Schoolhouse Supplies Snapshot Series: Sara Yellan

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Schoolhouse Supplies

The Schoolhouse Supplies Snapshot Series continues – where we highlight members of our staff, board, and volunteers. This week you will learn about Sara Yellan, Administrative Coordinator.

Native of…and Portlander since?

Since 2001, exactly 12 years this spring! People often ask me why I moved from somewhere like Arizona to Portland. The answer is simple. One visit here was all it took…I guess it could be called love at first sight.

When did you join the Schoolhouse Supplies team?

I joined the Schoolhouse team in June of 2013.

What Were You Up To Before Schoolhouse Supplies?

I was quite the busy bee. First, the Cultural Program and Events Manager at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center, a Team Building Specialist with Run Brain Run, and a Resident Expert (a.k.a. tour guide) with Portland Walking Tours.

Favorite Section/Item In Our Store:

Well, since I didn’t know until I started working here that we offer books, I’d say that is the most pleasant surprise, making it my favorite section as of right now.

Teacher She’d Most Love to See In Our Store:

My friend Sara! After years of substitute teaching, she is finishing up her first year of having her own classroom, teaching math to middle school and high school students who need a little extra help in their studies.

What She Does In Her Spare Time:

During the summer, I really enjoy of the Pacific Northwest outdoors by kayaking, camping, picnicking, playing tennis, sunning by rivers, indulging in outdoor happy hour at local restaurants, and just walking around my neighborhood. The rest of the year I can also be found playing acoustic guitar, attending concerts, caring for many houseplants, boxing, working out at my gym, and attempting to make homemade gifts (not always successfully, unfortunately).

Mainly, I’m a social butterfly and spend much of my time laughing with friends and my partner Will. And once a year, I have the honor of being a volunteer announcer in a tower during the Rose Festival’s Starlight Parade!

PEMCO Teacher Appreciation Winners

Posted on June 7, 2013 by Schoolhouse Supplies

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WE HAVE OUR WINNERS!

We wanted to give a big thanks to everyone who entered our PEMCO Teacher Appreciation sweepstakes! We received more than 1,470 nominations for the weekly recognition and drawings. Four Portland-area teachers each received $500 in classroom supplies from Schoolhouse Supplies.

Congratulations to our weekly winners:

May 10 – Luce H., David Douglas High School – Personal and Career Exploration
May 17 – Karen H., Lakeridge High School – Social Sciences
May 24 – Jeanne D., Floyd Light Middle School – 8th Grade Language Arts & Social Studies
May 31 – Kristen W., Beverly Cleary School – Learning Center (Special ED)

As part of the sweepstakes,Schoolhouse Supplies received $5,000 from PEMCO Insurance to help stock the Free Store for our grand opening in September 2013! That’s a lot of pencils and paper. You are truly appreciated!

A Month of a Million Story Times

Posted on June 5, 2013 by Schoolhouse Supplies

This June Schoolhouse Supplies is partnering with Knowledge Universe and Alpha Broadcasting stations; Live 95.5, 98.7 The Bull, 101.9 KINK and101.1 KXL for the Month of a Million Story Times book-drive program aimed at promoting summer reading, and benefiting children and families that have limited access to books.

Throughout the month we will talk to some of our partners involved in the Month of a Million Story Times to find out what their reading now, what they read as children and hopefully get a little insight to their literary hero. First up is 98.7 The Bull on-air talent Jake Byron.

Jake Headshot

Jake is going on his 10th year at The Bull—he started on the The Bull Street Team in 2004, and eventually convinced the bosses to let him be on air, where he’s been ever since. The Bull was his first job right out of college, and with any luck, it’ll be his last.

What are some of your favorite childhood books/authors?

Growing up, I was always crazy about The Hardy Boys books, and anything written by Gordon Kormon. When I was really young I loved Encyclopedia Brown! (We detect a bit of mischief in those telling selections.)

If you could interview any character from a children’s book on your show, who would you invite, and why?

If I had the chance to interview a fictional character, I would interview Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster at Hogwarts. There are a couple of spells I’d really like to learn how to use, and I need to know how!

What’s the last book you read, or a favorite recent read you would recommend?

The last book I read is about a private investigator in Chicago, who is also a wizard. Cold Days: A Novel of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher–hands-down, the best book series I’ve ever read.

Why is supporting A Month of a Million Stories personally meaningful to you?

I read a LOT, so any chance I can get to promote some of my favorite books, I’ll jump on it. Plus, reading gives you SUCH a leg up in life.

Thanks, Jake! Keep an eye out for more on-air talent and partner profiles throughout the month. Join us this Saturday, June 8 from 12-3 pm for Month of a Million Story Times Kick-Off Party at Cedar Hills Crossing Powell’s. Bring a book to donate, or pick one up at Powell’s while you’re there.

Schoolhouse Supplies Snapshot Series: Cheryl Larson

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Schoolhouse Supplies

The Schoolhouse Supplies Snapshot Series continues – where we highlight members of our staff, board, and volunteers. This week you will learn about Marketing Coordinator, Cheryl Larson. We have a few new faces around, so stay tuned. In the following weeks we will be introducing you to all of our new staff and interns.

Native of…and Portlander since?

I moved to Portland in May of 1996. I came on a frequent-flyer ticket that I had earned visiting friends in Seattle and NYC. I loved both places, but knew I had to find a city that was less hectic, so without having even visited Portland I hopped on the plane. Fifteen minutes after arriving I found myself renting an apartment in Sellwood. Though I have moved four times since I first arrived, I’m still in Sellwood. That was some serious beginners luck!

When did you join the Schoolhouse Supplies team?
I joined the team on May 28, 2013, just one week ago today!

What Were You Up To Before Schoolhouse Supplies?
For the past five years, I ran two small business of my own, a marketing communications firm, redhen communications, where I was able to live my passion for helping small business, nonprofits and entrepreneurs thrive, and holden lee tees, a collaboration with my 11-year-old son, Holden. Through both businesses I was able to connect with the creative community of Portland and spent four years as a volunteer council member for I Heart Art: Portland, an organization that provided education and networking opportunities to handmade artists in the area who were looking to improve their business savvy. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to channel some of these energies into Schoolhouse Supplies.

Favorite Section/Item In Our Store:
With the Free Store closed for shopping during the summer, the shelves are nearly cleared out, which is fantastic! I can’t wait to see all of the boxes of pencils, glue sticks and rulers fill up the shelves over the summer. While I do plan to spend some time looking through all of the books that come in through the Month of a Million Story Times book drive happening this month, the best section to me is the “incentives” section—I was highly motivated by incentives when I was in school, and really, who doesn’t want a fancy pencil.

Teacher She’d Most Love to See In Our Store:
I would love to see my high school science teachers, Mr. Kaiser and Mr. Cassini. What I think was so amazing about them was that they gave me so much that fell outside of the day-to-day learning; including a homemade, lasagna lunch in the science lab once. They gave selflessly of themselves to all of their students, and though the cost associated with those things was lost on me as a student, they certainly made me feel that they were sincerely invested in my success. While the Free Store doesn’t stock lasagna, the spirit of investment, support and desire to see their students succeed is in constant supply from the staff, volunteers and teachers.

Cheryl’s son Holden in the foreground.

What She Does In Her Spare Time:

I spend a lot of time with my husband Dan and my son Holden. We have a trampoline and a massive garden, so I’m particularly fond of the warm summer months. On the weekends you can often find me in my basement studio screen printing and sewing wares for sale at local craft shows. I also bake a mean chocolate cake.

PEMCO Spotlight

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Schoolhouse Supplies

Throughout the month of May, we’re partnering with PEMCO Insurance to celebrate Teacher Appreciation Month with a Teacher Appreciation Sweepstakes. Read on to learn a little bit more about PEMCO and its employees through an interview with a member of their team.

What’s your name and role at PEMCO Insurance?
John Burgess, Corporate Communications manager.

What was your favorite subject in school, and how does it relate to what you do today?
I loved English class. Reading stories, plays and poems. I liked writing and grammar – yes, even diagramming sentences. After high school, I took a two-year journalism program and then earned a degree in English lit. Before joining the corporate communications team at PEMCO, I reported at small community newspapers in Montana and Washington. So my favorite class directly led to what I still do for work.

If one teacher from your childhood visited you at work today, who would put the biggest smile on your face, and why?
My 12th grade English teacher Mrs. Roe. She taught me that ideas are nothing to be afraid of – a mantra I still repeat today. She took us to see “Waiting for Godot” by Samuel Beckett. We sat on stage with the actors, which I still think is very cool. I would want her to know that I still talk about that experience and that I’ve made a living as a writer and editor.

If you could be a guest teacher for a day in a local classroom, what subject/lesson would you cover?
How to write haiku, the Japanese short poetry form. I’ve written poetry since high school and for three years lived and worked in Japan teaching English. I could draw on both of those experiences to put together a lesson.

Why is celebrating Teacher Appreciation Month important to you and PEMCO Insurance?
PEMCO was founded by a school teacher, and we still offer an educator discount. We support youth education organizations like DECA and Junior Achievement. Our foundation provides college scholarships. As employees we’re encouraged to be continuous learners through professional development. So education and teachers are core to our values here. They’re among the things that are important to me, too.
My wife is a kindergarten teacher in Seattle Public Schools, so I know how hard teachers work and how much of themselves they give to their students every day. Also how much of her own money she spends on supplies and teaching aids and sometimes a coat or shoes for one of her students. Teachers do an incredible job. I bet almost everyone can name a teacher that made a difference for them. They should be appreciated year round!

Free Store Interview: Mother’s Day Edition

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Schoolhouse Supplies

In honor of Mother’s Day, we’re talking with one of our favorite moms for the Free Store Interview. Stacey Messina is a mother to one-year-old Henry and an artist, and generously donated an original drawing and a gift certificate to our Teacher Appreciation Raffle.

Who is a teacher who inspired you creatively as a child, and how?
My art teacher Mrs. Lemak inspired me to unleash my talent in so many mediums. Her classroom was like an art store: charcoals, watercolors, acyrlic paints, clay, plasters, chicken wire… all types of paper to doodle on. My favorite time in her classroom was decorating our school christmas tree for “Christmas in the Park,” which was a friendly school competition in downtown San Jose. We would come up with the most elaborate themes like “Carousel Tree.” It was amazing. She helped us create 3D lifesize carousel horses surrounding the tree. She really showed me that any creative idea can become realized.

What was your favorite school supply as a student, and why?
There is something wonderful about the smell of Crayola scented markers. Yum. I have always loved to color and markers were my favorite because they were so bold! Sometimes I would pry open the end of the markers and snip off a piece of the felt insert to put into an Elmers Glue bottle. I would let it sit in my top opening desk and shake it up everyday. Eventually it made colored GLUE! Too cool!

What inspires you to want to support Schoolhouse Supplies?
If there is anything I can do to help kids out I want to do it. It’s so incredible that a simple supply donation helps kids feel good about themselves and get excited about learning. To this day, picking out my new art supplies is so much fun and inspires my art. Nothing is better than a fresh pack of pencils that need a good sharpening. Cheers to creating and the supplies that make it all happen.

Comcast Cares In Our Community: A Day at Faubion Elementary

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Schoolhouse Supplies

This week, you’ll be hearing from our Executive Director, Jen Barth, about volunteering with the rest of the Schoolhouse Supplies team last weekend for Comcast Cares Day.

Here at Schoolhouse Supplies, we have the honor of working on a daily basis with volunteers who help us support and grow our impact in the community. Last weekend, we got to pay it forward by fielding a volunteer team to participate in Comcast Cares Day, a program in its 12^th year, which has coordinated more 3 million service hours since it started in 2001.

This year, more than 70,000 Comcast employees and volunteers worked at 700 sites worldwide. We were thrilled to be part of the team at the Faubion School.

Beyond the obvious benefit of getting to support a school community we know well from our work together in the Tools for Schools and Free Store for Teachers programs, I was thrilled to have an opportunity to volunteer with my 6-year-old daughters.

Continue reading →

Teacher Appreciation Sweepstakes

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Schoolhouse Supplies

Teachers are amazing. We appreciate them every day, but throughout May, we’re doing a little bit more. Schoolhouse Supplies is partnering with PEMCO to celebrate Teacher Appreciation Month with a Teacher Appreciation Sweepstakes.

Portland-area teachers can enter once a day. Every Friday, one lucky teacher will be selected to win $500 to be used for the purchase of new school supplies for their classrooms. Teachers throughout the Portland area are eligible to win.

For every entry, PEMCO will donate $5 to Schoolhouse Supplies, up to $5,000! Celebrating teachers, helping Schoolhouse Supplies. Double win.

Enter here!

Stock Our Shelves

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Schoolhouse Supplies

It’s the last day of Stock Our Shelves, and we wanted to extend a huge thank you to everyone who has donated. We don’t know what the final tally will be yet, but we do know that every dollar will go to keeping Portland classrooms stocked with the supplies they need.

If you haven’t donated yet, don’t wait! You have until the end of the day to have your donation matched by Bank of America. Click here to donate!

Free Store Interview: Peter Rossing

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Schoolhouse Supplies

Throughout the month of April, we’re partnering with Bank of America to Stock Our Shelves. In honor of that, we’re inviting some of our most passionate teachers, volunteers, and supporters to talk about school, supplies, and some of the key areas in our Free Store: “Basics,” “Math and Science,” “Reading and Writing,” and “Arts.” This week, we’re talking about art supplies and favorite memories with Peter Rossing from Muse Art and Design. Through Muse, Peter runs An Artist A Day, an art show and fundraiser (running this month!) where artists create pieces daily, and the results are auctioned off to benefit Schoolhouse Supplies.

How did you first connect with Schoolhouse Supplies, and what inspires you to stay involved?
Six or seven years ago, artist Ryan Dobrowski had a show across the street at Common Grounds Coffeehouse. He had something like 200 small pieces that he sold, then donated proceeds to Schoolhouse Supplies. He asked if he could buy art supplies at cost through Muse to donate. I saw how many students and teachers were impacted by that one donation and thought it would be great to create an event that could keep replenishing the art-supply aisle at Schoolhouse Supplies. Continue reading →