Barnes and Noble wants to commemorate our teachers by giving them the opportunity to win $5,000 for affecting positive change in their students lives.

All junior high and high school students have until Friday, March 1 to tell their local Barnes and Noble about a teacher that has influenced their life through their choice of writing styles, including but not limited to, poems, essays and thank-you letters, said Marisa Trebizo, store manager at Barnes & Noble, Valencia.

“Really what we do is look at the ones that include what the teacher actually did to affect or impact the students life and how they were able to help them move forward specifically,” Trebizo said. 

Each Barnes & Noble will select one winner. The winning teachers will then go on to compete regionally (including all stores between Bakersfield and the Inland Empire). A regional winner will be announced; then a national winner will be selected and win $5,000 in addition to $5,000 for their school, Trebizo said. 

The students and teacher that win locally will be honored at the Valencia Barnes and Noble April 17 during Educator Appreciation Day, a quarterly event the store holds. Starting at 5 p.m. and open to the public, the event will give the winning student a teacher special acknowledgement as well as offer refreshments and raffle items such as bookmarks and pencils. Trebizo added that they are trying to add a grant writing workshop in order to help teachers learn how to benefit their classroom. 

Regional winners will receive a NOOK® eReader and a $500 Barnes & Noble Gift Card, she said.  

Regarding students writing styles, Trebizo said story structure and detail are most important. 

“We had one that was great, I’ll always remember they wrote it like a comedy with jokes,” she said. “He put a lot into it while making it fun to read, it was something different.” 

Gale Pinsker, community liaison officer for the William S. Hart Union High School District, said she informed schools about it today and was unsure how principles would market the contest to students. 

“Barnes & Noble is doing something out of the goodness of their hearts,” she said. “There’s no set classroom assignments or state standards, it’s just a good opportunity for our students to acknowledge a great teacher.” 

Interested students can visit Barnes & Noble online for additional details and to submit their entry.