2021 Together 4 Teachers

Summer 2021 marked year two for PENCIL’s Together 4 Teachers, a dream campaign of Director of Schools, Dr. Adrienne Battle.  With the help of the Nashville community, PENCIL raised over $108,000 which will go toward supporting resources and services within our LP PENCIL Box—a year-round resource where Metro teachers can shop for FREE school supplies. 

Together 4 Teachers (T4T) provided access to bags of high-need supplies for all 5000+ Metro Nashville Public School classroom teachers before the start of the 2021-2022 school year to help teachers start the year with the supplies they need in the classroom and to spread awareness about the LP PENCIL Box.  

T4T is made possible through the support of donors, Partners, generous individuals, and these Major Sponsors: Amazon, Dollar General, Nissan, Cigna, Nashville Predators Foundation, Ingram Charities, ENA, First Horizon Bank, and HCA Healthcare.

“PENCIL is playing an invaluable role in our community, ensuring Nashville children have the resources and supplies they need to learn,” said Courtney Ross, Amazon’s Sr. Manager of External Affairs in Nashville. “We’re proud to join with PENCIL and support their critical work in this area.”

On July 28 and 29, more than 100 volunteers sorted and assembled school supplies into tote bags at the LP PENCIL Box during the two-day Pack-a-thon, presented by Education Networks of America (ENA). 

The evening of Monday, August 2—the night before Teacher In-Service Week began—MNPS classroom teachers were invited to attend PENCIL’s Together 4 Teachers Outdoor Pep Rally, presented by First Horizon Bank, where they collected their supply bags, enjoyed music, activities, stadium snacks, and more, alongside their colleagues and peers before the start of the school year.

“Great teachers make all the difference,” Director of Schools Dr. Adrienne Battle said. “MNPS teachers are so dedicated to seeing their students learn, thrive, and succeed. Thank you to the great team at PENCIL for bringing supplies for all of our teachers and for providing an opportunity for them to get together and celebrate the crucial work they do.”

“It’s so exciting to see everyone together—this is a great opportunity.  There are always multiple families in my class that do not have any supplies when they come in for the first day.  I come to these events for them,” said Lynn Guthrie, teacher at Henry C. Maxwell Elementary School.

Finally, August 3 and 4 served as Drive-and-Drop days where numerous volunteers helped to deliver teacher supply bags directly to Metro Schools with the highest need.

“We believe student success starts with the basic supplies and resources needed to be prepared for learning,” said Denine Torr, Dollar General’s Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility and Philanthropy. “Often, it is teachers who fill the void by spending their own money to purchase the materials students require. PENCIL helps bridge this gap by ensuring students and teachers have the resources they need to excel. We are proud to partner with PENCIL to prepare educators for a successful new year.”

If you would like to support the LP PENCIL Box as the 2021-2022 school year continues on, we hope you’ll consider donating here https://www.classy.org/campaign/together-4-teachers/.

Any questions regarding Together 4 Teachers should be directed to Jacki Artis, PENCIL’s Project Manager, at JArtis@PENCIL615.org or 678.428.3298.