Teachers seeking help with projects

Eight Jay County elementary school teachers are looking for help to purchase new supplies and equipment for their classrooms.

Through a donation website focused on helping public school teachers — DonorsChoose.org — five teachers from Redkey Elementary School and one each from Pennville Elementary School, East Elementary School and General Shanks Elementary School are seeking funds.

Redkey Elementary librarian Cathy Fugiett, who also works at Westlawn Elementary, said that sometimes teachers need extra funds to add to the learning experience for their students. She estimated that teachers’ spend about $250 to $300 of their own money each year to buy supplies and decorations for their rooms.

“We spend so much of our own money, it’s nice to get some help,” Fugiett said.

Fugiett was able to purchase a puppet set for the Westlawn Elementary library using money from the site, but is currently seeking funds to purchase one for Redkey as well. She said acting out the plot of a book after reading it helps students with comprehension and understanding.

The teachers receive assistance from local Parent-Teacher Organizations, The Portland Foundation, local churches, parents and other organizations, but Fugiett said because of the tight budget, sometimes it’s still difficult to find the funds to buy new things for the classroom.

Redkey Elementary principal Jan McGalliard said the decline in enrollment over the last decade has meant that there is less funding that can be used to help teachers. Since 2004, enrollment has dropped by more than 400 students in Jay School Corporation.

But McGalliard said the budget woes shouldn’t stop teachers from coming up with new ideas to help students learn.

“I think teachers are so creative,” McGalliard said. “And sometimes to be creative costs some money. It’s just a labor of love.”

Kelly Rose, the 5th grade teacher at Redkey Elementary, hopes to get help funding the purchase of tennis balls for the bottom of her students’ chairs. She said that when taking tests and quizzes, students often get distracted by others who stand up to turn their work in. She already has two chairs with tennis balls, and said she has noticed that if they turn their work in early it is much less of a distraction to the other students.

Shalee Myron wants to install a buddy bench outside at the Redkey Elementary’s playground. The buddy bench would be a spot lonely students could go to that other students would see they needed a buddy. Myron said she’s seen online that the idea has been successful at other elementary schools, and hopes to be able to place one at Redkey Elementary so no student has to play alone.

For those interested in donating, they can visit https://www.DonorsChoose.org, and search for Jay County to find the 10 projects proposed by several Jay County School Corporation teachers.