Mt. Sterling School Employee Appreciation Breakfast Honors School Workers
board of education and community education programs, chamber, mt. sterling school employee appreciation breakfast, mt. sterling/montgomery chamber of commerce,
“You know‚ Louise‚ I used to think no one really cared about the schools‚ but now I know they do.”
That comment‚ from eighth-grade teacher Kris Shrout to Louise Summers‚ director of Mt. Sterling’s community education and adult education programs‚ cuts right to the heart of what the Mt. Sterling School Employee Appreciation Breakfast is all about.
Sponsored by the Mt. Sterling-Montgomery Chamber of Commerce‚ the Board of Education and Community Education Programs‚ the breakfast was started two years ago to recognize the vital role all school employees - from teachers to bus drivers - play in educating children. The first breakfast was so successful that the event has now become a much-anticipated annual affair.
This year‚ some 600 employees in the school system were treated to an elegant sit-down breakfast on their first day back for the school year. They were served ham‚ sausage‚ hot biscuits‚ waffles‚ scrambled eggs‚ fresh fruit‚ Danish pastries‚ coffee and juice by members of the community.
Businesses‚ community groups and other volunteers not only did the serving‚ but also came in the weekend before and transformed the school cafeteria. Each group sponsored a table seating of six‚ eight or 12 people. They provided all the table linens and place settings. They also provided a gift for each person.
The tables varied depending on the sponsor. Quality Tire‚ for example‚ gave their people a free oil change and tire rotation‚ while Chef America provided a basket filled with insulated mugs‚ mouse pads‚ pencils‚ T-shirts and other fun items. The Advocate provided an annual subscription to the newspaper. Merle Norman provided free samples of makeup and a free facial. Each table was decorated differently as well.
Summers said everyone gets caught up in the festive spirit of the event as the volunteers spend the weekend before decorating‚ and school employees stop by to sneak a peek before the event. In fact‚ school employees often arrive at 6:30 a.m. on Monday to carefully decide where they would like to sit‚ a big change from a few years ago when they typically arrived just in time to begin the day’s work.
“The most wonderful part is not the decorated tables‚ not the gifts‚ not even the 200-300 volunteers there on opening day‚” says Summers. “It is that everyone is saying‚ ‘We support you in what you do‚ and we are here to help you do the important job of teaching our kids.’ It is one great‚ big partnership and has really opened doors between the community and the schools.”
Story by Debbie Gibson
Photo by Submission
