Sandy—The parents of one student at Beehive Science and Technology Academy have gone the extra mile in making the school a better place for students and faculty. John and Tammy Kay Van Amerongen have a son, Landon, who attends the Sandy based, tuition-free charter school. According to school officials, in addition to being actively involved in their son’s education, John and Tammy have been tireless and extremely generous volunteers at the school.
Beehive, located at 830 E. 9400 S. in Sandy, occupies space that once housed classrooms and offices for Salt Lake Community College. The buildings were originally built in 1964, and were renovated sometime in the 1980s. Not surprisingly, the facility is showing its age.
According to Beehive Vice Principal Germaine Barnes, “The Van Amerongens have helped our school in so many ways. One night, they volunteered to install new cabinets in our Science Lab. We had several volunteers lined up, but the Van Amerongens were the only ones that showed up, and they worked late into the night (on a work night, no less) to assemble and install the cabinets onto the walls.”
Barnes adds, “Just a couple of weeks ago, they purchased four new bathroom vanity countertops and eight sinks and all the faucets and necessary hardware for the school’s bathrooms in our two buildings. These bathrooms are shared by students and staff. I’m guessing the retail value of the materials alone is between $8,000 and $10,000. When school was closed for UEA on Oct. 20 and 21, John and Tammy tore out the old countertops, sinks and hardware and installed the new ones. They also built three new tables for Beehive’s re-modeled library and donated the materials and 20 new chairs for use in the library-media center.”
Barnes noted that unlike larger public schools that are supported by school districts, charter schools like Beehive have extremely limited funds and resources for facility renovations and remodeling. “It simply was not in our budget to undertake projects like those the Van Amerongens took upon themselves to initiate and complete. Their generosity and hard work have made a tremendous impact on all of our 300-plus students, faculty and staff members.”
