Democratic Club Offers Thanks, Abundant Pizzas to Spook Hill Teaching Staff

Teachers and staff preparing for a new school year at Spook Hill Elementary were the happy recipients of a complimentary "thanksgiving" lunch this week in gratitude for their efforts to teach children and positively affect their lives.

Tammy James delivered a stack of pizzas and beverages which had been purchased by the Lake Wales Area Democratic Club as part of their "Teacher Appreciation Month."

James had approached school principal Michelle Browning about the donation, and said she further surprised her by asking her to include all school personnel in the count, including custodial staff. "They keep the school running!" James told her, "so we want to include them too."

"I want to thank you for your efforts," James told the teachers, janitors, aides, and administrators gathered in the school's cafeteria for orientation. "My two daughters attended public schools," she said, "and they turned out great. I give their teachers more credit for that than I keep for myself. Now they are both doing great at universities."

James said that the stack of pies were created and baked by staff at Pizzano's Pizza who had come to work early to fulfill the 10:45 am delivery hour. Additionally, the restaurant provided the largess at a discounted price, "because they're for teachers," James said. "They told me, 'Oh, we LOVE teachers!' and said 'you get a special price.'"