Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
Vallecitos first grade teacher Erin Eulberg wears one of the custom masks donated by National Pen to the staff and students at the school in Rainbow.
School receptionist Nataly Ortiz points to the Vallecitos mascot on her face mask.
Vallecitos School's Social Worker Eric Santiago gives a thumbs up to his new face mask.
RAINBOW – Vallecitos Elementary School in Rainbow is a tight-knit group of faculty, staff, students, parents and guardians working together to engage and educate children from kindergarten through eighth grade. Over the course of the closures and changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the community began to feel increasingly disconnected and school spirit began to suffer.
So, when an online-only teaching model gave way to a hybrid model, one teacher thought of a fun way to celebrate and welcome students for in-person learning. She asked National Pen to customize face masks with the Vallecitos Elementary name and mascot for distribution among faculty and staff.
As students returned to campus in March, they were greeted with familiar faces and the familiar mascot of the Vallecitos Vikings.
"The pandemic has taken a large toll on teachers, students and their families," Erin Eulberg, the teacher behind the morale-boosting masks, said. "Vallecitos School is a lively and close-knit community in Rainbow, California. After teaching at Vallecitos for four years, it was extremely disheartening to see the community so disconnected over the course of the last year. After shifting our instruction and classrooms so many times and being away from our students for so long, teachers were in need of a major boost in morale. Now that we are teaching a hybrid in-person and online model, the custom face masks for staff at Vallecitos were the perfect decision. They showed our community that we are united, resilient and ready to move forward."
Headquartered in San Diego, National Pen was so impressed with Eulberg's commitment to her community, they decided to donate the masks to support teachers, staff and other heroes. National Pen salutes teachers across the country who are educating children while keeping a watchful eye out for their hearts and minds, even through changing and challenging times.
Originally published on the National Pen blog, https://www.pens.com/blog.
Submitted by National Pen.
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