In celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week, the Parent Teacher Volunteer Club (PTC) hosted a special barbecue for teachers and staff. Organized by the PTC members, the event recognized the hard work and dedication of teachers and staff with food, a Cornhole tournament and a wish list initiative where teachers could request things they need for their classroom and through parent donations they receive it.
Ms. Jana Kingery, a PTC member and a teacher herself, took the lead in organizing the Amazon wish lists. The teachers and staff submitted wishes that they would like to have in their classroom.
“I made that Amazon wishlist and I helped purchase the items and put them together,” Kingery said. “I hope this event will show the staff we are grateful for all they do.”
She also contributed to food preparation and helped gather prizes such as gift baskets and baked goods for a drawing held during the event.
“Just seeing the teachers and staff eat together and have that camaraderie was a great feeling. Hopefully they feel the love and support that us parents have for the school and for what they do for our kids,” Kingery said.
The event also featured a playlist of songs requested by the teachers, all put together by Mr. Jesse Armas and leadership students.
“I love my colleagues, and being the leadership teacher my students can be a little bit of a burden taking people out of class, so it’s important for me to give back and have the students give back to them,” Armas said.
Ms. Carmen Colhour, who managed the communication for the event, worked alongside fellow organizer Mrs. Lisa Gack to coordinate with teachers, staff and parents.
“We couldn’t have done this without [the parents],” Colhour said. “They’re the ones that donated all the gifts and attended the craft party that funded all this.”
Colhour, being a participant of the event as well, reflected on what her favorite part was choosing between the wish-list, raffle, BBQ, cornhole and sweet treats.
“My most memorable part was when I went to go play Cornhole. I stink really bad in the cornhole, but the very first one I threw, I made it in the hole and everybody saw, and that was really awesome,” Colhour said.
Both organizers emphasized the importance of making teachers feel appreciated.
“Sometimes being a teacher is a thankless job,” Colhour said. “They go to work every day and grind day in and day out, and we just want them to know we’re thinking about them and appreciate them.”
When talking about the event and the planning that went into putting it together Mrs. Nicole Ferguson gives gratitude to the PTC. “I think the teachers’ luncheon was amazing and the food was delicious. They had it ready to go for us, honestly impressive,” Ferguson said.
