FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (November 16, 2009) – Teachers all around the country are struggling for funds to buy school supplies, but one lucky teacher in Peoria, Ill. hit the educational jackpot. Third grade teacher Christine Rivan of Thomas Jefferson Primary was awarded the grand prize for her entry in Catalogs.com and Nasco’s “Tools for Teaching” contest.” The contest asked teachers around the country, “Why does your class deserve to win a gift certificate from eNasco.com and how will you put the school supplies to good use?”
A committed teacher with a career that has spanned 17 years, Rivan described the overwhelming need for financial assistance due to a devastating fire that destroyed her beloved school.
In her entry, Rivan emphasized her commitment to restoring the supplies to her fire ravaged school. “The community and district have been very kind attempting to donate or purchase whatever possible, which is difficult in these economic times,” Rivan wrote. “Honestly, if I won this money, I would simply turn it over to the principal so that all of our teachers could share the winnings because this fire happened to our school, and we all lost a lot.”
Her essay was circulated around Catalogs.com offices and tugged at the heartstrings of every person who read it, garnering her entry the most votes. As the “Tools for Teaching” grand prize winner, Rivan receives $2,500 worth of school supplies from Nasco.
“We were overwhelmed by the touching stories we received, almost 1,000 entries in all,” said Leslie Linevsky, co-founder of Catalogs.com. “Christine’s earnest plea to help her school survive a tragic fire and her selfless wish to share the winnings with every teacher at Thomas Jefferson Primary is what won her the grand prize. We wish her luck rebuilding the school and helping all of these students succeed in their education.”
Catalogs.com and Nasco also announced the runner-up winner and three finalists. The runner up winner received $1,500 worth of school supplies and each of the three finalists received $500 worth of school supplies:
SECOND PLACE: Kathryn Quigley, Dillard High School, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
FINALIST: Bhavna Rawal, Northbrook High School, Houston, Tx.
FINALIST: Kekai Bryant-Williams, George Washington Preparatory High School, South Los Angeles, Ca.
FINALIST: Geri Ellner Krim, Brooklyn Collegiate, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Entries were judged on each entry’s persuasiveness, creativity, clarity and demonstration of need. Visit and read the winning entries and the profiles of these five amazing individuals.
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For 13 years, Catalogs.com has been the Internet’s trusted authority on catalog shopping, attracting more than 800,000 unique visitors each month. The comprehensive website allows consumers to preview hundreds of catalogs and provides the opportunity to receive a specific catalog, shop major and specialty retail websites and find money saving offers from hundreds of merchants.