Anyone walking into any of the four schools in the Russellville City Schools system would quickly notice many students are using updated technology to further enhance their learning experience. According to school officials, a good portion of these technology and instructional upgrades would not be possible without the help of grants, many of which come from the Russellville City Schools Education Foundation – a non-profit organization that functions separately from the school system to raise money for teacher grants and student scholarships.

The opportunity has come again for the community to support these efforts by attending the annual RCS Education Foundation Banquet.

The annual banquet will be held April 8 at the A.W. Todd Centre with a silent auction beginning at 5 p.m., opening remarks at 6 p.m. and a catered dinner and entertainment beginning at 6:30 p.m. A Chinese auction and a time of recognition of scholarship winners and honoring past alumni will round out the evening.

The banquet and auction serve as the main fundraiser for the Foundation, to enable it to continue providing the grants and scholarships that have benefited so many teachers and students since the Foundation’s inception in 2012.

These grants administered by the Foundation provide the kind of instructional aides that allow students to keep up with the latest technology and stay ahead of the curve, and the scholarships aid RCS seniors who are furthering their educations after high school.

“We have seen so much good come from the grants and scholarships the Foundation has given out over the years,” RCS Superintendent Heath Grimes said. “This organization is vitally important to our system and to our teachers and students.”

Tickets for the banquet are $50 and can be purchased at the RCS Central Office on Waterloo Road or from any RCS Education Foundation board member.

“Our system appreciates all of those who actively support our schools, whether through events like the RCS Education Foundation Banquet or through countless other ways such as volunteering time and resources, coming out to school-sponsored events and positively promoting our achievements,” Grimes said. “We are fortunate to be part of a community that takes pride in our successes and strives to partner with us as we educate and uphold the future generations. We hope to see many of our supporters at this year’s banquet.”