Hillsborough teacher gets a $10,000 thank you

  2009 We Deliver award winner Ross Anderson (right) wipes away tears when he is introduced by Hillsborough County Public Schools superintendent MaryEllen Elia (left) during a ceremony at Van Buren Middle School in Tampa. Anderson's students sprayed silly string after his name was announced. [MARTHA RIAL, Times] TAMPA — Hillsborough County resource teacher Ross Anderson knew something big was happening today at Van Buren Middle School. But he had no idea the party — and a check for $10,000 — was for him. Anderson, 40, was named this year's We Deliver award winner. The award, funded by an anonymous donor through the district's education foundation, recognizes an employee who "delivers miracles every day," said superintendent MaryEllen Elia. As sponsor of the school's Men of Vision program, which seeks to mentor boys and raise their academic performance, Anderson was asked to help set up the library for a press conference. "I told the boys, 'I need you here first thing in the morning,'" he said, surrounded by television cameras and still clutching

the check Elia gave him when he suddenly became the guest of honor. "I was shocked." Anderson took a buyout from a corporate job in 2003, and in 2005 went to Sligh Middle School in search of a substitute teaching job. The school system, desperate for qualified male teachers willing to work in its low-income schools, hired him on the spot, and later nominated him as its teacher of the year. At Van Buren since 2008, Anderson works as a resource teacher to improve students' reading skills and attendance. But for many of the tie-wearing boys who turned out today, his volunteer work with the Men of Vision program has made a particular difference. "He always has our back, keeps us out of trouble," said sixth grader Wildens Cajuste. "I'm very grateful to have him. He's one of a kind." For more details and updates, visit tampabay.com or read tomorrow's St. Petersburg Times. Tom Marshall, Times Staff Writer

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Hillsborough teacher gets a $10,000 thank you

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