Ohio University Kappa Delta Pi celebrates local teachers with renovation service project

On Oct. 6, Ohio University’s Omega chapter of Kappa Delta Pi won the Celebration of Teaching Gold Award for its initiative that raised over $1,000 to renovate The Plains Elementary School’s teachers’ lounge last fall.

The overhaul was part of the International Honor Society in Education’s Celebration of Teaching, the newest Signature Service Initiative which encourages chapters to “support current teachers, cultivate future teachers, and advocate for our profession,” according to its website.

“Our chapter believes that this project should honor our teachers and show that we see them, that we see their hard work, and that they are worth celebrating,” Lillie Booth, president of Ohio University’s Omega chapter, said. “During these unprecedented times, teachers’ roles are expanding even more, and we see teachers rise to the challenge every day.”

Members of the chapter donated new furniture to the teachers’ lounge, renovated the kitchen area, and added a coffee bar. They stocked the refrigerator and kitchen cabinets with treats and hung a custom sign that reads “The Plains Elementary Rocks.”

“It really brought a homey, relaxing feeling to a plain room that tended to shout ‘hurry up!’” fourth-grade teacher Colleen Ulbrich said.

After Heidi Mullins, former advisor of the chapter, proposed the idea of renovating a local teachers’ lounge to fulfill the service project requirement, the executive board sent a survey to local principals in Athens County to gauge interest.

Booth, who is a senior Middle Childhood Education major with social studies and language arts concentrations, said that The Plains Elementary stood out to her chapter.

“We were touched with The Plains Elementary survey because the principal discussed how hard the teachers work, and the struggles they had faced in recent years,” Booth said. “She really wanted to do something to show her appreciation and thanks.”

The Plains Elementary Principal Heather Skinner even asked for the renovation to be kept secret so it could be a surprise to the teachers.

Although the renovation process took only three days, the school selection and fundraising process took months.

To raise funds, the chapter sold quesadillas on Court Street last fall. The revenue, combined with money saved from a candle fundraiser in 2018, allowed the chapter to reach their goal of $1,000.

According to Booth, the chapter’s executive board asked members to donate items, and also “DIY’d” many of the renovation additions.

Philanthropy chair Danielle Beck spent time making homemade decorations to spruce the lounge up.

“We worked together on beautiful paper flowers that were going to go on the walls,” Beck said. “Everyone there was having fun and enjoying putting everything together.”

Beck, who is a senior Early Childhood Education major, happened to be student teaching at The Plains Elementary the same semester the renovation took place, helping coordinate the project with the teachers in mind.

“The teachers deserved a space that was customized just for them,” Skinner said. “When they gather for lunch the atmosphere is now upbeat and light.”

When the new teachers’ lounge was revealed, The Plains Elementary staff was elated with the results.

Intervention specialists Angelina Sammons and Brooke Kaiser said that the room became “very inviting” and “went from drab to fab!”

Ohio University’s chapter was the first of six to be awarded the Celebration of Teaching Gold award, which was announced on Kappa Delta Pi’s Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook accounts.

Booth felt that winning the award was exciting and inspiring for her chapter.

“I do not think I have the words to describe how proud I am for Kappa Delta Pi,” Beck said. “I know it has motivated me and other members to do it again or another project like it.”