-
Foundation members gather to fill bags with goodies for teachers CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Providing funds for the teachers and schools isn’t all the Cordell Academic Foundation does as last week they took the time to celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week.
An event it partakes in every year, the foundation was able to distribute what they call Teacher Appreciation bags after not being able to last year due to COVID.
“It’s really neat because when we bring all the bags in it’s like they know we’re coming and what we’re doing,” President of the foundation Misty Gossen said. “We’ll have teachers say, ‘Oh, our bags are here!’ And then the counselor usually does a thank you letter and all the teachers sign it.”
These bags are filled with items donated by local businesses. This year’s items included things such as cups, highlighters, cookies, disinfectant wipes, hand sanitizer, and the like.
“It’s just an appreciation that we try to do for the whole entire staff. So not just teachers but coaches and janitors and everyone at the school,” Gossen said. “We start about a month before gathering and writing letters to businesses if they want to put items into the bags.”
Ideas such as this come about during meetings when members of the foundation get together each month, and Gossen said the foundation is always open to suggestions and news members that have fresh ideas.
“We do not turn anyone away. We meet at noon on the second Tuesday of the month at Atlas Title,” Gossen said. “We kind of just meet as needed, and get things done.”
Monetary donations are also accepted by the foundation year-round and these donations go towards funding their Grants to Teachers Program.
Teachers can visit the Cordell Public Schools website to apply for a grant from the foundation.
These grants are also funded through membership fees as well as the foundation’s annual fundraiser.
If you are interested in becoming a member of the foundation, you can contact Gossen at 580-660-0298 for membership information.
“There’s just a handful of us that meet and it would be so nice to have more people involved with new ideas,” Gossen said. “It’s not much time and then it would be a huge gift for us because we’d have that help.”
According to its website, the foundation describes itself as being “based on the principle that as the education of children and youth of a community are enhanced, the quality of life for all citizens is made better.”
Special classroom projects in science, needed supplies in the classroom, academic fairs, and innovative programs in mathematics are just some of the things the foundation lists that have or can be funded by it.
For those who would like to contribute to the academic foundation, you can mail your check to the Cordell Public School Academic Foundation, PO Box 171, Cordell, OK 73632.