For the 30th consecutive year, the Emporia community, and listeners abroad, all tuned into KVOE to support the “best of the best” in education.
The annual National Teachers Hall of Fame Radio Auction broadcasted live once again from the Emporia State Federal Credit Union Industrial Road branch Thursday night with more than 100 items on the auction block. ESFCU President Angie Miller says it felt great to host the auction once again after the location had to be altered last year due to COVID-19 protocols.
Hall of Fame Director Carol Strickland says she loves holding the auction during American Education Week as both the auction and the week are an opportunity for the community to say thank you to the educators who have helped shape their lives. Strickland says that gratitude should not be limited to just a single week, however, as the teaching profession, and those in it deserve to be honored year-round.
After having to be postponed three different times over the course of the pandemic, June’s ceremony will be honoring both the 2020 Hall of Fame class as well as the 2022 honorees. Because of this, the cost of induction activities has doubled from years past according to Strickland.
As has been the case for the past three decades, the auction was broadcast live on KVOE 1400 AM and 96.9 FM as well as on KVOE TV at KVOE.com. Listeners tuned in throughout the evening as bids came in steadily garnering an unnoficial total of $17,330. KVOE Program Director Scott Hayes says the auction’s continued support says a lot about the local community’s appreciation for educators and the teaching profession as a whole.
The goal for Thursday’s auction was $30,000 and Strickland says donations and pledges are still coming in at this time, so the final total will likely increase over the course of the next several days.
Photos by Tagan Trahoon/KVOE NewsÂ
