Being a new teacher at a school, whether you are new to the profession or simply new to the school, comes with an adjustment period. Meeting new faculty members and students, navigating a new building, and acclimating to a school’s culture and teaching methods is change enough, but on top of that, teachers also find themselves in need of school supplies.
With many teachers buying classroom materials out of pocket, teachers are often unable to purchase everything they had hoped to supply for their classrooms. Fortunately for La Porte High School (LPHS), American RENOLIT decided to support five new teachers by purchasing and donating items for their classrooms.
“American RENOLIT has been ‘adopting’ families and teachers since 2010,” said American RENOLIT Human Resources Manager Melissa Gruber. “Our employees donate money, and the company matches their donations. We are very proud of and grateful for our generous employees at American RENOLIT. They make all of this possible. This allows us the opportunity to have a greater impact in the community.”
To ensure that these donations were tailored to their specific needs, American RENOLIT bought items from each teacher’s wish list. For an extra boost of positivity, American RENOLIT also gifted the teachers goody baskets stocked with gift cards and tasty treats and topped with a bright ribbon.
“We really appreciate the teachers and their hard work and dedication. Many people don’t realize that teachers are expected to provide a lot of the supplies for their classrooms out of their own pocket. For first-year teachers, this can be a heavy burden,” Gruber said. “It is our pleasure to provide some of these supplies as a way to show our appreciation to these outstanding members of our community.”
Taryn Grin, a first-year world history teacher at LPHS, recalls receiving the email announcing American RENOLIT’s plans for donating supplies to her classroom. When she learned of the planned donation, her jaw dropped.
“I couldn’t believe how generous this was,” Grin said. “I feel with COVID and in general, teachers are always in the spotlight. Social media doesn't really make that any better. Teachers get criticized a lot, so to receive a gift of appreciation for what we do for this community and for the kids we get to work with feels good. It’s super nice to be valued.”
Both Grin and Justin Martin, an English teacher at LPHS, are brand-new to teaching, so this gift is especially helpful. Martin shared that American RENOLIT’s donation helped him gauge what he needed for his classroom and attain those items that would otherwise have been out of his price range.
“This is my first year teaching period, so the stuff on the list was very much related to that. This is a complete blessing because I can now have stuff in here that the kids can use, and it takes that weight off my shoulders to try to find it and provide it for them. It means a whole lot that there are people out there cheering on teachers,” Martin said. “I want to say a big thank you because it’s nice to feel like the people in the community are on your side.”
While the teaching profession is not new to English teacher Joe Stewart, as he offered services to LPHS through substitute teaching for six years, this is his first year as a full-time teacher at LPHS. With his prior experience with LPHS and his relationship with La Porte, Stewart understands just how special this positive relationship between the school and American RENOLIT is for the community.
“We are so excited to be in this kind of a partnership because it's all about the City of La Porte,” Stewart said. “It's an industry that is important to the City of La Porte helping out an institution that is vital to the City of La Porte. We have to have good manufacturing, and we have to have a quality educational system. If those two organizations can work together to our mutual benefit, I just can't imagine a better situation for us to be in.”
American RENOLIT President Nils Dietz, like Stewart, feels that organizations and businesses as important as LPHS and American RENOLIT need to support each other to build a stronger, better community and future.
“Teachers are very appreciated since they are part of the foundation of our society, educating the next generations and preparing them for their adulthood and careers. They cannot earn enough recognition for what they do day by day with countless hours,” Dietz said. “As a business, we also want to partner with them and the schools to offer direct employment in a manufacturing environment and related jobs without necessarily going through higher education. This path has been taken successfully by many team members we have at American RENOLIT, and we want to encourage this even more.”
Through American RENOLIT’s support, these new teachers at LPHS will be able to upgrade their classrooms and enhance the minds and lives of their students. Biology teacher Anneke Wenzel is happy to make her classroom even more conducive to students’ learning experiences and observe how the students grow.
“The kids are amazing. I love coming to work and just getting to talk to them and getting to see them. They're the part that makes the job fun,” Wenzel said. “They're the whole reason we're here, and I love getting to be part of their lives and see them grow every day. It's not even about what I've done for them; it's just about getting to see them make progress and see them develop as people. It's really gratifying to watch.”
To learn more about American RENOLIT and its community involvement, visit https://www.renolit.com/en/.
