We’re thrilled to celebrate the winners of our 2025 Back to School Giveaway! This year, 10 incredible teachers each received $500 to help clear their classroom wishlists.

From books and art supplies to hands-on STEM tools, these funds will make a lasting impact in classrooms across the country. Thank you to everyone who nominated a teacher, you helped us shine a spotlight on the amazing work educators do every day.

Winner Spotlights

Brittany Fuqua – Eaton Rapids Middle School

Brittany teaches 6th and 8th grade English and is excited to create a welcoming and motivating environment for her students. She shared that she “will be purchasing some items for my classroom such as decorations, lighting & rewards for my students.”

Susan Farrell-Poncelet – Sanborn Central School District

Susan teaches both Middle and High School English and Art. With her prize, she “plans to use the gift card to purchase books my students have requested for my classroom library as well as supplies to have on hand for students who need them. Little things sometimes make all the difference between having a crummy day to having a manageable or even great day when they have access to the things they need.”

Michelle Reed – Magnet Academy for Cultural Arts

Michelle teaches junior high Visual Arts and Dual Enrollment Art History for seniors. She’s considering a variety of fun and creative options with her prize, including “a large digital clock with rainbow colors I thought the kids would get a kick out of, some tshirts for them to iron something they created with our cricut, or maybe a large dry erase calendar we can write birthdays on!” No matter what she chooses, Michelle wants it to be “something the kids will have fun with.”

Jackie Morell – Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit

Jackie works with blind and visually impaired students and is passionate about inclusivity. She says she “plans on using the money to buy inclusive books and materials to share in schools about students with disabilities. I will also get the Helen Keller Barbie and the Fashionista Barbie who has a white cane for my students!”

Katie Hastrich – Ernie Davis Academy

Katie has been teaching for 20 years and currently serves as a 7th grade AIS English teacher. She’s eager to make her classroom a comfortable and inspiring place, sharing that she “would love to add some more books to our classroom library, I would also like to get some more wall decor to inspire my students (since the walls are all white), I will probably also buy some more whiteboard markers, sharpies and anything else that I can think of to make my classroom cozy and comfortable for my students.”

Dan Millstein -

As a Secondary Social Science teacher and the leader of a new eSports team, Dan is looking forward to turning his prize into opportunities for his students. With limited classroom funding, he shared that he “intends to fundraise by hosting gaming tournaments and selling merchandise. All four of the SignUpGenius products -- particularly Sign Ups (to organize events) will be essential!”

Janine Parisi

Janine is a college instructor for Accounting and Economics and serves as a faculty advisor for Mitchell’s eSports program. She sees the prize as a way to support her students directly, sharing, “I need a white board in one of my classrooms. This would definitely help pay for it!”

Amanda Stock – Southern Tier Catholic School

Amanda shared about the challenges her Catholic school is currently facing: “Our school has significantly down-sized in student population and staff. As a Catholic school, our school soley survives on donations and tuition fees.” She expressed that she was “extremely grateful” for this gift.

Carla Jones – Carl A. Furr Elementary School

Carla works with K-5 students in the Learning Lab, a space where children create, explore, and collaborate through hands-on activities. She says she “plans to use this prize to restock consumables and add makerspace materials for my younger students. For my older elementary students, I’m excited to bring back a force and motion project in which students will be able to construct machines - from the design phase to building and finally testing—bringing learning to life through powerful, hands-on experience.”

Mallory King – Sound Start Program

Mallory works with deaf and hard of hearing students and was nominated by her co-worker Ashlee. Ashlee shared that this prize helps purchase “more materials for the student’s education.”

Thank You for Supporting Teachers

We’re so inspired by these stories and grateful to be part of a community that values educators. Teachers give so much of themselves, and we’re honored to help clear some of their classroom needs.

Want to make a difference in your school community? Try SignUpGenius to simplify organizing events, volunteers, and fundraisers