May 5, 2022
It was an exciting morning at L.R. Green Elementary on Thursday, May 5, as the Helpful Honda team from San Diego Honda Dealers paid a visit, surprising teacher Olivia Hannigan with $5,000 in supplies for her classroom. Olivia was among four teachers selected from hundreds of nominations countywide to be honored in Helpful Honda’s second annual Helpful Teacher Appreciation Awards, a special edition of its Random Acts of Kindness program.
Olivia teaches children in L.R. Green’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing program, which serves students from across North County. She was nominated for the Helpful Honda program by her sister, Leighann Raemakers, who collaborated with Principal Audrey Frank, DHH interpreter Christine Lynch, and fellow EUSD teacher Lorena Reynoso to extract a classroom wish list from Olivia – without giving away the surprise.
In her nomination, Leighann shared that her sister works long days to ensure that all 10 of her students – who range from Kindergartners to 5th-graders – have customized schoolwork that aligns with the child’s grade level, cognitive abilities, language, and academic skills. Olivia teaches using American Sign Language.
Olivia’s care and attention for her students goes beyond schoolwork. She is known for the lively glow-in-the-dark Halloween shows performed by her students. Not all of her students’ family members can communicate using ASL, and so Olivia engages with families to get them involved and help facilitate communication.
The generous San Diego Honda Dealers donation for Olivia’s classroom includes two dry-erase activity tables, an ASL area rug, a rocker chair, an office chair, four ottomans, a black light, glow-in-the-dark supplies, an iPad Pro with Final Cut Pro, iPad stands, speaker and microphone, books, flashcards, magnets, and other supplies.
Congratulations to Olivia, and many thanks to San Diego Honda Dealers for their support of educators!
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