Latrobe Elementary School teachers and students surprised with donations and supply kits
LATROBE, Pa. (KDKA) — Teachers and students at Latrobe Elementary School had an exciting morning Tuesday as they received special gifts to help them this school year.
As Melissa Turnbull was teaching her second graders, someone showed up to her door with a purple box. It was filled with extra school supplies like pencils, crayons and markers. Sendell Subaru shared them with all of the students at the school, but they also gave Turnbull and 14 other teachers $500 each to work on other projects in the classroom.
"Get those materials that we need to have more of those project-based learning lessons, so we can kind of do more like inquiry-based activities and like STEM activities with the kids that we normally wouldn't get to do," Turnbull said.
Principal Sherry Holler said it's the third time the dealership, in partnership with AdoptAClassroom.org, has selected educators at their school to receive these grants.
"Our budget covers most of what we need to do with our students, but these are opportunities that are above and beyond what the students would receive," Holler said.
These days more teachers are using their own money to support their students. According to AdoptAClassroom.org, during the 2022-23 school year, teachers spent an average of $860 out-of-pocket on supplies, a 44 percent increase since 2015. Turnbull has experienced it firsthand.
"Times are getting tougher, I think, all around, so I do think, like each year, things are getting more expensive, and there's less and less money to pay for those things," Turnbull said.
Getting these donations makes all the difference for both the students and teachers.
"It makes you feel appreciated as an educator, to realize that like people, people see what you're doing, they see it's beneficial, and they want to help with that process," Turnbull said.
