OfficeMax surprises teachers with $1,400 in supplies

When Jocelyn Roos heard there was an emergency meeting at Beebe Elementary, she rushed over to the school hoping her multi-needs students were OK.

As it turned out, the only meeting taking place was a group of OfficeMax employees bursting into her classroom to surprise her and fellow multi-needs teacher RoseMarie Santelli with roughly $1,400 in school supplies, including a digital camera and printer.

"I had no idea," Roos said. "It was a wonderful surprise."

Roos and Santelli were among five area teachers -- including Glenda Gustafson of Granger Middle School in Aurora, Margie Peck of Welch Elementary in Naperville and Terri Moore of Longwood Elementary in Naperville -- who were surprised by OfficeMax Tuesday as part of the company's "A Day Made Better" event. It awarded supplies to 1,000 teachers across the country.

On average, teachers spend $1,200 of their own money each year on classroom supplies, according to Sue Mills, environmental director for the company. She said OfficeMax wanted to give back to the community and she thanked the teachers for the "unqualified love and care you give these kids."

Beebe Principal Robyn Rippel said she nominated Roos and Santelli because they pour their heart and soul into their work.

"You make a difference every single moment and this is just a small way to say thank you because we know you don't get paid enough, we know how much you put in not only during the day but … all the time," she said.

Roos, in just her second year of teaching, said she feels blessed.

"There's always little joys you find with these kids," she said. "I could never imagine myself working with regular education. They're great, too, but something just draws me to this population, and also just the team I work with is so amazing."

Santelli agreed her students keep her motivated.

"It's the kids when they smile and it's all the parents' support because it's definitely a team effort. If parents aren't there, progress cannot be made," she said.

Like Roos, Gustafson got a bit of a scare before the OfficeMax surprise at Granger, where she teaches math and history. Principal Mary Kelly gathered teachers and students together and said they needed talk have a talk about teacher behavior. With a teachers union representative in the room and a collective gasp from students, Gustafson wasn't sure what to expect until Kelly started talking about a teacher with a passion for her job.

"Glenda is somebody that really goes above and beyond for the kids," Kelly said in an interview after the surprise. "She's here early in the morning, stays late at night, does whatever an individual kid needs her to do … and cares about them not just as students but as a whole person."

Gustafson said the best part of the award was hearing from students that they respect and appreciate the work she does. She knows she has found her calling.

"I like seeing when the kids -- at times they may struggle -- but when they have that 'aha' look on their face and finally get it and are overwhelmed and enjoy the experience of learning," she said. "It makes me think I'm doing a good thing and this is what I want to do the rest of my life."

At Welch Elementary, secretary Pat Pacifici nominated Peck and said she watched her transition from being a student services coordinator to a fourth-grade teacher.

"I saw all she did to catch up with things and how curriculum was run and how much she's given of herself to the kids and making sure they are all serviced … she makes it an interesting learning experience," Pacifici said.

Peck said she loves to see her students display passion for learning and she tries to make personal connections with them.

"They will open up and learn because they are no longer afraid to take risks," she said. "They will take risks even if they fail because they know you provide the comfort and acceptance level in the classroom."

Moore, who teaches second grade at Longwood Elementary, is already concocting ways to use her new stash of supplies for writers' workshops and has donated the color printer and digital camera to the school's main office for all to use.

She said she tries to keep in mind that not all students learn the same way and to adjust her teaching techniques accordingly.

"I look at each student as an individual and try to meet their needs as a blank slate, make learning exciting and fun," she said.

Longwood Principal Laura Devine Johnston said Moore succeeds.

"She is an incredibly nurturing teacher and very invested in her students," Devine Johnston said. "And as OfficeMax says, she's typical of many teachers that spends a lot of her own money on supplies for students because she feels that's just exactly what they need."