Lodi Teachers Looking For College Shirts To Get Students Thinking About Higher Education
LODI (CBS13) — Lodi teachers are looking to help students participate in a day geared toward getting students to give more thought about going to college.
For College Spirit Day, students at Live Oak Elementary are encouraged to wear a college T-shirt every Wednesday to promote higher education.
But for many students, the shirts aren't easy to come by.
HOW DO DONATE: Email Rachel Roeschen
Rachel Roeschen's fourth-grade class is eager to learn and eager to participate, but on Wednesday, not a single student is wearing a college T-shirt.
"It was sad," she said. "I was so sad my kids weren't wearing a college T-shirt."
Roeschen says the kids wanted to participate last week, but several don't have the means to buy a college shirt.
"One of the kids had UCLA written on their pink shirts. They had made their own college shirt at home," she said.
On Wednesday, only a few students at the school wore college shirts.
"We don't wear them, because we don't know where to get them," one child said.
Guest administrator Cheryl Nilmeyer started the program at Lodi schools 10 years ago.
"We wanted to really promote that this is not the end of your career, it's only the beginning. And we want you to think through about going to college," she said.
Nilmeyer and Roeschen say they don't want students' first experience with college to be the expense, so Roeschen posted on Facebook asking for old college T-shirt donations. A few donors came through this week.
"My sister and a couple of close friends have donated," she said.
Even without the shirts, students say they're already thinking about college choices. But with more college shirts seen on campus, the school hopes to keep students thinking and talking about college.