Teachers reap rewards
Matthew Morondos and his fourth-graders unpack school supplies in his classroom.
Holiday gifts came early to Matthew Morondos and his fourth-graders at Miller Elementary School.
Mid-morning on Wednesday, Oct. 1, Morondos was teaching his class as usual when a knock at the door interrupted him. Peering into the room, Principal Mary Anderson said she had a surprise for him. An entourage followed her into the room, one person wheeling a big box filled with school supplies. Another helper pushed a leather office chair to the front of the room. A third person toted a dozen yellow and orange balloons, tied into a bobbing bouquet.
Morondos watched in amazement as his students clapped and cheered. He had just become one of the hundreds of winners in OfficeMax's second annual "A Day Made Better" program that supports classrooms by giving teachers more than $1,000 in supplies. School officials nominate teachers for the honor.
"I am so surprised," Morondos managed to say, as he opened the box of gifts. "This is awesome. I was going to buy pencils today and now I don't have to. I love it. I'm very grateful."
The most exciting item in the stash of supplies was the digital camera, he said. That would be used to send the children's snapshots to their pen pals at Jefferson Park Elementary School, he told his students.
"It's like it's his birthday," one student called from the back of the room, as Morondos piled more supplies from the box onto a table. There were shouts of approval when he showed them the two bags of candy class members would share.
"I'm happy about this," said Davina Espinoza, one of Morondos's students. "He deserves it. He's a good teacher. He's funny and he tries to teach us everything he can."
Classmate Joshua Randall agreed, saying his teacher was "funny and he tries to do his best. He taught me division and multiplication. I'm lucky to be in his room. I want to use all the stuff, like the camera, and eat the candy."
Anderson stood at the side of the room, beaming as Morondos showed off his gifts. "I chose him because whenever I come into this room, you're actively engaged and that means you're learning," she told the class. "Your teacher makes it fun and that makes you want to be here every day."
When Anderson nominated Morondos, she pointed out that he volunteers every day to help dismiss the school's approximately 700 students in front of the building, helping ensure their safety and well being. Morondos is an active member of the Miller School Council, serving as recorder last year.
In his first job after graduation, Morondos also organized a soccer program for Miller's third-, fourth- and fifth-graders with the help of another teacher, Cortney Fullerton. This is Morondos's third year at Miller, 6951 S. Camino de la Tierra, which has a faculty of 80.
He grew up in Arivaca, Ariz., graduated from Sahuarita High School in 2001 and from the University of Arizona in 2006.
Staff from the OfficeMax at 1163 W. Irvington Road, including store manager John Rael, delivered the gifts and gave Morondos a certificate of appreciation for his dedication to the teaching profession.
Other TUSD teachers who received "A Day Made Better" prizes were: Amanda Marchioni, fourth grade at Roberts Elementary, 4355 E. Calle Aurora; Elsmarie DeMars, kindergarten through fifth-grade art at Carrillo Magnet School, 440 S. Main and Victoria Bravo, third-grade at Van Buskirk, 725 E. Fair.