the school.

After learning the store had selected Harrison for a makeover, Principal Patricia Haith-Belgrave asked teachers for input on what part of the school should be renovated.

Banner-Wills suggested the teacher lounge because it was plain and "very sterile," she said.

On Tuesday morning, the fourth-grade teacher watched as the Target crew painted the beige walls what appeared to be a pale blue and hauled out an old burgundy couch. The store also donated a new chair, table, rug, microwave and coffee maker for the lounge.

"We're so grateful," Banner-Wills told the workers. "You saw what it looked like."

The lounge is the only common area for Harrison staff, Haith-Belgrave said, and it should be a place that is bright and inviting for teachers.

"They should have a place where they can [recuperate] and relax," she said.

The gym equipment was expected to be received later in the day Tuesday.