Playtime Gets a Boost at Suwanee School

"This is their time," a teacher said Friday as students enjoyed themselves in the gym at Burnette Elementary in Suwanee.

It just got a lot more enjoyable, thanks to a donation of $2,000 by the Publix grocery store on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard at McGinnis Ferry Road. It is part of an ongoing program by Publix and other area businesses that has helped the first-year school on Burnette Road near I-85.

Christy Cochran, physical education teacher at the school, was going through catalogs supplied by the Campbell Soup company in January and February picking out the equipment. "The turnaround time was quick," she said. "I was surprised."

And now the 667 students at the school can use the hockey sticks, buddy walkers, mushroom paddles and other goodies in the spacious gym ... and perhaps even at home.

It's the latest effort by Publix to help the school, said Dan Draves, store manager. There was "midnight madness" in June, when the school was preparing to open. The store served food as the 59 teachers were setting up shop at in the dark. And there was a banquet this week involving parents, called Intervention and Enrichments.

Draves explained that Publix founder George Jenkins emphasized community involvement and financial donations as a cornerstone of business success.

Cochran explained that Burnette students are in the gym two or three days a week for about 50 minutes per session. She hopes to work up a fitness pack that some students, such as the apartment dwellers, can take home.

Burnette takes its fitness seriously. Principal Kim Reed notes that the school was one of 20 nationally chosen as a Get Fit, Get Active program by Blue Cross/Blue Shield and Radio Disney. A fitness rally was held at the school about three weeks ago to commemorate the honor.

The school also appreciates the help it gets from area businesses, including Chick-fil-A, and commemorates them with a plaque in the main lobby.

At the recent Burnette banquet, Publix gave $50 gift cards to each of the 60 families attending. And a Publix recipe brochure rests on a table in the main lobby.

"Someone once asked (Publix founder Jenkins) what he would be worth if he didn't donate so  much," Draves noted. "He answered, " 'Probably nothing.' "