By KEN CARPENTER
Great Bend Post
Three Great Bend public school teachers were awarded $500 Wednesday, Aug. 18 by Credit Union of America at the Sixth Annual Business Showcase sponsored by the Great Bend Chamber of Commerce and USD 428. The money will be used by the teachers to pay for books and school supplies for their students.
The “Teach, Grow and Inspire the Future” awards were given to MacKenzie Unruh, special education teacher at Lincoln Elementary School; Kristine Boepple, technology specialist at Eisenhower Elementary School and Denton Lewis, social studies teacher at Great Bend High School.
Hundreds of Great Bend teachers and staff attended the Business Showcase. The event allowed 57 area businesses to exhibit their merchandise and services.
Tosha Klein, Business Development Officer with Credit Union of America, explained why her organization wanted to present the $500 checks at this year’s showcase.
"It goes directly to them, and normally their principal is notified,” Klein explained. “But since we have this occasion today, we thought it was very appropriate to go ahead and celebrate them in front of their colleagues schoolwide.”
There were 33 teachers in Kansas awarded grants this fall. Klein said USD 428 stood out for having so many winners.
Credit Union of America was started in 1935 by teachers at Wichita East High School as the Wichita City Teacher’s Credit Union. It now has over 84,000 members.
