The Gift of Service
Making a difference for a Casa Grande school

APS' efforts to be a good corporate citizen aren't going unnoticed in Casa Grande...especially not with a fourth-grade class at Palo Verde Elementary School, as evidenced by the following note from the teacher.

"Yesterday I was talking to my class trying to 'sell' the extra two AIMS (Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards) tests they have to take this year. I told them that they were very special because the fourth grade from Palo Verde is the only one in the district that gets to take a 'sample' test. One of my boys raised his hand and asked, 'Is this because of APS?'

I asked what made him think that APS made it happen and he responded, 'Well, we get books because of APS...we get MAC-Ro* because of APS...we get rulers and gifts because of APS...we get field trips because of APS...we get barbecues and more and more because of APS.'

I asked for a show of hands to show me who feels special because of this...I got 100 percent."

The school, which is adjacent to the Casa Grande Service yard, serves a low-income area of the community. Because of its proximity, APS has had a longstanding relationship with the school.

"APS has been actively involved in our school's activities," said Palo Verde Elementary School Principal Dolores Underwood. "We have so appreciated receiving funds from APS, but what we have especially appreciated is having APS employees' involvement at our school. They have read to our students, presented electrical safety information, and after receiving Valentine cards from our students, APS employees cooked a hot dog lunch for us. Those things have meant so much to our students and staff. APS' partnership has helped us to achieve our academic goals by focusing on improving our reading and writing skills. We value the relationship that has developed as a result of the interaction between APS and the Palo Verde Elementary School community."