Clara's Closet


Update: Clara's Closet in being continued into the 2023-2024 School Year.  

Clara’s Closet is the 2022-23 Newport Rotary major project. It seeks to provide Newport Elementary School teachers with teacher and classroom supplies which may not be provided by the school system. 

Clara’s Closet will be located in the NES teacher resource room and will be available for the Fall 2022 and Spring 2023 semesters. 

Teacher surveys are being used to target the appropriate supplies. 

Start-up and mid-year needs are being provided.


The project is named in memory of Clara Wall, “Miss Clara”, a career third-grade teacher at Newport Elementary (1960s-1980s) whose husband, son and daughter-in-law were all Newport Rotarians. 

Clara's Closet is funded by Newport Rotary, The Newport Halloween Hootenanny, a grant from The Rotary Foundation and private donors.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dear Newport Rotary Members,

Although this thank you may be a bit late, please know it is double portioned with gratitude. At the beginning of the school year you supplied our staff with school supplies through your Clara’s Closet program. On the practical side I would like to personally thank you, you saved me about $200 coming out of my own pocket. What a sweet and practical gift you gave us, thank you.

On a personal note, please tell Clara’s family that they inspired me to do the same type of gift to the school my own father taught at for thirty years in Ohio. He has passed away now going on 20 years but we still get letters of remembrance from his former students. When I called my mom about your thoughtfulness, my sisters and I thought this would be a fantastic idea to give back to a community that blessed our family tremendously.

In a world where genuine people seem to be a diamond in the rough. Please know how truly thankful I am to your organization. May this be a year where God’s favor and prosperity are displayed through you and your families.

Warmest Regards,
Rachel E. Hampton
Newport Elementary School Teacher

Anonymous said...

Thank you for Clara’s closet at NES. It has been a great resource for a number of supplies I’ve needed in my STEM/maker space classroom. I serve the entire school body, over 700 children, and with donations like yours I am able to provide materials that will inspire their creativity. Thank you,

Deanna Windham
Wonder Workshop Coordinator