Donors Give Sappington Teachers a New Space
August 28, 2017
Sappington Elementary School teachers are sharing their gratitude with local parents and businesses, and even companies from far away, after a slew of generous donors gave appliances, furniture and hours of time to create a warm and inviting lunch room for the school’s staff.
As Sappington enrollment surged over the past several years, conference rooms, closets and even the teachers’ lounge were sacrificed to create additional instructional space for students. In addition, the entire fifth-grade class moved off-site to Sperreng Middle School in 2016-17. However, relief arrived this year when Dressel Elementary School opened and Sappington’s 757-student enrollment dropped back down to just under 500. After three years without a lunch room, teachers finally have a place to call their own.
Principal Dr. Ta’Keshia Parker contacted two parent bloggers in Spring 2017 to find out if they knew anyone who could donate a refrigerator for the new lounge. However, Melissa Mitchell, the “Sippy Cup Mom,” and Tara Smith of “Seeing Dandy” had bigger plans in mind. They asked Dr. Parker to create an entire wish list for the space. Then, they reached out to their readers and were able to gather donations for not only the refrigerator, but also the furniture, paint, wall decorations and more.
“I really appreciate all of the donors who gave so generously to bring back the teachers’ lounge at Sappington,” Parker said. “This lounge has not only provided our staff with a space to eat, but it has also given us a sense of community as we have welcomed new staff members to our Sappington family. We are so thankful for the local businesses, the Sappington Parent Teacher Group, and Sappington families who came together to make this possible.”
Donors to the Sappington teachers’ lounge project include: Sherwin Williams, Appliance Discounters, Rustic Grain, Sunset Ford, Neighbors Credit Union, Charmette, Homedics, Precision Office Furniture Installation, and Sappington Parent Teacher Group.