March 28, 2024
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Fairmount teacher makes students’ spirits bright

BANGOR – Pupils at Fairmount School were rewarded Friday for some of their good deeds so far this school year.

As a highlight of the pupil incentive program she initiated four years ago, veteran educator Georgianna Ellis provided a holiday gift for each and every pupil in the school – all 340 of them.

The much-anticipated drawing began at 1:30 p.m. sharp, when the pupils, dressed in their finest for their morning holiday concerts, began filing into the school gymnasium.

After what must have been to them an excruciatingly long wait, the pupils erupted into wild cheers when the blue curtains in front of the gymnasium stage parted to reveal a row of tables groaning under the weight of mounds of toys.

There were dolls, basketballs, books and Beanie Babies. There were Skittle Basketball games, ice skates and warm winter boots. There also were stuffed animals, collectible cards, board games and more. There also were six Razor Scooters, unarguably the most sought-after items this holiday season.

The cheering grew even louder when Principal Joe Dahl introduced Ellis, the woman behind the event. Ellis, the image of Ms. Claus in a white blouse and red skirt topped with a red holly-print vest, said preparing for Friday’s gift giveaway has been a yearlong labor of love.

“I just enjoy doing it,” Ellis said. “I never married or had children of my own.” She said she considers all of the pupils at the school her children.

It was Ellis who founded the school’s “Terrific Kids” program four years ago as a way to reward pupils for good behavior.

“We’re trying to put more accent on the positive, instead of always saying, ‘Don’t do this and don’t do that,'” Ellis said.

Pupils earn TK tickets by studying hard, developing good study habits, performing well on tests, showing kindness to others and a host of other good deeds. The tickets are signed and submitted in weekly prize drawings, as well as larger, schoolwide drawings just before the holiday school break in December and at the end of the school year in June.

Ellis initiated a weekly Teacher’s Reward program that operates in a similar way, but with teachers submitting the names of deserving students. Ellis also took on the task of providing the incentives for the programs.

All of the school’s pupils, however, were eligible for Friday’s drawings.

“It keeps getting bigger and better all the time,” she said.

The reactions of Fairmount pupils are her reward, she said. She sees it in the faces of the children she serves. Some of the winners, she noted, choose prizes not for themselves, but as gifts for their siblings, parents or others. For those from struggling families, the holidays bring little else in the way of gifts. One 10-year-old won his first bicycle in one of Ellis’ drawings.

“It really is touching to see some of them,” she said.

Fifth-grader Tyler McDade, who chose a tabletop baseball game, agreed. “A lot of kids don’t get very much for Christmas so this is a good idea.”

As most of the grown-ups at the school predicted, the scooters were this year’s most sought-after gift. The first three pupils whose names were drawn eagerly snatched up the first half of them. The rest were brought out later in the event, to give those whose names were drawn toward the end a shot at winning one.

Choosing from the vast array of toys clearly involved some strategy on the pupils’ part. Some kids raced to the stage as their names were called, making a beeline for their toy of choice. Others carefully pored over the assortment before making a decision.

On Friday, Ellis acknowledged that shopping for hundreds is no easy task.

“I buy and store all year,” she said. Ellis said the local business community has been good to her, donating or discounting toys for the TK program. The school’s Parent-Teacher Organization also contributes to the cause.

Principal Dahl describes Ellis as a bit of a “shopaholic” who personifies the holidays.

“She loves a bargain and she loves shopping,” he said. “She wears a different holiday sweater every day from Thanksgiving to Christmas and loves to buy Christmas sweaters and ties [for her colleagues]. She’s very, very generous.”

Born into a family of educators, Ellis will retire in June after a teaching career spanning 37 years, all of them at Fairmount School. She did not, however, rule out the possibility of remaining involved in the annual holiday gift giveaway.


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