Make a favorite teacher or staff member a STAR for the holidays.

The Barrington Education Foundation is offering its STAR (Staff, Teacher Appreciation Recognition) program again to anyone who wants to reach out and thank their teachers and staff in a meaningful way during the holidays. 

Parents (and alumni, etc) can purchase a STAR for any amount (minimum $10), and a beautiful recognition certificate will be delivered to the honoree. 

“This is a perfect way to express gratitude for all of the wonderful things our teachers and staff do for our children and community," said Maureen Johnson, a BEF board member and creator of the STAR program.  

"The teachers appreciate being recognized, and the schools benefit from the far-reaching grants that further the mission of BEF to champion extraordinary education opportunities in the Barrington Public Schools,” Johnson said.

STAR certificates can be purchased at anytime during the year. But the deadline for the holiday delivery is next Friday, Dec. 14.  STARs ordered prior to that deadline will be delivered to the recipients before the December vacation. 

STARs can be purchased on the BEF website (www.barringtoneducation.org).  You can order them using PayPal, or a credit card.  Or, if you prefer, print and fill out the order form and mail it to BEF with your check to: 283 County Rd, Attn: STAR Program, Barrington, RI  02806. 

“Our teachers and school support staff do so much for our children, and it can be difficult to come up with an appropriate way to convey how much we appreciate them," said Johnson. " I know from speaking with families around town, that it can be particularly difficult to express the extent of our gratitude to the teachers of our older children. We aren’t in the classrooms seeing the teachers face-to-face as often, yet these wonderful people spend so much time and effort guiding our children and having a huge positive impact on their lives. 

"The STAR program is such a simple way to make sure they know how we feel," she said. "I also know that many parents want to recognize the special people beyond our child’s primary teachers, such as the school nurse, the principal, a particularly helpful teacher’s aide, the school secretary, or perhaps the gym or an arts teacher.  A STAR certificate is appropriate for anyone who supports students in town."

BEF originally launched the STAR program last June as a small test, and was thrilled at the positive response.  More than 200 STARs were quickly purchased, and from the feedback BEF received, it was clear that recipients felt extremely honored by the donations given in their name to benefit the school district, Johnson said. 

 “It was particularly heartwarming to see that one of the very first STARs purchased this month was from a BHS alumnus, who is currently attending the Naval Academy," said Johnson. "This former student was interested in honoring a high school teacher who meant a great deal to him.  This was a wonderful testimony to the quality of teachers we have supporting our kids.”