EVERY GIFT MATTERS
TICKETS FOR TEACHERS IT ALL STARTED WITH A BENCH.
Mollie Mitchell, a KU alumna with degrees in journalism and education, was born and raised in Hutchinson, Kan. Her father, William “Bill” Mitchell was also a Jayhawk. He served as Speaker of the Kansas House of Representatives from 1960-1962 and was chairman of the Kansas Corporation Commission. Shortly after his death in 2006, two friends discovered a bench in Shimer Park in Topeka, Kan., commemorating Bill’s life. According to Mollie, these friends joked that their lives “would never warrant a bench.” The story became Mitchell family folklore. Mollie and her husband, John Wilson, formed a relationship with the School of Education and Human Services not long after Bill’s bench was discovered. At the time, the school was offering donors the opportunity to purchase commemorative bricks or benches. When John asked Mollie if she’d like a brick, she recalled her family folklore and said, “No, I’d like a bench.” That conversation led to a partnership with the school. While attending a KU men’s basketball game, Mollie saw a group of education students and noted that, once they enter the profession, they may not be able to afford tickets. A member of Mollie’s group suggested they do something about that, and Tickets for Teachers was born. The annual program provides KU men’s basketball tickets to 15-20 clinical supervisors who oversee student teachers about to enter the profession. Student teachers nominate their supervisor, also known as their cooperating teacher. “Clinical supervisors are an incredibly important part of the student teaching process but are often not recognized in any way,” Mollie said.
It was easy to select clinical supervisors as the program’s recipients. KU graduate Allie Rosenberg nominated Chrissie Kohl of Nieman Elementary School in the Shawnee Mission School District as a spring 2023 Tickets for Teachers recipient. Rosenberg wanted to honor Kohl because she went “above and beyond all she was required to do as a clinical supervisor” and modeled daily how to be “patient, engaging and caring.” Kimberley Hunter, a teacher at Jardine Elementary School in Topeka, Kan., was also a recipient. Hunter and her husband are lifelong KU fans, and she hopes the program can continue. “We rarely get to attend because it is difficult to get tickets, so we jumped at the chance to cheer on the Jayhawks,” she said. Mollie and John are dynamic examples of what dedication in action looks like, and their commitment to each other and to KU is inspirational. If you’d like to see where it all started, venture over to the east side of Pearson Hall, and have a seat on Mollie’s bench.
EDUCATOR APPRECIATION: John Wilson and Mollie Mitchell (pictured on a Flying Jayhawks trip) are honoring their love of KU and education with a program recognizing exceptional teachers with tickets to a men’s basketball game in Allen Fieldhouse.
YOU CAN HELP
To support Tickets for Teachers, contact Laura Meyer at 785-832-7372 or lmeyer@ kuendowment.org.
SHANNON CARRIGER
www.kuendowment.org 3
