PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Tampa Bay area teachers are being recognized for their hard work and dedication to the classroom through a local initiative, and the public is asked to help in the process.
Every day, Scott Finn and his service dog, Buena, walk through the doors at Southern Oak Elementary in Largo.
“It’s amazing how quick whatever feelings you have go away just by having a dog there,” said Finn.
Finn is a US Marine veteran who served two tours in Iraq. He’s also a 5th-grade math and science teacher.
Finn and his service dog are in class every day, trying to make a difference in students' lives beyond fractions and equations.
“That type of stuff is like, hey guys, I can teach you to be a decent human being, learn integrity values, and stuff like that,” said Finn. “It won’t be on the test, but you need to know it for life.”
Now, Finn is one of the first Pinellas teachers to be nominated for the Cheers to Public Service award put on by Irish 31’s iCare Foundation.
“It’s overwhelming,” said Finn. “I feel like there are so many great teachers that I work with that I see on a daily basis doing what they’re supposed to be doing that basically, I’m just getting recognized for doing what we all should be doing.”
Jay Mize, the owner of Irish 31 and founder of the iCare Foundation, said they’re passionate about finding rockstar teachers in the Tampa Bay area.
“Last year, we celebrated our 100th teacher. We’ve given away $100,000, and this year, we’re expanding into Pinellas,” said Mize.
People are asked to nominate an extraordinary Hillsborough, Pasco, or Pinellas County K-12 teacher deserving of a Cheers to Public Service award. The deadline is April 7th.
“There’ll be 25 winners between Pasco, Hillsborough, and Pinellas,” said Mize. “We give them $1,000. We implore them to spend it on themselves: go on a trip, go to a spa, go shopping, spoil themselves.”
The effort is a small way to show appreciation and say thank you to local teachers.
“It’s hectic, that’s for sure, but every day is fun,” said Finn.
