McKinley School second-grade teacher Regina Shirley picks out a plant during a Walmart Teachers Rewards ceremony Monday, Sept. 24. Photo by Ruth Ellis

Oct. 2, 2012 — Teachers spend countless hours educating the future generation and not only do they give of their time, but they also use their own money to buy supplies for their classrooms.

This year, McKinley School was the local recipient of Walmart’s Teachers Rewards program and 20 educators received $50 gift cards to purchase classroom supplies that will help students start the school year off right.

Teachers gathered for a small award ceremony on the school’s patio Monday, Sept. 24. Susanville Walmart’s training coordinator Tina Rich and personnel manager Denise Lewis handed out the gift cards and each teacher also got to pick out a free plant.

Rich said, “Walmart knows that teachers work very hard and they use their own money, so Walmart came up with a program.”

Teachers can use the money to buy supplies such as paper, folders, binders, clipboards, pens, pencils crayons and markers.

“We are proud to honor our community’s teachers, who give time and their own money to ensure our students have everything they need to be successful throughout the school year,” said Rich. “At Walmart, we are dedicated to supporting our nation’s teachers by providing them with the support and resources needed to continue educating the future leaders of our country.”

Of being a reward recipient, first and second-grade teacher Linda Dunn, said, “I’m really excited about getting the gift cards because as a teacher, we are always running to Walmart and other stores in town to buy supplies for our classroom and so it’s very much appreciated.”

Dunn said she will probably use the money to buy desk sanitizer and dry-erase markers. She explained students write their answers on the white board and use up the markers a lot.

She said buying things for the classroom is something teachers have always done.

“If you don’t have something you buy it,” she said.

Second-grade teacher Regina Shirley said, “Its just nice to be appreciated. Sometimes people forget about us so it’s nice that we’re told thank you for the job that we do.”

Shirley said she would probably use the money to buy the same things – dry erase markers and desk sanitizer.

In its fourth year, more than 4,600 Walmart stores, Distribution Centers and Sam’s Club locations are eligible to select one local kindergarten through eighth grade public school.

Teacher Reward programs will donate up to $4.5 million to provide 90,000 teachers across the United States with reward cards. These funds come at a critical time, as the majority of U.S. teachers going back to school will spend their own money to ensure their students have the supplies they need to learn throughout the school year.

McKinley School Principal Lynne Parker said of Walmart and the reward program, “We really appreciate all that they do for the teachers in our community and our schools.”