A soupy show of appreciation

By OLIVIA HASELWOOD

Staff writer

USD 408 teachers received a warm welcome back after the holiday break Thursday with a soup lunch provided by Valley United Methodist Church.

Smells of four kinds of soup—chicken barley, cheesy potato, potato vegetable, and sausage—joined the teachers filling the room ladling soup into their bowls and choosing from a variety of baked goods for dessert before heading to a meeting. All the pomp and circumstance was to show appreciation for USD 408 teachers and to say thanks, said organizer Margaret Wilson.

“I’ve had several kids go through this school, so I know what (teachers) go through,” Wilson said. “We want to honor them and show our appreciation.”

Around nine gallons of soup served 32 teachers.

At the middle and high school, Linda Ogden, Kim Ross, and neighbor Emily Hutchison assisted Wilson. Others served teachers at the elementary school.

“The cheesy potato is so yummy,” middle school science teacher Kelsey Metro said.

High school principal Todd Gordon also said the soup was tasty.

“The weather, being cold and snowy, made this the perfect day for soup,” Wilson said.

This is the first time women from Valley Methodist have served dinner to teachers, but they plan to make it a yearly tradition, according to Ogden.

“Next time we might try something else, but I think it’s important to show the teachers we appreciate what they do for our kids,” she said.

Wilson’s and Ogden’s spouses were teachers, and they say the school and its legacy is important to them.

“We’re pretty invested,” Wilson said.