WEST JORDAN, Utah — With just days until a new school year begins for many Utah children, new teachers were welcomed to one Utah school district with a celebration to remember.
At the Jordan School District, about 350 new teachers began the year with cheerleaders, balloons, music and plenty of pomp and circumstance.
When the Jordan Education Foundation got word that so many new teachers would be starting in the district, they wanted to mark the occasion with something special.
"I started reaching out to the community and they came out in droves wanting to help," explained Mike Haynes with the Jordan Education Foundation
Cyprus Credit Union donated 450 backpacks with laptop sleeves that were stuffed full of goodies for teachers to enjoy and use as they begin to teach Utah students.
One of the more unusual gifts was a free will, donated by a local law firm.
"Teachers, that's something they put off," said Haynes. "The partner of this law firm is a former teacher and so offered this as a free value, $800 value, to the teachers to celebrate them."
Haynes and other leaders in the district hope the celebration promotes a welcoming and inviting environment within the district.
"We do things great in Jordan," Haynes exclaimed. "We want them to stay, be fulfilled, have a good experience and celebrate the profession with them."
Jared Kosareff was just one of the new teachers who participated in the celebration. He's excited to start a new year as a fifth-grade teacher at Aspen Elementary and the warm welcome from the district started things off on the right foot.
"It's a really good example," he reflected. "It shows how supportive everybody is of the teachers that are coming in and teachers that are here already."
Kosareff may be a new teacher, but he isn't new to the classroom. After starting in the building industry, he took a jump to teaching due to the economy, he said.
"Started out subbing, got a long-term sub job last year and just absolutely fell in love with it," Kosareff explained.
What's he most excited about? Being impacted by the students, he told FOX 13 News.
"Everybody says, there's a lot more in it for teachers then for the kids because we get really impacted by the kids," Kosareff said. "You see so many different faces, so many different stories and personalities that really shape you. "
No matter if it's the teacher's first year or 50th year teaching, the Jordan School District is ready to make it another great year for educators, staff and most importantly, students.
