Arvest Bank Announces ‘We Love Teachers’ Honorees
Arvest Bank is pleased to announce twenty one teachers in Fort Smith and the River Valley have been awarded $500 gifts as part of its “We Love Teachers” initiative.
This is the seventh consecutive year Arvest has conducted the initiative. A total of 145 teachers at public state-funded schools throughout the bank’s four-state footprint are being awarded. Recipients are selected by partnering schools’ administrations based on classroom needs.
The recipients in Fort Smith and the River Valley are:
Brushy Elementary Tashaa Harris
Liberty Elementary Cheryl Gustafson
Dover High School Jon Sumners
Hector High School Carla Oakes
Atkins High School Melissa McCrotty
Pottsville High School Abby Falls
Russellville High School Jennifer Lachowsky
London Elementary Kady Nagel
Dardanelle High School Sherry Holliman
Lavaca Elementary Ashley Dorr
Westwood Elementary Kallie Cooper
Tilles Elementary Rachel Adams
Tilles Elementary Rachel Brannon
Kimmons Jr High Sara Williams
Clarksville School District Kim Patterson
Howe High School Rebekah McAllister
Panama High School Casey Leapttrot
Waldron School District Mary Brown
Alma High School Jeana Parker
Van Buren High School Kellie Salyer
Mulberry High School Zach Zajicek
Mena School District Linda Willard
The “We Love Teachers” initiative aims to address a widespread need among teachers. According to a 2021 AdoptAClassroom.org survey, teachers spent an average of $750 of their own money for classroom needs during the 2020-2021 school year. Additionally, 30 percent of respondents said they spend $1,000 or more per year.
“We salute our recipients here in Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley and all the hard-working teachers everywhere,” Arvest marketing manager Jennifer Caldwell said. “We know teachers face a lot of challenges and we appreciate what they do on a daily basis to make a positive impact on their students and our communities. We hope our gifts make these teachers’ jobs a little easier.”
Original source can be found here.
