TEMPLE, Texas — Over 50 first-year teachers at Temple Independent School District were able to take a back-to-school shopping spree on Wednesday, Jan. 3 thanks to a generous donation and grant funding, according to Temple ISD.
According to TISD, the district treated the teachers to the shopping spree using money from a donation from Garlyn Shelton Auto Group in Temple and grant funding from Texas A&M-Central Texas.
Each teacher was provided with $75 to spend on supplies and other needs for their classrooms. The shopping spree was held at the Temple Walmart Super Center on 31st Street, said TISD.
TISD said teachers filled their carts with everything from markers and notebooks to organizational supplies to bookshelves and storage containers.
TISD expressed its thanks to Garlyn Shelton for the donation and emphasized its commitment to its first-year teachers.
“When Garlyn Shelton Nissan reached out to us about this donation, they expressed that this was their way of giving back to teachers and hoped it would be used to help offset out-of-pocket costs for them,” said Christine Parks, chief of communications and community relations for TISD. “We are so grateful to Garlyn Shelton for championing our teachers. Community support matters and it truly makes a difference in the lives of our staff and students.”
TISD named Alice Cox and Ravin Schulz as two of the teachers who participated in the shopping spree. Both teach sixth grade at Travis Science Academy, where Cox teaches language and literature and Schulz teaches science.
“I am just so thankful that we have been given this opportunity to stock our classrooms and give our students what they need,” said Cox. “I look forward to continuing to build relationships with the students. I want to affirm them and show that I value them. I want to give them the tools they need for academic success.”
“I am so thankful to have support from the community and the district,” Schulz added. “As a first-year teacher, it really makes me feel like I am appreciated and they are giving me all the opportunities to help my kiddos be successful and learn. I am excited to see how the kids have grown and I am looking forward to being able to look back at the end of the year to see the progress they have made toward becoming seventh and eighth graders.”
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