Shepherdstown Middle School was one of two schools given funds to help teachers cover their classroom expenses. Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — Last Friday morning, Shepherdstown Shares representatives visited Shepherdstown’s two public schools — Shepherdstown Elementary School and Shepherdstown Middle School — to present each school with its half of the proceeds from the Support Our Teachers fundraiser on Aug. 20 and 21.

The Support Our Teachers fundraiser was held by Shepherdstown Shares in Evolve, just as the Jefferson County school year was beginning, to help raise money to help cover some of the unpaid classroom expenses of Shepherdstown Elementary School’s and Shepherdstown Middle School’s teachers. According to Shepherdstown Shares member and fundraiser organizer Nancy Stewart, the need to hold such an event was impressed on her, after reading more than one news article about the classroom expenses teachers pay for out of their own salaries.

“We came up with this fundraiser, because we saw a need for teachers to be assisted with all of the out-of-pocket expenses they pay for — school supplies for their classrooms,” Stewart said, mentioning the space was donated by Evolve co-owners Jan Hafer and Elise Baach. “For Shepherdstown Shares, our job is to work with people in the county and the area. We settled on giving the proceeds to these two schools (Shepherdstown Elementary School and Shepherdstown Middle School), because of their relationship to Shepherdstown.”

Shepherdstown Shares advertised the fundraiser on Facebook and with posters around town, along with an eye-catching window display at Evolve, featuring a variety of children’s books and Francis the Bear, according to Stewart.

“We opened for the whole weekend! People could just come in or come by and donate out on the sidewalk,” Stewart said, mentioning those who donated were encouraged to match the donation with a can of food for the Shepherdstown Shares Food Pantry.

Shepherdstown Middle School teacher Janica Spies, left, accepts a check on behalf of the school from Shepherdstown Shares member Nancy Stewart, as Shepherdstown Shares Treasurer Mark Kohut and Shepherdstown Shares President Jan Hafer look on, last Friday. Tabitha Johnston

“We didn’t really have a goal, as such, because this was a first time thing. We were thrilled to death with the outcome!” Stewart said, regarding the amount raised, which turned out to be a total of $1,650.

For Hafer, who is not only Evolve’s co-owner, but also Shepherdstown Shares president, the most notable part of the fundraiser might have been how wholeheartedly it was embraced.

“Almost everybody to a ‘T’ who came in to donate, had a story about a teacher — they were a teacher who was retired, they had a relative who was a teacher or a teacher they remembered fondly. It was so powerful, because this is how important teachers are in our community! It was like, they wanted to thank them [by donating],” Hafer said. “Shepherdstown Shares’ mission statement is to respond to crises in our community, and you know, this is a crisis! Teachers don’t have the funds, often, to support their classrooms . . . inflation . . . we have all these reasons to support our teachers!”

Shepherdstown Middle School’s representatives estimated some of its teachers spent as much as $1,000 out of their own pockets, to cover classroom needs. And while Shepherdstown Elementary School’s representatives indicated their number was less than half that amount, the need for funds to dip into, to help pay for class projects and more basic classroom needs, was considered no less important to them. The destination of the funds in both checks will be voted on by each school’s faculty senate, according to SMS teacher Janica Spies and SES kindergarten teacher and Faculty Senate Chair Michele Webb.

“We’re going to put it in the general account, and then the faculty senate will vote on whether to distribute it evenly to teachers or to save it for a giant ‘wish list’ item, for a teacher who wants something a little bit larger for their classroom,” Webb said, mentioning SES teachers all receive a financial allotment from the faculty senate every year. “In my memory of being here, this is the first time we have a donation like this.”

Left, Shepherdstown Elementary School Principal Scott Campbell stands beside Shepherdstown Shares member Nancy Stewart, as she presents a check to SES Faculty Senate Chair Michele Webb last Friday morning. Tabitha Johnston

According to Shepherdstown Elementary School’s new principal, Scott Campbell, this fundraiser was a great reminder of one of the reasons he applied for his current job — the community support system.

“That’s one of the perks of coming here, knowing the community was so supportive!” Campbell said. “Supporting our teachers, it just makes their jobs that much easier, when they know they have that support in the community and with parents. It’s excellent!”

In the future, Shepherdstown Shares plans to continue showing its support, by publishing online fundraiser information for individual class projects in the area on its Facebook page, according to Stewart and Hafer.