Monday afternoon was full of surprises for students and staff at Edward H. Cary Middle School.
During an assembly on Dec. 14, students heard from surprise guest Matt Cassel, the current starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. Students also learned they would each receive a copy of E.B. White’s book, Charlotte’s Web. Then they watched Principal Ben Dickerson pull a $50,000 check out of a box – funds that will bolster the school’s library budget.
Dollar General and PepsiCo provided the funding for the donations. The importance of reading was highlighted, not only as demanded by careers or schoolwork, but also for fun.
Jeff Owen, executive vice president of Store Operations for Dollar General, was on hand, as was Denine Torr, director of Community Initiatives for the company.
Another surprise was when Dickerson, librarian Tommie Priddy and English/Language Arts/Reading educational coach Cody Meador all received all-expenses paid trips to Super Bowl 50 at the home stadium of the San Francisco 49ers. Owen presented the prizes, calling the three staff members unsung heroes in educating the students.
“The business community is our ally in our mission to ensure all students are educated for success,” said Tom Hayden, manager of Dallas ISD’s Volunteer and Partnership Services. “We feel strongly that a quality education is everybody’s business, and by the actions of our partner Dollar General, this is proving this to be true”.
