ISLE OF WIGHT—Isle of Wight Academy announced that it has received a $1 million pledge from Smithfield Foods Inc., to be used for the school’s current “Building for the Future” capital campaign and a scholarship endowment fund.

“We are so very grateful to Smithfield Foods and its employees for this generous pledge,” said Mike King, president of the Academy’s board of directors. “We take a great deal of pride in developing our students to their fullest potential by providing a quality program, and Smithfield’s pledge will also help us continue providing a quality facility.”

King said that $800,000 of Smithfield Foods’ pledge will be devoted to help pay for the school’s Early Learning Center, which will include six classrooms for preschool and kindergarten and for renovations to the auxiliary gym. The new facility will provide permanent classrooms and will unify the auxiliary gym with the rest of the campus.

The remaining $200,000 will go to a scholarship endowment fund.

“It was an easy decision to take part in Isle of Wight Academy’s capital campaign because we have long admired the school’s reputation for academic excellence,” said C. Larry Pope, Smithfield Foods’ president and chief executive officer.

“Our company has a long tradition of supporting educational programs and initiatives in our local communities across the country, and we pledge that our support will continue as we enter a new era under the leadership of Shuanghui International Holdings Limited,” Pope added.

Isle of Wight Academy is an independent, non-sectarian, co-educational college-preparatory day school that was founded in 1967. The academy, with more than 675 students in preschool through 12th grade, is known for its college-preparatory curriculum.