Pictured are the 20 winning teachers from Worth County Elementary School who received a $50 reward card from Walmart. Tifton Walmart representatives held a celebration Thursday afternoon at the school. Shown are Principal Steven Rouse and teachers Martha Davis, LaShondra Cuffie, Melissa Folsom, Michael Fulp, Karon Monk, Rebecca Nutt, Silvia Spraggins, Melissa Lackey, Kim Frankovich, Debbie McDonald, Kathy Davis, Kaley Bowen, Emily Tone, Mary Robinson, Heather Walker and Teresa Linville. Also, pictured are Tifton Walmart representatives Felisha Spells, co-manager; Ingrid Whitehead, co-manager; and Rebecca Walker, personnel coordinator. Not pictured are teachers Lynn Willis, Coach Shalisha Zinnamon, Lindsey Wright and Dr. Peggy Woody.

Twenty Worth County Elementary School teachers were each awarded a $50 reward card Thursday afternoon to purchase classroom supplies that will help their students start the school year off right as part of Walmart’s Teacher Rewards program.

According to a press release from Walmart, for the fifth year, the company will donate up to $4.5 million to provide 90,000 teachers across the United States with reward cards to help offset the cost of classroom expenses at the beginning of the school year. These funds come at a critical time, as many teachers will spend an estimated $500 of their own money to ensure their students have the supplies they need to learn throughout the school year.

More than 4,600 U.S. Walmart stores, distribution centers and Sam’s Club locations are eligible to select one local public school, grades K-8, and provide reward cards to 20 teachers from each selected school.

At Thursday’s celebration, Tifton Walmart representatives Felisha Spells, co-manager; Ingrid Whitehead, co-manager; and Rebecca Walker, personnel coordinator, provided the teachers at Worth County Elementary School with cake and refreshments. The winning teachers of the $50 reward card also received a rose. Those teachers who did not win a reward card got a gift bag full of classroom supplies.

The winning teachers were Martha Davis, LaShondra Cuffie, Melissa Folsom, Michael Fulp, Karon Monk, Rebecca Nutt, Silvia Spraggins, Lynn Willis, Melissa Lackey, Coach Shalisha Zinnamon, Kim Frankovich, Debbie McDonald, Kathy Davis, Kaley Bowen, Lindsey Wright, Emily Tone, Dr. Peggy Woody, Mary Robinson, Heather Walker and Teresa Linville. The school’s principal is Steven Rouse.

Whitehead told the teachers, “We want to say thank you. You deserve it. It takes a lot to be a teacher.”

The Teacher Rewards program is an extension of Walmart’s ongoing support of local education initiatives that help students better prepare for their future. In 2012, Walmart and its foundation donated more than $59 million to fund education programs across the country.

To contact reporter Latasha Ford, call 382-4321.