ALTON/GODFREY - Teachers in the Alton Community Unit School District #11 held a special shopping trip to prepare for the upcoming school year.
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On Monday, Aug. 3, and Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, certified teachers received $150 each to buy school supplies at Walmart in Godfrey. Superintendent Elaine Kane explained that the goal was to give teachers the support they need to be successful and build comfortable classrooms for students.
“We know that our teachers spend a lot of money out of their own pocket to start the school year,” Kane said. “The intention is for teachers to keep their own money in their own pockets. It’s been super fun.”
Kane worked with Director of Finance Kim Nixon to designate Board of Education funds for this project. They expected to welcome over 400 teachers over the two-day shopping period.
On Tuesday, Aug. 4, administrators were guiding teachers through the check-out lanes, and educators were chatting about their purchases and plans for the school year. All purchases were tax-exempt, and the teachers could buy anything they needed for their classrooms, from tissues and hand sanitizer to school supplies and storage bins.
Walmart also sponsored a gift card giveaway. The company raffled one $250 gift card to a new teacher in the district, and the winner — Samantha Bridges, a new fourth grade teacher at East Elementary School — was excited to spend that money on her students.
“I got some school supplies, of course, and then I got some decor for the classroom, like a lamp, and then I’m going to get a chair and another bookcase,” Bridges said. “It helps a lot because teachers do pay a lot of money out of their own pockets to support their classroom. Having this $150 from the district was a nice bonus, and then winning the $250 was an even better perk.”
Bridges added that she is “happy to be back home” after teaching in Missouri for several years. As an Alton native, she looks forward to educating the kids in her own community.
Austin Vaughn, the general merchandise coach at Godfrey Walmart, also works closely with the community and recently volunteered at the district’s field day. When Kane reached out to him about sponsoring a school shopping trip, he “jumped on the opportunity.” It was especially meaningful because his mother is a retired teacher.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for the teachers to not have to spend as much money out of their own pocket,” Vaughn said. “At Walmart, we try our best to give back to the community in any way that we can. This year, we dropped down about 1,300 more rollbacks and price changes to lower the price for the customers for back-to-school items and basic items. It’s just really wonderful to see it come full circle and see us being able to nurture the community that comes and shops in our stores.”
Kane added that the Walmart staff was “so fun and so supportive” as teachers shopped and mascot Reggie Redbird danced in the aisles. She added that last year’s Reimagine Alton sessions revealed the community’s desire to further support teachers. There will be several opportunities to give back to teachers in the coming months.
In the meantime, the district was excited to sponsor an experience like this for teachers to bond, shop together, and gear up for the 2026–2027 school year.
“That’s really the short of it. We’re just being mindful of our staff and the expenses that they incur. We provide a lot of things at the school level, but teachers really always end up spending their own money, and so we’re just trying to offset that,” Kane added. “It’s just been really, really fun.”
This featured article is sponsored by Alton Community Unit School District #11. To get your business or organization featured on www.RiverBender.com, contact us at sales@riverbender.com.
