Helping them fly
Twin Bridges School and Community Foundation recognizes teachers and looks to the future
On May 4, Twin Bridges Schools had a special Teacher Appreciation Week assembly.
Kindergarten through eighth grade students recognized their teachers with artwork and ‘high fives’ and each time a teacher’s name was announced through the microphone, students in the bleachers cheered with impressive enthusiasm. The recently revamped Twin Bridges School and Community Foundation Board also attended the ceremony to announce their new initiatives.
The Foundation began in 2001 under the direction of then-superintendent Rand Bradley and current House District 71 Representative Kenneth Walsh. At this time, the foundation focused on providing scholarships to graduating seniors.
“Now we’re just looking to moving forward with a more active board with some new ideas and thoughts,” Tracey Pearce, foundation board chair, said.
Among those ideas include an Innovative Grant Program, seeking to award monies to teachers looking outside of the box in either classroom experience or professional development. “Something that’s a little more above (and beyond). There’s a lot of curriculum changes so a special class to help a teacher out with that, and those cost to go to, so this will help them be able to attend those and bring it back to our kids,” Pearce, a Twin Bridges graduate herself with kids in the district, explained.
At the assembly, teachers and support staff were awarded Falcon Wings, which indicated that money was donated into the Innovative Grant Fund in honor of the school staff member. Falcon Wings can be awarded at any time throughout the year and Pearce said the goal is to have a website up and running soon where community members can donate online. The foundation hopes to award two Innovative Grants this fall.
The purpose of this assembly, at its core, was to say thank you. A new mural celebrating the Falcons and the Twin Bridges School community was presented at the end of the teacher recognition assembly to be hung inside the schools. Underneath the handprint-filled, colorful Falcon, the banner states, “dedicated to the wonderful Falcon teachers who help us fly.”
“As a teacher, it is such a reward to know you’ve done something right,” Verta Dorseth, Twin Bridges community member and former teacher, said. “These teachers and this supportive staff of this school have done something right because you kids are awesome.”