Midway Hills Primary Kindergarten Teacher Marvicia Pearson Receives Kids First “Dollars for Kids” Award

MHP Principal Tara Burney, Superintendent Dr. Kristina Brooks, BCSD Board Member Shannon Hill, Marvicia Pearson, Reeda Betts, Assistant Principal Lisa Bell, and Deputy Superintendent Dr. Rodney Tyson

A joyful surprise greeted students and staff at Midway Hills Primary on Tuesday, February 24th, as Kindergarten teacher Marvicia Pearson was presented with a $200 classroom award through the Dollars for Kids program, sponsored by Kids First.

The award was made possible by Baldwin County Board of Education Member Shannon Hill, who selected Mrs. Pearson as the recipient after winning the Dollars for Kids door prize at the Georgia School Boards Association conference in Atlanta.

Kids First Regional Partnership Specialist Reeda Betts traveled from Montgomery, Alabama to personally present the award.

What Is “Dollars for Kids”?

Kids First is a service company that supports teachers, students, and school leaders from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade across all subject areas.

“At our conferences, we offer a door prize called Dollars for Kids,” Betts explained, “The winner of the door prize gets to choose a teacher of his or her choice to present the monetary award to, and that teacher spends it on his or her classroom.”

Hill visited the Kids First booth during the Georgia School Boards Association conference, where she was selected as the winner. She chose Mrs. Pearson as the teacher she wanted to bless with the classroom award.

Supporting Teachers Across the Southeast

Betts shared that Kids First was founded in Mississippi and now serves schools across ten states in the Southeast. The organization began working in Georgia last February and continues to build partnerships with districts across the state. “We love to do this,” Betts said of the classroom presentations. And it showed.

In addition to the prize, Betts presented Kid's First notebooks to everyone and a special umbrella to District Superintendent Dr. Kristina Brooks.

For Mrs. Pearson and her Kindergarten students, the $200 award will translate directly into meaningful classroom resources, small investments that make a big difference in early learning.

At Baldwin County School District, we are grateful for partners like Kids First and for board members like Shannon Hill who take opportunities to pour back into our teachers.

Congratulations, Mrs. Pearson! Your work matters, and we are proud to celebrate you.