Surprised with supplies

A local kindergarten teacher got a welcome surprise Tuesday: an economic stimulus package for her classroom that came in a big box.

Made of bright-orange corrugated cardboard, the box given to Donna Honda, a teacher at Sonora Elementary School, was filled with $1,000 worth of classroom supplies, which ranged from a digital camera to a box of crayons.

She was one of 1,000 teachers across the country who were presented with the supplies as part of the A Day Made Better program, put on by the nonprofit Adopt-A-Classroom and the office supply store OfficeMax.

“A thousand dollars right now in our budget is a huge amount,” said Sonora Principal Christine Anderson, who nominated Honda for the competition.

Now in its third year, the competition was created to increase awareness of the expenses today’s teachers rack up in stocking their classrooms with necessities like tissues and crayons. About $1 million in supplies was distributed Tuesday nationwide.

At Sonora, Anderson joined OfficeMax representatives in sneaking into Honda’s classroom and presenting her with flowers, balloons and the “treasure chest” of supplies.

Honda’s kindergartners found the big orange box more exciting than what was in it.

They clambered up its sides while Honda tried to express her astonishment.

“I’m overwhelmed, and so surprised,” Honda said. “When I saw them walking in, I thought Mrs. Anderson was just bringing people to observe the class. ... I definitely can use these supplies. What a surprise.”

Anderson said Honda was a natural fit for the A Day Made Better competition, in which principals were asked to nominate one teacher who exemplified passion, dedication and innovation in the classroom.

“Donna just popped out,” Anderson said. “She does everything quietly, efficiently. She just shows up and gets the job done. … You always know she’s going to show up.”

She cited Honda’s willingness to work after school and on weekends, developing lesson plans and strategies to help her students succeed.

The majority of Sonora’s students are learning English as a second language and live in low-income neighborhoods, she said.

“She’s so humble, too,” said reading interventionist Mary Ferryman, who was a longtime Sonora teacher. Ferryman and several other teachers stole through the school’s corridors along with Anderson and the OfficeMax crew to surprise Honda with her prize.

A June OfficeMax survey supported other research indicating that teachers spend about $1,200 of their own money each year to offset budget shortfalls.

Schools have been seeking assistance everywhere possible in the face of massive budget cuts from the state.

Sonora Elementary’s PTA is able to reimburse each of the school’s teachers about $200 per year in out-of-pocket expenses, and other fundraisers help out as well, Anderson said.

The school is Title I, with 72% of its students taking free or reduced-price lunches.

For more information on adopting teachers, visit adoptaclassroom.org.

Spotted In The Box

 Digital camera

 Printer

 Markers

 Label maker

 Dry erase markers

 Binder clips

 Chalk