Schools
Oak Lawn-Hometown School District 123 Staff Member Finalist in Contest
A Speech/Language Pathologist at Hometown Elementary was a finalist in a contest by Simple Modern and won a prize for the whole school.
Oak Lawn-Hometown School District 123’s Julie Carey, a speech/language pathologist at Hometown Elementary, was one of more than 2,200 educators who applied for a contest hosted by Simple Modern. Carey was a finalist after 130,000 votes were cast over a 10-day voting period.
“It was really inspiring to know that so many people support and believe in the work I do and want to see good things happen for me, my students and my school as a whole,” Carey said. “We always say there’s no place like Hometown, and it's because it is a building filled with so many dedicated educators and special kids.”
Ten educators from seven states won and were awarded $500 of Amazon wish list items/supplies for their students, along with an incredibly generous donation from Simple Modern of 1,500 student water bottles and 100 water tumblers for teachers and staff.
Some wish list items include new books for read-alouds in speech group, cooperative games, sensory items, and organization supplies.
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On Monday, August 26, Carey distributed the water bottles to excited students and staff, who all appreciated the gift.
“We encourage each other, we celebrate each other, and we always support each other, and that really rang true on the day I passed out the water bottles,” Carey said. “Everyone was smiling, teachers and students alike, and it brought me such joy to know that a small gift like a water bottle was received with true gratitude and happiness. It really was a fun way to start the school year.”
Simple Modern says it exists to give generously, and it donates 10 percent of all proceeds away each year. And, this year, they’ve also given more than 100,000 bottles away.
