UPDATE: Check out these videos of Slater’s Gwendolyn Taylor here and here.
Four Atlanta Public Schools elementary teachers got a needed boost in their classrooms Tuesday when OfficeMax provided $1,000 worth of school supplies as part of their national “A Day Made Better” project. The recipients were Boyd’s Trina White, Fickett’s Merilyn Tickles, Slater’s Gwendolyn Taylor and West Manor’s Francine Ferguson.
Armed with flowers, a plaque and a large box of office supplies, representatives from OfficeMax flooded Taylor’s classroom, leading students in shouting, “Surprise!”
The supplies ranged from markers and notebooks to a new leather chair. Two gifts that got the most response were digital cameras and electric pencil sharpeners.
“I wish I were Ms. Taylor,” said one student as her teacher displayed each item. Each year, Office Max selects 1,000 winning educators around the country. Based on their research, teachers spend about $1,000 a year outfitting their classrooms with colorful signs, banners and other tools to enhance instruction.
“It is our way of giving back to the community,” said Todd McBride, national account manager for the office supply retailer. “It’s really awesome to be here and watch the kids’ expressions.”
Taylor, who has taught at Slater for the past five years, also serves as the school’s Teacher of the Year as well as a Project GRAD master teacher. While the supplies definitely made her day, she was eager to put them to use by returning to that lesson.
“Partnerships like this encourage our teachers to keep doing their best each day,” said Principal Selina Dukes-Walton. “Miss Taylor is a great ambassador for Slater Elementary.” On Wednesday, Slater will welcome the city’s top ambassador; Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed is scheduled to attend the grand opening of Slater’s SunTrust Youth Bank.
Merilyn Tickles, a second-grade teacher at Fickett Elementary, was surprised by the OfficeMax A Day Made Better team along with her principal, Dr. Anthony Dorsey. “I am just shocked and overwhelmed,” said Tickles, who has been an educator for 31 years, and seven of those years have been at Fickett.
Over at Boyd, Principal Emalyn Foreman was delighted for Trina White, whom she nominated. “She’s a very nurturing person who brings love and compassion to the kids everyday,” Foreman said of White, currently in her second year at Boyd. “No matter her students’ circumstances, she brings them under her wing and gives them what they need to succeed.”
