The Jam Box

When Rutland Elementary School’s staff and students gathered for an assembly Tuesday morning, teacher Pam Stack had no idea it was all for her.

Amidst cheers from the crowd, personnel from Ottawa’s OfficeMax honored Stack for her teaching efforts, bringing her $1,000 in office supplies as part of the A Day Made Better campaign. Stack, who teaches language arts to seventh- and eighth-graders, said she was humbled by the recognition.

“I don’t do anything, I’m not any more special, than any other staff member here. I really don’t,” she said. “We all love our students. We all want the best for them. And we all work toward that end.”

Stack has spent her entire 18 years teaching at Rutland.

“(I enjoy) bringing out the potential in the students,” she said. “It’s all about the kids. The kids are our future.”

Rutland Principal Toby Coates said Stack is a standout among his teachers.

“She is one of the ones that is constantly looking to serve the students,” he said. “She goes above and beyond daily. She’s always looking to better herself and that creates opportunities to better the kids.”

Nationwide, OfficeMax recognized 1,000 teachers as part of the campaign, with 91 of them in Illinois. The gift of office supplies is meant to help teachers, who often spend thousands of dollars out of their own pockets to outfit their classrooms.

Ashley Nanouski, who teaches fourth grade at Jefferson School in Ottawa, also was chosen for the honor and recognized during an assembly Tuesday morning.

“I never would have guessed it was me,” she said. “But I love that it was.”

Nanouski is in her fourth year of teaching.

“I love to work with kids,” she said. “I love seeing them want to come to school and not want to leave. And just the smiles on their faces when they figure something out.”

Jefferson Principal Cleve Threadgill, who nominated Nanouski, said Nanouski is an excellent teacher who brings enthusiasm to her classroom.

“She is student-oriented,” he said. “She goes that extra mile for her class. And also for the school. She serves on committees and student council. She is one of those people who says, ‘How can I help?’ “

Both Stack and Nanouski acknowledged using their own money to buy school supplies and were appreciative of the gifts.

“I’m a kid at heart. I love supplies,” said Stack. “I absolutely will be sharing (with the rest of the building). It’s amazing stuff.”

Nanouski said her students were surprised to hear she bought her own classroom supplies.

“It’s really neat that OfficeMax recognized what we do and what we put into it,” she said. “It made (my class) realize that their teachers do put a lot into their own rooms.”

<a href="http://mywebtimes.com/ottnews/archives/ottawa/display.php?id=415074tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://mywebtimes.com/ottnews/archives/ottawa/display.php?id=415074Wed, 06 Oct 2010 04:23:05 GMT 00:00″>More than an apple