OfficeMax Surprises Genoa Elementary Classroom with $1200 Worth of School Supplies
OfficeMax surprised Genoa Elementary fourth-grade teacher Chrystal Anchondo with over $1200 worth of school supplies Wednesday morning during the store’s annual “A Day Made Better” campaign. After receiving the gifts, Anchondo immediately hugged the asst. principal Cynthia Coronado and others. Students cheered for their “favorite teacher” when she received the box full of supplies.
Chrystal Anchondo poses with students in front of a box of school supplies, delivered personally by OfficeMax employees.
OfficeMax Surprises Genoa Elementary Classroom with $1200 Worth of School Supplies
October 1st began like any other Tuesday for Genoa Elementary fourth grade teacher Chrystal Anchondo – that is until OfficeMax stopped by her classroom with an unexpected surprise.
Excitement and joy filled the air as OfficeMax wheeled in a bright orange box filled with school supplies, including a brand-new Kindle Fire, digital camera, label maker, binders, notebooks, pencils, and other school essentials for her classroom. They also threw in a new leather chair to top it all off.
“It is quite a surprise to get all the gifts, but I’m glad that my kids will get to enjoy it as much as I will,” Anchondo said.
Genoa Principal Tiffany Bennett said the surprise is more than well deserving of a teacher like Anchondo.
“It’s always an honor to be asked to look at your staff and find that shining star, and so many of my teachers shine for different reasons,” Bennett said. “Looking at someone who gives of themself beyond the normal scope of teaching, it was extremely easy to select Ms. Anchondo.”
Principals were encouraged to nominate a teacher in their school who exemplified passion, dedication, and innovation inside and outside the classroom. After Bennett submitted Anchondo as a candidate, Genoa Elementary was selected as the winner for the retail store located on Fairmont Parkway and Beltway 8 in Pasadena.
“Last year, Ms. Anchondo took the initiative to begin a safety patrol program for our whole school – to help keep us safe,” Bennett said. “It gave some of our students leadership positions. So the fact that we can have a partnership with the community and with OfficeMax to award teachers with some kind of honor was just an awesome opportunity."
In partnership with Adopt-A-Classroom, OfficeMax surprised 1000 teachers across the county, with school supplies valued at $1200 in hopes of erasing teacher-funded classrooms.
“Chrystal Anchondo is ultimately deserving, and we thank Principal Bennett for submitting her name and giving us an opportunity to come out and recognize her on this day,” Deric Carter, store manager for OfficeMax said.
Since its induction in 2007, OfficeMax’ A Day Made Better program and its non-profit partner Adopt-A-Classroom have funded more than 4,500 classrooms with more than $4.5 million in school supplies, and helped secure funding for more than 66,000 classrooms through donations to Adopt-A-Classroom.
“A Day Made Better is one of the many ways OfficeMax gives back to the community and we are extremely delighted to come to Genoa Elementary and surprise the Chrystal Anchondo with the gifts that she is so deserving of,” Carter said. “A lot of teachers are giving more than they are getting, so this is just a small way for us to show our appreciation.
Genoa Elementary fourth grade teacher Chrystal Anchondo (left) and Principal Tiffany Bennett stop for a photo before diving in to the box of goodies OfficeMax awarded the classroom.
