ORLANDO, Fla. – A Gift for Teaching wrapped up its 20th year in Central Florida with a special event honoring three students.
The "Grant a Wish" event recognizes three students who were nominated by their teachers for excelling in school even during challenging times. Those three students then got five minutes inside the AGFT free store to fill as many carts as they could in the allotted time.
News 6 anchor Bridgett Ellison emceed "Grant a Wish" along with AGFT President Jane Thompson.
"I think there are so many challenges for some of these students that their parents don't always have time to show them that encouragement and tangible rewards for a job well-done. Their efforts have been noted, their leadership in the classroom and their ability to give back. They're well-regarded in their classes," Thompson said.
Jionni McCanty-McClure is a first grade student at Pinewood Elementary. His teacher Nisha Phillip-Malahoo nominated him.
"He sometimes has so much against him, but he always perseveres. He always smiles and brings hope to our class. He lifts me up on those hard days," she said.
Wolf Lake Middle School seventhgrader Jahmya Bell says days like this inspire her to keep doing her best in school.
"It was good. It made me tell myself I could do anything," she said.
The high school student honored is Deyverson Fillistin. He began at Oak Ridge High School in 2017, having only moved to the U.S. five months prior.
A Gift For Teaching serves more than 200,000 students in Central Florida and 287 public schools in Orange and Osceola counties. It provides a free store for teachers and is our area's largest provider of school supplies.