Once again the community will have an opportunity to demonstrate that Montezuma County Loves Its Kids and Teachers (MCLIKT). This Adopt a Teacher project was initiated during the last school year to help teachers in the Re-1 School District and their students. Although they had no pay increases for four years, teachers have been spending their own money on educational materials and supplies to help their students learn. The community generously came to their aid.
Exact numbers are not available because some churches, groups and individuals opted to help teachers they know and these were not reported. There were students and teachers who benefitted at the following schools: Kemper, Mesa, Manaugh, Lewis Arriola, Cortez Middle School, Montezuma Cortez High School and Southwest Open School.
At least 50 teachers and their students were assisted by 18 individuals, the Cortez Kiwanis, Democratic Women, Southwest Colorado Greens, First United Methodist Church, First Presbyterian Church, St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, Trinity Lutheran Church and Church of Christ. The latter also provided volunteers to help Kemper students with reading.
The following businesses and/or their employees also provided support: the Cortez Journal, Southwest Memorial Hospital, Axis Health System, Skanska, Ertel Funeral Home, Dolores State Bank, Southwest Statistical Consulting, Four Corners Financial and R & W Trucking.
Skanska employees contributed more than $700 to purchase educational materials and supplies for a special education class at the middle school and one at the high school. One individual donor contributed more than $2,400 for lab equipment and supplies for a middle school science class, assisted the teacher in setting up the lab at the beginning of the year and helped her throughout the year. Other contributors also helped their adopted teachers throughout the school year.
Contributions included the following: $875 in cash; gift cards, a class field trip to Mesa Verde; books, French dictionaries, three-ring binders, copy paper, loose leaf paper, construction paper, graph paper, spiral notebooks, composition books, pocket folders, sketch pads for students in MCHS art classes; dry erase markers and erasers, highlighters, markers, pencils, pens, erasers, electric and individual pencil sharpeners; scissors, glue sticks, glue, clay, play dough; staplers, post it notes, scotch tape and tape dispensers; tennis shoes and socks for elementary PE students whose families are unable to provide them; rulers, meter sticks, compasses, protractors, graphing calculators, batteries; materials to teach about time and money, letter and number sets, globes; items to use as awards for achievement, snacks; electronic equipment; lab equipment and supplies for middle school students; plastic bins and bankersÂ’ boxes for storage; kitchen equipment, sewing machines and supplies for MCHS students in Family and Consumer Science; and many other items.
Because so many requested items are common to all schools and needed annually, there will be a drive to collect those supplies and divide them among all schools in the District, including Battle Rock and Southwest Open School. First National Bank of Cortez has agreed to be the drop off site, beginning August 6. Teachers will also be given the opportunity to be adopted and request educational materials and other items. More information about the supply drive and teacher adoption will be available in the next few weeks. To learn more, contact Judy Schuenemeyer at judyswsc@q.com or 565-0179.
