Vantage Makes Teachers’ Dreams a Reality

Teachers pave the way to make sure students continue to receive the best education—many times at their own expense. COVID-19 interrupted a lot of educators’ plans for the 2020 school year, but it certainly didn’t interrupt their need for continued aid. This year, teachers had to get creative on how to best serve the needs of their students while most worked virtually, had limited contact, or faced restrictions.

In Vantage Credit Union’s long history in education—over 60 years—we’ve made it a priority to not only serve the needs of educators in our community, but also make their dreams a reality. Our Impact Education contest funds those dreams so teachers can leave an impact on their students, schools, and even their own professional development. This year, with teachers needing aid now more than ever, we were able to support five educators.

Robin Olive of the Warren County Early Childhood Center will now be able to fund her dream of an outdoor classroom for her students. Her hope is to give her students the chance to "explore nature in our surrounding area, create a space for and planting a garden, and experience the effects of the changing climate during the school year.” 

Amanda Rudge of The Moog Center for Deaf Education plans to purchase new developmental toys for the center since COVID-19 restrictions meant removing many toys that could not properly be sanitized. Funds given by Vantage will now enhance their in-person services for deaf or hard of hearing students to learn with additional tools during lessons.

With many schools going virtual, Zachary Gotsch of Oakville Middle School needed a better way to interact with his students online. Now with funds for a subscription to Edpuzzle Pro, an online video platform, he and his peers will be able to customize video lessons to meet the needs of their students. As Gotsch puts it, “with Edpuzzle Pro, teachers at OMS will not be limited to how much content they can create for students.”

Fairmount Elementary’s Catie Whitt noticed that her students needed additional literacy resources, especially with restrictions on sharing due to COVID-19. With the funding, she’ll be able to purchase books across grades K-5 that will not only help virtual learners, but also be culturally relevant. Whitt wrote in her submission that these resources would help her school "begin the first steps to nurturing lifelong learning."

Samantha Vogler of Fort Zumwalt East High School wanted to help her school’s language department build a multilingual classroom library so students can have access to French, German, and Spanish literature. Her dream was to see students continue to grow in their language proficiency while opening their eyes to different cultures.

With these five exceptional projects, we’re proud to support our community’s educators in meeting the needs of their students and to leave an impact on their education.

Congratulations to our 2020 Impact Education winners!

• Robin Olive at Warren County Early Childhood Center: $2,000 for an outdoor classroom
• Amanda Rudge at The Moog Center for Deaf Education: $1,000 to purchase new toys for their speech and language lessons
• Zachary Gotsch at Oakville Middle School: $1,000 for an Edpuzzle Pro subscription
• Catie Whitt at Fairmount Elementary School: $500 to purchase books for grades K-5 
• Samantha Vogler at Fort Zumwalt East High School: $500 to purchase books for a multi-lingual classroom library