In December of 2021, EKCO partnered with businesses across Oklahoma to donate $1,000 direct gifts to innovative educators. Business representatives joined the EKCO team, along with local legislators who wanted to show their support, as we presented the checks to the deserving teachers. Now EKCO is checking back in with these educators and finding out how these scholarships are helping them continue to innovate in their classrooms.
One of the recipients was Marlow High School history teacher Haleigh Elroy. She was nominated by Marlow superintendent, George Coffman.
Elroy is a Marlow graduate and it was a storybook ending for her to return to the district to teach. Her family has worked in Marlow schools for three generations and now she will get to teach the next generation.
DRH Health contributed $500 and EKCO matched those funds with another $500 for Elroy to receive a $1,000 scholarship. Elroy said she was able to make three purchases with the funds.
First Elroy purchased an Oculus Quest VR experience. Students are able to use the virtual reality device to take field trips across the world. In Elroy’s Oklahoma History class she teaches students about Francisco de Coronado who was the first European in what is now Oklahoma. Coronado is also credited with the discovery of the Grand Canyon and students were able to virtually visit using the goggles. Not only students but also school administrators were able to use the Oculus to take a virtual tour of Anne Frank’s home.
Second, Elroy used the scholarship to take her senior Modern History class on an in-person field trip to the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial and Museum. None of the 20 students in her class had ever been to the memorial before.
The third item Elroy purchased was a classroom set of historical fiction novels titled Midnight at the Electric in addition to the audiobook. Elroy was excited to give her students an opportunity to read the books which include characters from three time periods in history. The first character is from the future year 2065. The second character is from the 1930s Dust Bowl era, and the final character is from post-World War I.
The Educator Gift Initiative was a way to thank local educators for their passionate work on innovative, outside-the-box projects with a direct gift to their classrooms.
Through this initiative, EKCO celebrated our teachers and all the hard work they do to innovate in the classroom and prepare our students for success!
“I cannot thank you enough for the gift because none of this could have happened without EKCO!” said Elroy.