Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Tuesday, October 04, 2011

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Across the country, nearly 1,000 OfficeMax stores each deliver a box of classroom supplies to a deserving teacher in the annual "A Day Made Better" giveaway.

Two Fayette County educators definitely enjoyed “A Day Made Better,” courtesy of OfficeMax.

Christie Davis, a first-grade teacher at Arlington Elementary, and P.E./wellness teacher Mike Webster at Tates Creek Middle School each received more than $1,000 worth of classroom supplies Tuesday during the nationwide teacher-appreciation giveaway.

“I’m shocked – I’m flabbergasted!” Davis exclaimed after wiping away a few tears.

She and her youngsters immediately dove into her big orange box, which was filled with crayons, pens, glue sticks, notepads, binders, a camera, a printer and other goodies.

“Having this stuff supplements what I couldn’t get with my own income,” Davis said.

Webster also was overwhelmed.

"There's no other place I'd rather be than Tates Creek Middle School. The kids are awesome," he said as colleagues and students applauded his selection. "All this stuff is going to help us have the best health program."

OfficeMax also gave Arlington and TCMS large boxes of supplies donated by customers at the Hamburg and Nicholasville Road-area stores.

Arlington secretary Susan Bryan, who nominated Davis, described her as a phenomenal teacher.

“She is always organized and has her classroom inviting for her students.  Her students love her, too. That makes them ready to learn and Mrs. Davis ready to teach,” Bryan said.

TCMS bookkeeper Karen Parido offered similar praise for her school’s winner.

“Mr. Webster is a very enthusiastic, team player and leader here at the Creek. His teaching style is very unique, and students love going to his class. In the midst of our renovation, Mr. Webster had to be a bit more unique than usual as he became a mobile teacher, meaning he did not have a classroom or office space. The school supplies will go to good use in his class for this teacher on the move,” Parido said.

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. OfficeMax partners with Adopt-A-Classroom to identify schools and teachers for recognition on “A Day Made Better.”

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