Missouri National Guard leads teacher appreciation morning boot camp

As the cries of Staff Sgt. Rodger C. Pinkley rang out Thursday morning at Jefferson Elementary School, 22 voices, including 12 other members of the Missouri National Guard’s 1221st Transportation Company, echoed his commands.

The Dexter, Missouri, guard members gathered at Jefferson to lead teachers in a “boot-camp” style workout, an event Principal Leigh Ragsdale coordinated as part of Teacher Appreciation Week.

The national weeklong observance is celebrated May 4 through 8, and at Jefferson, that meant an opportunity to shower teachers and staff with tokens of appreciation all week long.

Each day, teachers received such tokens in the form of free taco coupons from El Sol, an evening of miniature golf at The Teehouse, a drive-through salad bar from Texas Roadhouse and more.

“My personal philosophy, without a shadow of a doubt, is that teachers are the hardest working individuals on this planet,” Ragsdale said Wednesday. “I mean, they are loving and dedicated and spending their own money on kids that are not their own ... and it’s the least that we can do, one week. This should be all year round, in my opinion.”

The workout began with seven preparatory drills, including the high jump, windmill, rear lunge and — much to the dismay of some — pushups. After a few conditioning drills that tested participants’ core and upper body strength, Pinkley led the group through a cool-down drill.

Jokes were exchanged about moving on to a 5-mile run, but in the end, only a few teachers joined guard members for a jog around the school’s neighborhood.

Ragsdale, who spoke with the Southeast Missourian at the event, broke away mid-thought to cheer on friend and colleague Kelley Branch as she finished the run near the front of the pack.

“GO K.B., GO!” the educator cheered.

Soon after, members of First State Community Bank arrived to pass out juice and muffins to show their appreciation for teachers.

The Jefferson principal explained by phone Wednesday afternoon she wanted to host an event that was socially distant and counterbalanced all the gifts of food.

“A lot of times, teacher appreciation falls in and on the responsibility of a lot of restaurants,” she said Wednesday, giving Branch credit for the boot camp idea. “ ... This is a good way to get exercise, too.”

The 1221st company has been assisting with meal issuance in the Cape Girardeau School District since April 27, which Pinkley said is a reflection of the guard’s mission.

“Our mission is actually to make sure the kids get fed from the school,” Pinkley said. “We don’t want kids to go hungry during this. We’re here to help teachers, help the schools and make sure the community knows we’re here to assist and help to the best of our ability.”

Pinkley said the chance to take part in Teacher Appreciation Week meant a lot to the soldiers in his company.

“I think it shows the community that we’re all out here trying to work together during this hard time, to make sure that we can take care of as many people as we can,” he said.

Ragsdale said the event served as a way to highlight the “true servant leadership” of the Cape Girardeau community.

“I mean, teachers are servant leaders by trade,” she said. “... They serve their community, their classrooms and their students.”

That sentiment is amplified by the school district’s partnership with the Missouri National Guard, Ragsdale said.

“That’s what they do, too, is serve our community and serve our country,” she said. “And I think it’s just getting two really powerful groups together to have a little bit of fun and think outside the box and burn a couple calories.”