Croghan Elementary educators rise to the challenge

Daniel Carson, Fremont News-Messenger
·3 min read
Parents and students at Fremont's Croghan Elementary School showed their support for teachers during National Teacher Appreciation Week with chalk art messages on the pavement outside the school's front door. The school created a series of challenges and fun events for teachers every day as part of the week's events.
Parents and students at Fremont's Croghan Elementary School showed their support for teachers during National Teacher Appreciation Week with chalk art messages on the pavement outside the school's front door. The school created a series of challenges and fun events for teachers every day as part of the week's events.

FREMONT — It's been a tough couple of years for teachers at Croghan Elementary School and schools across Sandusky County.

COVID-19 pandemic restrictions at times forced teachers and students to meet remotely, put up barriers to daily interactions and sent everyone's stress levels through the roof.

So Croghan Elementary decided to do something a little different for Teacher Appreciation Week.

At Croghan this week, teachers took part in a series of fun challenges loosely based on the popular "Survivor" reality series, with a goal of amassing points for successfully completing the challenges.

Croghan Elementary School first grade teacher Erica Rudd had roughly 50 anonymous sticky notes attached to her door Thursday as part of Teacher Appreciation Week. The notes from fellow teachers and students were in support of Rudd and the job she does as a teacher.
Croghan Elementary School first grade teacher Erica Rudd had roughly 50 anonymous sticky notes attached to her door Thursday as part of Teacher Appreciation Week. The notes from fellow teachers and students were in support of Rudd and the job she does as a teacher.

Christina French, Croghan's assistant principal, said she saw the idea on a principal's blog she follows online.

French said part of the reason Croghan decided to add a twist this year to Teacher Appreciation Week was due to COVID and the team-building obstacles it presented to new staff members working in a relatively new building.

"Even though we've been here two years, we're still getting to know each other," French said.

Staff members couldn't eat together at lunch for most of 2021 and were not able to interact as much as they might normally, due to COVID safety concerns, French said.

She said Teacher Appreciation Week provided an opportunity to continue building a sense of family with the Croghan teachers.

Teachers "spun the wheel" on a laptop computer in their break room and took on fun challenges presented in a Survivor book.

If a teacher landed on certain spots on the wheel, they automatically won a prize from a grab bag located next to the computer.

Bridget Smith, Croghan's principal, reached out to some parents that donated some of the bigger prizes for the week, with a secret grand prize set to be announced Friday.

Some teachers had "Masked Singer" challenges, where they recorded themselves singing a pop song of their choosing.

Croghan Elementary School third grade teacher Nikolaos Mayle greets students and staff with a Southern accent Thursday at the school's main office as one of the challenges the school came up with during Teacher Appreciation Week.
Croghan Elementary School third grade teacher Nikolaos Mayle greets students and staff with a Southern accent Thursday at the school's main office as one of the challenges the school came up with during Teacher Appreciation Week.

French said one challenge asked staff members to write a poem and read it over the school's loudspeaker.

There was also a sticky note challenge where teachers were asked to get teachers and students to leave anonymous positive notes on individual teachers' classroom doors.

French said there were 50 different challenges teachers could get from spinning the wheel.

"It's helping to bring people together and realizing we have a lot of amazing staff that care about our kids," French said.

Third grade teacher Nikolaos Mayle had to greet three people with a Southern accent Thursday as he walked around the school.

Monique Pollick, elementary art teacher at Croghan Elementary School, spins the wheel on a laptop computer in the school's teacher break room and waits to see what her challenge will be Thursday during National Teacher Appreciation Week. The school put together a series of fun challenges for teachers during the week, with prizes available.
Monique Pollick, elementary art teacher at Croghan Elementary School, spins the wheel on a laptop computer in the school's teacher break room and waits to see what her challenge will be Thursday during National Teacher Appreciation Week. The school put together a series of fun challenges for teachers during the week, with prizes available.

He said it felt nice being appreciated during the week in a less stressful environment

Monique Pollick, an art teacher at Croghan, said the challenges were a clever, dynamic and interactive way for teachers to be rewarded, challenged and be a kid again in the hopes of winning the big prize through points.

"It put everybody in a looser and more relaxed state," Pollick said.

Pollick said some parents in Croghan's PTO and students also created chalk art on the sidewalk near the school's front entrance to show their support for teachers this week.

Teacher Appreciation Week officially kicked off Monday and ran through Friday.

dacarson@gannett.com

419-334-1046

Twitter: @DanielCarson7

This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Croghan Elementary teachers do 'Survivor' challenges, win prizes