By Fallan Patterson
Staff Writer

The cowboy tipped his hat, the pirates raised their swords and the panther pawed the air as school mascots, principals, football players and cheerleaders paraded their school pride at the first ever Employee Welcome Back Rally Tuesday in the Silver Spurs Arena at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee.

More than 5,000 teachers, support staff and principals filled the stands wearing school colors, ringing bells and setting off air horns in celebration of the 2010-11 school year.

“It’s really good to see the other schools and try to work hard, not just for your school, but for the county,” said Jacob Grantham, a track and field coach and advanced placement human geography teacher at Harmony High School.

The rally was not paid for with Osceola County School District funds; the county donated use of the arena and several sponsors, including the Education Foundation-Osceola County, handled the bill.

“We want all our dollars to go to salaries and the kids,” Dana Schafer, director of community relations for the School District, said. “It’s really hard to get everyone in the district together.”

School Board members and district employees highlighted positive countywide school statistics, such as how Osceola County has a higher graduation rate and lower dropout rate than the state average.

“Everyone in here creates educational miracles everyday,” Superintendent Michael Grego told the crowd. “Unlike other pep rallies for sporting events, the world does not gather to celebrate our miracles.”

The festivities also recognized contributions the Education Foundation Osceola County has made to the district for 25 years.

Paul Kinser, foundation chairman, said the organization has given $4 million in college scholarships to Osceola County graduates; nearly $1 million in grants to classroom teachers; $7 million in school supplies; and handed out 9,700 backpacks.

Nationally recognized motivational speaker Richard Ramsey, who has served public school systems for 28 years, energized the crowd with music and drove home an inspirational message.

“It’s all right to celebrate your accomplishments but you have to set the bar a little higher next year,” he said.

The rally replaced the back-to-school event held for more than 15 years at the Exhibition Hall at Osceola Heritage Park, where more than 100 booths provided a “shopping” experience for teachers to pick up school supplies, information for new field trip ideas and other tips.

The School District is the largest employer in the county, with nearly 7,000 permanent and substitute employees. The district hired 360 new teachers for this school year, 125 of whom were hired to fulfill the newly implemented class size requirements, and now employs more than 3,200 educators.