Growing up among hardworking families in Shreveport, Dr. Ruby Scroggins learned early the difference a quality education can make in the life of a child. As the principal of Dr. Joseph Samuel Clark Elementary, she has seen firsthand the barriers poverty can create in a child’s path to academic success – including hunger and lack of access to basic healthcare.
Along with a team of talented, dedicated teachers and other professionals, Dr. Scroggins has established Dr. Joseph Samuel Clark Elementary as a school that supports the total wellbeing of students and their parents. She led the way in setting up a school-based health clinic for students, and has worked with the Food Bank of Northwest Louisiana to make sure children have enough to eat outside of school hours through a backpack nutrition program.
Last year, Dr. Scroggins and her team volunteered to open a community food pantry for the families of students at Dr. Joseph Samuel Clark Elementary. Each month, the staff volunteers to distribute 9,000 pounds of food to more than 120 families from the neighborhood.