Tag Archive for: Caldwell Arts Academy

9 Texas Teachers Get Wishlists Cleared By Stonewater Roofing

For the fifth year in a row, Stonewater Roofing has helped Texas teachers clear their classroom wishlists as part of the company’s #ClearTheList initiative. Employees from Stonewater visited nine educators in East Texas, DFW, and the Austin area with boxes full of markers, paper, pencils, and some more eccentric items.

This year’s #ClearTheList winners are:

  • Adriana Alegria, Thomas J. Rusk Elementary School in Nacogdoches
  • Kelly Bonnette, Cain Elementary School in Whitehouse
  • Jennifer Constante, Three Lakes Middle School in Tyler
  • Elizabeth Coti, Sabine High School in Gladewater
  • Layne Fumo, Caldwell Arts Academy in Tyler
  • Travis Kincheloe, Georgetown High School in Georgetown
  • Melynn Lopez, L.D. Bell High School in Hurst
  • Alejandra Sanchez, Trinity Basin Preparatory School in Fort Worth
  • Michelle Springborn, McCoy Elementary School in Georgetown

The #ClearTheList movement started as a nationwide social media push, urging strangers to help teachers get supplies for their classrooms. School districts are often unable to provide everything that students need throughout the year, putting that burden on the already underpaid teachers to pay for supplies out of their own pockets. Educators began sharing their Amazon wishlists with the #ClearTheList hashtag in hopes that other kind souls would help foot the bill.

Stonewater took that to the next level by picking some teachers and literally clearing their lists. Applicants were asked to submit a short, creative video explaining who they are and how the supplies would help their kids during the coming school year. “The fact that Stonewater Roofing is willing to give back to their community and educators,” said Sanchez, “speaks highly of you all.”

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

“Everything you see always comes out of pocket,” explained Coti, as Stonewater employees delivered her supplies. “They’re doing this not just for me as a teacher, but for my students, so they can have a great learning environment.”

“It’s such a blessing to have people who hear what I’m doing and see the passion that I have with teaching, and get rewarded for that,” added Fumo.

In the five years that Stonewater has been helping teachers, Constante’s list was by far the most unique. The U.S. history teacher wanted costumes, props, models, and a life-size cardboard cutout of George Washington. “I’m going to be using them for room transformations, for simulations, for hands-on learning experiences for the students to bring history to life,” she said.

While the teachers definitely enjoy the school supply deliveries, Stonewater’s employees may enjoy them even more. “It’s a great feeling. It’s a really fulfilling moment just seeing the teacher go through the things and explaining how they’ll apply it throughout the year,” said solar sales coordinator Anayo Onyi.

In addition to the teachers selected through the contest, Stonewater also helped a member of their own family. Dawn Pierce, wife of Stonewater direct sales supervisor Chris Pierce, is a teacher at Nacogdoches High School. Although she did not have a wishlist prepared, the company donated $1,000 to help her purchase books and other materials for her students.

“Thank you so much for everything that you guys have done,” said Lopez, who recruited some of her former students to provide testimonials during her video. “This is so amazing, and teachers are so blessed by you guys.”

“Thank you to Stonewater Roofing,” added Kincheloe. His wife and daughter submitted a video nominating him for Stonewater’s contest, and he had no idea. “We appreciate your support of teachers and public education. We’ll make you proud.”

East Texas Teachers Receive Massive #ClearTheList Deliveries

With the new school year fast approaching, teachers across the nation participated in the #ClearTheList campaign, a social media phenomenon that helped educators stock up on necessary school supplies for the latest crop of students. A group of four East Texas teachers saw everything on their wishlists hand-delievered to their classrooms, courtesy of Stonewater Roofing.

It’s no secret that teachers are underpaid, and school district budgets can only provide limited help for each of their employees. So, many of the nation’s educators have turned to strangers online for assistance, creating wishlists on Amazon and sharing these registries on social media with the #ClearTheList hashtag. This campaign quickly turned into a viral sensation.

The hope is that a kind soul will buy an item and ship it directly to the teacher, until the entire list of school supplies has been purchased. The campaign has been a success for many teachers nationwide, but Asquith, Butler, Lampkin and Mansinger never expected to hear that all of their classroom needs were being fulfilled in one swoop.

“Oh, my gosh. That’s amazing,” said Lampkin upon hearing the news. “That is awesome.”

Stonewater Roofing created the biggest #ClearTheList social media thread in East Texas, earning more than 20,000 responses from area educators and supporters. The company randomly selected four lucky teachers and purchased every item on their wishlists.

“Thank you,” said Butler when she was told about her upcoming delivery. “That just made my day.”

The wishlists included standard back-to-school fare such as pencils, crayons, markers, watercolors, rulers, scissors, sticky notes, glue sticks, and tape. There were also more specialized learning tools including math games, geometry sets, magnets, modeling clay, geography puzzles, and games about socialization. Asquith even requested a canvas play teepee for her students.

But the wishlists contained organizational tools for the teachers as well. There were filing cabinets, paper organizers, storage carts, and bulletin boards on the lists, along with basic equipment like a floor lamp and headphones. These are all tools that will help the teachers as they aim to enrich the educational experience for East Texas students this coming year.

“The majority of our staff are products of area school districts and now have our own children within those schools,” explained Trent Spradlin, Chief Marketing Officer for Stonewater Roofing. “That being said, we do what we can to support our teachers in areas they need help the most.”

“Thank you so, so much,” added a delighted Mansinger. “That is just the best surprise.”

Employees from Stonewater Roofing began hand-delivering the cases of school supplies to the four lucky teachers on Friday.

Elementary Drumline To Play At Texas Revolution Game

Indoor football fans at the Texas Revolution game in Frisco on April 14 will also enjoy a rousing performance by the Caldwell Arts Academy drumline. “We love showcasing our students and the talents they have,” explained Bobby Markle, principal of the Tyler Independent School District campus.

The drumline is even more impressive because it is made up entirely of elementary students.

In fact, the Caldwell kids are the first competitive elementary school drumline in East Texas. “We were looking for outlets for these kids to perform. Elementary drumlining is not a big thing in Texas. It’s usually reserved for middle schools and high schools,” Markle said. “These are not just elementary students who picked up percussion and are going to struggle through cadences. These kids really have a God-given talent.”

That talent is now taking the Caldwell drumline to Stonewater Roofing Field at the Ford Center in Frisco, home of the Dallas Cowboys and home field for the Texas Revolution indoor football team. The Revs square off against the Amarillo Venom at 1:00 PM on Sunday, April 14, with the pint-sized drummers as featured entertainers.

The Ford Center and Stonewater Roofing Field welcome Texas Revolution fans to Frisco.

“Our kids get to perform on some pretty big stages just because of what our school does, but there’s not a bigger stage than where they are going on Sunday,” Markle added. “These kids will surprise a lot of those audience members. These kids are kids, don’t get me wrong, but they are professionals.”

The afterschool drumline program began with some parents who had experience in percussion and wanted to share their own talents with the younger generation. “At the time, we were having some discipline issues and issues with engagement. I thought, what a great outlet for young men to be able to beat on something. They want to do it anyway,” recalled Markle. “Once we got started, it just took off and has really been a robust program for us that will continue not only as a drumline, but as a part of our percussion curriculum.”

Stonewater Roofing COO Jacob Law (a former drum major) and CMO Trent Spradlin (a former drum captain) contributed educational and financial resources to the program. Spradlin is also one of the drumline directors. Students practice two days each week, learning discipline and character development, along with a little bit of rhythm.

“I just think communities need to be engaged in things that are positive,” Markle said. “We run into a lot of distractions in our communities around differences and things like that. But you get these kids on a drumline and see all the adults and children watching, smiling… that’s what community is about. It’s about the great things in your community, and this drumline is one of them.”

Elementary Kids Prepare For Drumline Competition

A growing East Texas company is encouraging growth of the arts in the Tyler Independent School District. The Caldwell Arts Academy Drumline is the first competitive elementary school drumline in East Texas. Students from first through sixth grade auditioned for the group and are gearing up for competitions in early 2019.

Stonewater Roofing, a Tyler based commercial and residential roofing company, has a special appreciation for these types of programs. COO Jacob Law (former John Tyler High School Drum Major) and VP of Communications Trent Spradlin (former Robert E. Lee Drum Captain) have contributed financial and educational resources to the organization.

Directed by Spradlin and Travis Sutphen, students practice two days each week learning discipline, character development and a little bit of rhythm.

Spradlin hopes that the district sees the benefits, internally and externally, that this program provides, and expects similar programs to develop over the coming years.

If it weren’t for the support and flexibility of Stonewater Roofing, the program would not be at the level it is at currently. With the growth of the company, Stonewater Roofing will continue to provide support for groups like the Caldwell Drumline, not only here in Tyler, but in all of their service areas throughout Texas.

A version of this article originally appeared on KLTV’s website.