Second annual #Teach864 Night honors and features teachers

Public Education Partners (PEP) has again partnered with Greenville County Schools (GCS) and the Greenville Drive to honor teachers and celebrate #Teach864 Night at Fluor Field on Tuesday, April 9.

“At Public Ed Partners, we ask ourselves, ‘How do we attract, retain and advance the best possible teacher talent in Greenville?’” said Ansel Sanders, PEP’s President & CEO. “Showing our community’s support for and appreciation of our teachers and the teaching profession, and what they mean to kids and the community is one way to do this and is the core purpose of #Teach864 Night.”

In its first year, over 1,200 GCS educators claimed a free ticket to #Teach864 Night, with thousands more attending from the Greenville community to congratulate teachers. This year is poised to be even bigger.

“In a short-period of time, the #Teach864 initiative between Greenville County Schools, Public Education Partners, and the Greenville Drive has taken shape as a year-long campaign that addresses many of our community’s ongoing needs and challenges,” said Craig Brown, Owner & President of the Drive. “It is important for us to recognize and salute our teachers, not just one night at Fluor Field, but as an ongoing program so that we can attract and retain talented individuals who are invested in the Upstate’s youth, shaping future leaders.”

In addition to receiving free admission, teachers will receive complimentary ‘My Drive to Teach’ t-shirts from Herff Jones, $5 food vouchers from the Drive and a limited number of free sunglasses from PEP. Between-inning competitions, play ball announcers and other ceremonial positions will feature teachers, with the first pitch being delivered by Shelley Smith of Travelers Rest High School, GCS 2018-2019 Teacher of the Year, and one of five finalists for South Carolina Teacher of the Year.

“I truly appreciate the work that Public Education Partners does to provide additional support and resources for Greenville County Schools,” said Smith. “It is wonderful to have an organization in Greenville County that advocates for and celebrates the success of education.”

#Teach864 Night is the base of a more expansive, visible Teach864 campaign, utilizing events, billboards, broadcast, print and social media to position Greenville, SC as the country’s premiere teacher destination through community support and collaboration. All of it is part of PEP’s goal to have Greenville be seen as the Silicon Valley for teachers – Teacher Town, USA.

“We are pleased to collaborate with Public Education Partners and the Greenville Drive to present #Teach864, an exciting recognition event for our teachers,” said Margaret Spivey, GCS Director of Professional Employment. “The greater Greenville community has embraced our employees and continues to provide an extremely supportive environment to attract, retain and celebrate great educators.”

First pitch for Tuesday’s game against the Augusta GreenJackets is at 7:05 PM. Tickets for the general public are available at the Drive’s Main Street box office, by calling (864) 240-4528, or by visiting their website. For more information about #Teach864 and other initiatives, contact PEP at 864-255-5333.

Public Education Partners

Public Education Partners’ mission is to lead our community in acting collectively to support, strengthen and advance public education and student achievement in Greenville County Schools. PEP collaborates with community partners to introduce innovative programming in schools and deepen connections between schools and the community. We are Greenville County’s only nonprofit focused solely on improving K–12 public education.