More than 200 area businesses participate in citywide effort to honor educators
Thousands of Nashvillians – from parents to businesses and students to city leaders – are thanking Nashville’s 6,800 hardworking public school educators during the month of May as part of the third annual Show Your Love for Teachers campaign. This annual citywide effort, a program of the Nashville Public Education Foundation and supported by the Mayor’s Office and Metro Nashville Public Schools, is shaping up to be the biggest display of teacher appreciation in Nashville to date.
“Nashville’s teachers are a huge part of what makes this city great, which is why recognizing and celebrating them through the Show Your Love campaign is one of the Foundation’s top priorities each year,” said Shannon Hunt, NPEF president and CEO. “This year’s campaign is already beating even our wildest expectations. I think the community will be blown away with the citywide celebration of teachers we have planned.”
This year’s campaign builds upon the success of previous years and also introduces new rewards and celebrations, including:
- More than 200 educator discounts at businesses across the city, putting Nashville well on its way to becoming the largest educator discount program in the country.
- A five-stop road show to display postcards written by hundreds of Nashvillians thanking the city’s public school teachers for all they do. The road show is kicking off at Opry Mills this week, and will then travel to the Green Hills YMCA for the week of May 7, the Northwest YMCA the week of May 14, Plaza Mariachi the week of May 21, and finally the Nashville Farmers’ Market the week of May 28.
- A special educator giveaway in partnership with supporting sponsor Southwest Airlines. During the month of May, teachers can enter to win two complimentary round-trip flights.
- A celebration for teachers at the MNPS Employee Wellness Center at Berry Hill on Tuesday, May 15, where Cigna, the 2018 presenting sponsor, will be handing out Show Your Love water bottles and snacks. Throughout the month of May, teachers will also be entered to win complimentary Southwest Airlines tickets every time they check in at the Berry Hill activity desk.
- A city lighting to celebrate the conclusion of Show Your Love for Teachers Month. For the second year in a row, buildings across Nashville will be lighting up pink and red in honor of public school teachers.
The NPEF also has several exciting surprises in store for MNPS teachers throughout the month.
“Recruiting and retaining top teachers is one of the most important things we can do to help our schools and our students. But in order for Nashville to become an ‘It’ city for teaching, we need to foster a culture of teacher appreciation in our community,” said Dr. Shawn Joseph, MNPS director of schools. “That is why I am happy to support the Show Your Love for Teachers campaign every year. This annual effort rallies the entire city around our educators and sends the message loud and clear that Nashville supports its public school teachers.”
In addition to kicking off the Show Your Love for Teachers campaign, city leaders and community members are coming together this evening to honor and celebrate this year’s 49 Blue Ribbon Teacher Award winners with a reception at Vanderbilt Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos’ home.
To see the list of participating businesses and to sign a postcard thanking teachers, visit nashvillepef.wpengine.com/show-your-love.
