A week of appreciation, support, and impact
Teachers show up every day—for the student who struggles to name what they’re feeling, the one who can’t afford rain boots for a wetland field trip, and the one who just needs a pencil to get started.
This behind-the-scenes work is what makes Teacher Appreciation Week more than a gesture; it’s a chance to recognize the impact educators have every single day.
And to recognize that impact, SELCO invested nearly $5,000 into local schools, reaching more than 300 educators through in-school appreciation efforts at 16 schools across our service area. Sometimes the best way to say thank you is to simply be there. Teachers give their time, resources, and energy every day, and a small gesture in the right moment can go a long way.
SELCO’s appreciation showed up in creative and personal ways. Team members stocked teacher lounges with coffee, snacks, and essential supplies, delivered classroom materials like calculators and sharpeners, and brought treats from local bakeries to share with staff. At one school, a SELCO team member even created a build-your-own bouquet bar—complete with thrifted vases and locally sourced flowers—so teachers could put together something just for themselves. These small, thoughtful gestures added up to moments of connection and appreciation throughout the week.
Beyond the in-school celebrations, SELCO also funded seven DonorsChoose projects, putting resources directly into the hands of teachers who knew exactly what their students needed. The result was meaningful support for more than 500 students.
Those DonorsChoose projects offer a glimpse into what’s happening in classrooms right now:
- Leslie Middle School, students head into local wetlands each week for hands-on field work—now equipped with rubber boots and clipboards, they’re able to get there safely and do the work right.
- North Eugene High School, students now have pencils, notebooks, and sticky notes to bring their ideas to life. A choir program that has grown from just five students to 85 now has microphones, cables, and stands to match the scale of their hard work.
- Four Corners Elementary, younger learners now have access to social-emotional learning books to help them name and navigate the big feelings they carry into the classroom each day.
Whether it was a bouquet built by hand, a restocked classroom or a DonorsChoose project brought to life, each of these efforts started the same way: recognizing a need and choosing to show up. SELCO is proud to stand behind these moments, helping turn small ideas into meaningful support for both educators and students.
Because at the end of the day, every student deserves the tools they need to learn and succeed, and Teacher Appreciation Week is one small way we get to give back to the educators who make that possible.
