MONROE

Fifth-grade teacher Jan Gordon thought she was bringing her students to the media center to check out books. When she got there, however, she was greeted with a standing ovation and lots of cheers and smiles from her co-workers and family.

As she walked through the gauntlet of fellow teachers, all applauding, the surprise quickly turned to tears of appreciation once she realized what was going on. Gordon had been chosen to receive more than $1,000 in gifts to be used in her classroom in an event called “A Day Made Better.”

Gordon, nominated by her principal Mike Harvey, accepted a bouquet of flowers and took a seat in her brand new leather chair to receive her bounty. “I’m speechless,” she said wiping tears away. “I’m honored to the core.”

“Jan is someone who goes above and beyond for her students,” Harvey said. “She continues to have a positive attitude each and every day. Jan does whatever needs to be done to get the job done. This is one small way to recognize what she does.”

Gordon and her school, Benton Heights Elementary School of the Arts, had been selected by Adopt-A-Classroom and OfficeMax to receive the surprise visit on behalf of the nationwide event called “A Day Made Better.”

So on Oct. 27, team of OfficeMax representatives showed up with classroom supplies and resources worth more than $1,000. Some of the items Gordon received include a printer, a video camera, a digital camera, a leather office chair, and a box full of school supplies such as pencils, tissues, notebooks, etc.

“We are working to erase the need for teachers to have to spend their own money to buy supplies for their classrooms,” Pamela Luckadoo, an Office Max representative, said during the presentation. “We love giving this to you. We want to thank you for what you do. We want to be part of the community, do something to support where the need is most. We understand that teachers give a lot of their own money to supply their classrooms.”

Teachers in more than 1,000 schools across the United States were chosen to receive the recognition after being nominated by their schools. “I really want to thank Office Max,” Harvey said after the presentation. “They are a great community partner. It’s great to know that there are businesses that reach out to help educators.”

— This article was provided courtesy of the Communications Office of the Union County Public Schools.