Margaret McDonald received a pleasant surprise on Sept. 8.
A second grade teacher at Wayside Elementary, she received a Junior Achievement Bronze Leadership Award during a regularly scheduled school assembly in the gymnasium. Several officials from Junior Achievement of Eastern Oklahoma, Inc. were on hand to make the surprise presentation, which was done before the Wayside student body and staff members.
“I was thrilled to receive the award,” said McDonald. “I think it's just a recognition of the promotion of Junior Achievement that I did for five years.”
Junior Achievement is an international non-profit educational organization which partners with schools to provide education experiences for students focusing on financial literacy, workforce readiness and entrepreneurship. Junior Achievement of Eastern Oklahoma served 1,129 students within the Bartlesville Public School District during the 2007-08 academic year and has outlined a plan to provide Junior Achievement district-wide to every third and fourth grader while offering the program to many other classrooms at all grade levels who request to participate.
Tied to the social studies curriculum, Junior Achievement teaches civic responsibility.
McDonald's final year of formally promoting the program was in 2006.
A second grade teacher at Wayside Elementary, Margaret McDonald accepts a Junior Achievement Bronze Leadership Award from Greg Boyd, the president of Junior Achievement of Eastern Oklahoma Inc., during a school assembly on Sept. 8.