The Arrow Dealerships were the driving force in the creation of the now renowned Teacher Tribute Program. With the help of its founding partners, the awards program first started in the 1997-98 school year, and has continued to grow and is celebrating its 10 th Anniversary this year. The purpose of the Teacher Tribute Program is to give students of Abilene and the big country the opportunity to recognize and say, “Thank you” to the teachers who have inspired and motivated them to do their best.

The program is successful because of the relationships that exist between the teachers and students of the Big Country. The West Texas values shine through because the teachers give out loving and caring education while the students give back loving and caring appreciation.

The students submit nomination letters to the Teacher Tribute selection committee. This nomination describes to the committee, specifically how their teacher has made a positive impact in their lives. The Teacher Tribute committee meets monthly and selects no more than 4 and no less than 2 honorees per month for the following month’s presentations. Each honoree is given a designated week in which they are “honored” by the media partners in the following ways:

• Featured on KTXS in a 6 and 10 o’clock news story
• In a 30 second commercial that runs during the week on KTXS
• They get to be a guest D.J. on Kean 105.1 with Rudy Fernandez
• Receive $100 cash
• Their picture along with their story about their inspiration for becoming a teacher appears in the Abilene Report News
• They get to drive a brand new car for two weeks, courtesy of Arrow Dealerships
• Featured in a 30 minute TV show on KTXS in May along with all other winners
• Attend a reception in May at which they can enter to win $500 for their school and $500 for themselves
• They also receive one last “Thank You” at the reception in May

This program continues to grow as we are flooded with letters week after week. If you are a student and want to nominate your teacher just click here. If you have questions regarding this program please contact Tracie Willyard, Marketing Director for the Arrow Dealerships at traciew@arrowford.com.