Bay District Schools Re-Opens Adrianna Swearingen Teacher Resource Store For Teachers

BAY COUNTY, FL – Dozens of “first-year” teachers went shopping on July 21st at the highly anticipated grand re-opening of the Adrianna Swearingen Teacher Resource Store at Rutherford High School, which is a resource store for all teachers in Bay County, replacing the stores that were previously scattered all around the county.  The name was selected to recognize Adrianna Swearingen, a Bay County Media Specialist and teacher, who was the 2024 Florida Teacher of the Year.

Bay District School (BDS) Superintendent Mark McQueen was present to do a “real job” and be a “cashier” at the store.  The very gracious Director of Communications, Crystal Bullock, was excited to be here.  The retired Director of Communications, Sharon Michalik, was present and very proud of her daughter, Kathryn Hudson who is the store manager, and of her little daughter, Ellie Joan Hudson (named after a Jurassic Park character).  Ellie said she, “Worked hard preparing for the re-opening by ripping off old signs from the shelves, moving things around such as the yoga mats and picking up trash to make the room beautiful for the opening.”  Aimee Bright, Executive Director, Bay Education Foundation was present as well as Tim Prather, Foundation President.

The Bay Education Foundation awarded a $60,000 grant to start the store last year, and they received a $25,000 grant this year from the St. Joe Foundation.  The estimated funds needed for the store each year will be about $75,000.

For the upcoming school year, each first-year teacher in Bay District Schools has received a $100 coupon to go shopping at the store.  If a teacher needs more supplies later, they need only volunteer one hour of their time at the store, to receive a $50 credit to shop in the store.  Once these first-year teachers have had the opportunity to shop, the teachers working in the “C” schools will be able to use their coupon to shop next.

Teachers participated in the selection of inventory by filling out a Google Forms survey about what they would like to have in a store.  There are items ranging in price from $1 to $150 that include everything that teachers said they needed, that the district doesn't necessarily provide.  There are snack items, which are very popular, because teachers can easily spend $20 of their own money on snacks for their students each week, giant boxes of crayons, board games, Science kits and yoga mats among many other items.

Seventy-five percent of BDS’s 27,000 students attend Title I schools and year after year, they show up to school on the first day without basic school supplies.  Therefore, the store partners with organizations such as Lynn Haven United Methodist Church who collect school supplies and donate them directly to the store instead of directly to children. Of course, the store fills lots of backpacks with basic school supplies that teachers can pick up for students.  They have thought of everything!