The first day for teachers at C.C. Ring Elementary School brought a surprise by two Wal-Mart employees.
Betty Henson, customer service, and Kathy McMurray, training coordinator, presented the school with ten $100 gift certificates to Wal-Mart. The gift certificates are provided through the Teacher Rewards Program.
"We do this to offset the cost of teachers," McMurray said. "These can be used for school supplies and nutritional snacks for the children. It is a way of saying thank you for being a teacher."
Ring was chosen by a voting process with the store associates in the second year of the program, she said.
"We try to pick a school that is in need," she said.
Once a school was picked, the certificates were then presented to the 10 randomly drawn teachers. According to the program's website, on average, teachers spend more than $500 a year out of their own pockets for classroom supplies.
Patrick Kutschku, a reading coach and reading teacher for kindergarten through fourth grade, was one of the winners.
"It generally seems we go through a lot of money this time of year," he said. "It is very, very thoughtful of Wal-Mart to help offset these costs."
Kutschku says he spends between $300 and $400 on supplies for his students, and this gift certificate will surely help.
"I'm going to have to go through my shopping list to see what I get with this," he said. "We put in a lot of work and a lot of effort so it's good to get a token of appreciation."
The surprise comes on a day full of "nervous excitement," he said.
Other teachers receiving a gift certificate are Melissa Yost, Brandi Meacham, Kim Richir, Patrick Kutschke, Allen Thomas, Kim Larson, Kirsten Parra, Jim Cama, Katie Russo and Sue Eklum.
