Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Wednesday, October 01, 2008

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First-graders at Dixie Elementary Magnet cheered teacher Janice Shelton, who received a certificate of recognition along with a box full of school supplies.

The surprise delivery of a mountain of free school supplies made this chilly fall day a little warmer for three Fayette County teachers.

“I’m set!” exclaimed Booker T. Washington second-grade teacher Susan Faw, as excited children checked out the big orange box full of colored markers, glue sticks and file folders. There was even a digital camera and a nice leather chair on wheels.

Faw’s classroom was the first local stop Wednesday morning as crews from OfficeMax fanned out to roughly 1,300 schools across the country and delivered the goods in surprise visits in the “A Day Made Better” promotion.

The other Fayette County Public Schools recipients were Katie Fielding, a sixth-grade language arts teacher at Tates Creek Middle, and Janice Shelton, a first-grade teacher at Dixie Elementary Magnet. The lucky educators used the same word to describe their reaction – tickled!

“Man, what a surprise this morning! I feel so fortunate to receive such a wonderful gift,” Fielding said. “I know my students will be able to enjoy all the things we were given. We will be able to complete so many different activities using the supplies.”

The giveaway is part of the OfficeMax campaign to eliminate the practice of teachers dipping into their own pockets to outfit their classrooms, especially during this time of extra economic burden. According to studies by the National Education Association, teachers spend nearly $1,200 on average out of their own pockets each year for basic classroom supplies.

Faw, who has taught at Booker T. Washington since 1991, can testify to the need. Despite the Back to School rallies and supplies brought from home, she said her classroom cupboard is nearly bare by Christmas.

The donated items will help the teachers make it through this school year.

“Instead of asking parents or our PTSA to help out, (Fielding will) have new supplies at her fingertips,” Tates Creek Middle principal Greg Quenon said. “It couldn’t have gone to a better teacher.”

Principals had been asked to nominate educators for their innovative approach to teaching and their passion for education.

“Ms. Shelton has dedicated her life to teaching. Year after year, her students thrive,” Dixie principal Loraye Jones said of Shelton, who has taught for some 25 years. “Parents love her for the way she makes every child feel special.”

Booker T. Washington principal Wendy Brown had similar praise for Faw, whose colleagues described her as well-respected and knowledgeable. “She’s basically a rock in this school,” Brown said.

OfficeMax partners with Adopt-A-Classroom (http://www.adoptaclassroom.org/) to identify schools and teachers nationwide for recognition on “A Day Made Better.” A majority of the recipients are Title I schools, where a high percentage of students receive free or reduced lunches.