zulily announced the 50 winners of it’s Thank a Teacher Contest this week in celebration of National Teacher Appreciation Week. Customers submitted inspirational stories about educators that touched their lives. zulily had the tough job of selecting the winners from more than 8000 nominations and providing them with $500 to outfit their classrooms with finds from zulily.com.
Did you know that the average teacher spends $500 of their own money investing in their classroom? 1 in 10 has spent $1000 or more! These dedicated teachers deserve to be recognized! Six of the winners were invited to curate sales events catered to teachers, that feature classroom ready merchandise in specialized categories, such as STEM, Art & Creative Play, Foreign Language, Homeschool & Montessori, Special Needs, and Teacher Supplies & Furniture. zulily salutes educators everywhere and this week only is offering an additional 15% off items purchased from these six curated sales events, on top of the up to 70% off customers already receive, for teachers to shop for their classrooms and support their peers.
“Educators are a cornerstone of our community and great teachers have encouraged and impacted everyone in meaningful ways, big and small. What makes teachers unique is their passion and dedication to go above and beyond, personally investing time and money to better their students and their environments,” said Darrell Cavens, CEO of zulily. “We wanted to bring visibility to everything that teachers do and spotlight a few stories that are emblematic of all teachers who have moved our customers and employees. A heartfelt thank you, from all of us here at zulily.”
zulily shares a few stories that illustrate how teachers impact everyone they touch:
Dawna Gatrost, AVID/ELA/History, Canyon Lake Middle School, CA. Mrs. Gatrost is a school mom to everyone, but especially the foster youth. As a former foster parent, her trauma-based training is invaluable to promptly recognizing the struggle typical students don’t have to deal with. Her tough love in AVID teaches the organization skills children desperately need for success in life. She’s a great communicator with the parents and an important part of foster children’s “village” who raised them. She’s the reason we don’t shy away from fostering middle school aged kiddos! She’s hands down the best teacher we’ve met, and I volunteer with foster children all across southern California. – Valentina Rocnik
Jeffrey Gross, Special Education, Edison High School, Philadelphia, PA. Jeff’s music therapy program is the impossible in a Philadelphia class for multiple handicapped students. With no budget, he has brought in music therapy students to work in his class twice weekly and not surprisingly there have been amazing results from the once silent students. He has also found a way to bring in alpacas from the surrounding area, definitely a first for his students! He just keeps talking to people he meets and keeps looking for resources to bring into school for his “kids.” His calm attitude is not the usual in the school but cannot be replaced. – Jessica Levin
Iyana Tennon, Elementary, all subjects, Virtuous Academy, Duquesne, PA. Iyana runs a beautiful and thoughtful school for kids who attend a really tough district. Many kids drop out and the others that remain are often bullied and underperforming. Iyana created Virtuous Academy to provide a safe option for these kids, with a strong academic curriculum. STEM is a large part of it, as she believes jobs in the sciences are a way for these young people to break the cycle of poverty in their families. – Gisele Fetterman
To learn more about the 50 inspiring winners of zulily’s Thank a Teacher Contest and how they have impacted lives everywhere, visit The Find. Throughout National Teacher Appreciation Week, zulily will also be going LIVE on Facebook at 4:00 PM (PT) everyday to highlight some of the products featured in each event, and share more inspiring stories and surprises. Visit zulily.com and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest for more #zulilyThankATeacher inspiration and news. From zulily to teachers everywhere, view the brand’s series of videos to say ‘thank you’.
A nice event to celebrate teachers!