Greg Wilkett, Fluor-BWXT President and CEO
PIKETON, Ohio -- April 11, 2023 -- Excitement has been building at Jasper Elementary for The Spirit Shop that was recently opened to provide opportunities for children to earn free gear by working hard and being helpful. On March 30, Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth (FBP) held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the school to celebrate the grand opening of the shop with a $12,000 donation from the Community Commitment Fund.
Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth (FBP) Community Commitment Chairman Tim Poe cuts a celebratory ribbon at the grand opening of The Spirit Shop at Jasper Elementary School. The Spirit Shop is part of an incentive program to encourage students to work hard and help one another. FBP’s Deneen Garner, Heather Cate and Stephanie McLaughlin were also present at the dedication.
Fourth graders at the school explained how it worked.
“You have to earn Spirit Bucks for the shop, which is basically like a real shop, but for kids. Ms. Buckler gives us the Spirit Bucks to shop in there,” Khalil Thompson, said.
While some students received Spirit Bucks for folding clothes for the homeless, or by participating in educational competitions, others earned them for being kind to one another.
“I’ve learned how to help others, like the kindergartners, 1st and 2nd graders, how to count their money,” Bentley Anderson said. “You have to be good [well behaved] to get paid.”
The students helped select what they wanted in the shop. Some of their favorites were colorful lights, shoes, projection lamps and non-stick Slime©. The shop is available to pre-4th graders.
“We started The Spirit Shop because we felt we had a need here at Jasper,” Technology Teacher Jennifer Buckler said. “As it grew, we decided we could teach more about positive behavior so the kids could earn Spirit Bucks and everyone could benefit from coming to The Spirit Shop.”
“We were thrilled when Jennifer approached us with the idea of opening a spirit shop at Jasper for the students,” FBP Community Commitment Chairman Tim Poe said. “Some of these kids do not have much, but they are willing to work hard and just need a little bit of encouragement. This is a perfect opportunity to make a positive difference in their lives.”
Many items were purchased for the shop by parents, teachers and friends.
“We’ve had lots of people reach out to us and they’ve been super generous in giving back to the community,” Buckler said.
When the kids were asked what they liked best about The Spirit Shop, the resounding answer was “helping people.”
For information about Fluor-BWXT, please visit www.fbportsmouth.com.
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About Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth LLC
Fluor Corporation (NYSE: FLR) and BWX Technologies, Inc. (BWXT) (NYSE: BWXT), two world-class companies with significant Ohio experience, formed Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth LLC (FBP) to address the decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) needs at the Department of Energy's (DOE) Portsmouth Site in Pike County, Ohio. Jacobs Engineering, another global leader in industrial and environmental projects, provides support. Fluor-BWXT employs 1,800 workers who bring unparalleled experience, insights, and lessons learned from across the DOE complex. The Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth mandate is to clean up the Portsmouth Site safely and compliantly, provide strong uranium stewardship and partner with local communities to achieve a sustainable economic future. For more information, visit www.fbportsmouth.com.
