Hi Friends, as well as past students and colleagues of my Dad, Doug Nordyke aka "Mr Nordyke"-
Those who knew my Dad or had him as a teacher know that he really poured himself into his students and created a really unique educational experience in his classroom and outside of it.
Music, art, drama, games, crafts, field trips and campouts. Spending many evenings and weekends redecorating his classroom for a new learning theme or holiday season, or planning an epic field trip. Over the years, he also spent a lot of his own money to facilitate these things, as school district budgets didn't go very far.
There are many other teachers today in Corvallis that are trying to create a similar experience for their students, but don't have the extra finances to execute on some of their ideas.
If you'd like to make a donation in my Dad's memory, as a tribute to the impact his mentoring or friendship had on your life, please consider making a donation to Love Inc. of Benton County and putting in the memo line of your check "Mr Nordyke Tribute".
Chris spoke with Jen, the executive director, this morning. Love Inc has a long history of supporting teachers in various ways, along with all the primary work they do supporting children and families in our community.
Funds received will be dispersed to local Benton County teachers who need assistance with classroom expenses and creating special learning experiences for their students.
We've long admired the work Love Inc. does in our community and trust them to honor my Dad's teaching legacy in this community by providing resources to teachers coming up behind my Dad.
Thanks for considering a gift of any size. My Dad has never been a showy person or promoter, but I know he'd get a kick out of the idea of helping other teachers make an outsized impact on their students.
