On Wednesday, Sept. 24, Mathews Auto Group (Honda and Nissan in Paris, TX) celebrated two extremely deserving educators from Melissa ISD by honoring them through their "Pay it Forward" initiative.
Our first honoree was DeAnn Johnson, a Special Education teacher at Sumeer Elementary School. Sumeer Principal, Nathan Lambert, spoke highly of Johnson, saying, “Ms. Johnson is not only an incredible educator, but an even better person. Every day she shows up with a selfless attitude, putting others before herself. She builds meaningful relationships with students and staff, always celebrating their success. We are so proud to recognize her as the perfect recipient of the Pay It Forward Award!”
The second teacher who was honored was Ashley Price, an Innovative Design teacher at East Cardinal Middle School. Melinda Keen, East Cardinal Middle School Principal, expressed her thankfulness for Price saying, “Ms. Price always goes above and beyond for not only her students but ECMS as a whole. She never sees anything as too hard, but embraces the challenge to push our students and our staff to be successful. She is one of our biggest cheerleaders when it comes to accomplishments, whether it is for an individual or as a group. We are thankful for Ms. Price and her silent leadership on our campus!”
The dealership owners, Tim and Julie Anderson, are a former Melissa Cardinal family and initiated the 'Pay it Forward' program to recognize teachers who go above and beyond for students and the school without expecting anything in return. Both Johnson and Price were awarded $250 each through this initiative as a thank you for their service in education.
Congratulations to these outstanding teachers! We deeply appreciate your dedication to our Cardinals.