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The idea to honor the teachers, Leslie Padilla and Patrice Pollard, came from the students, Principal Cathleen Cummings said. The auditorium is now The Leslie Padilla Center for the Arts, and there will be a section of the media center known as The Patrice Pollard 5th grade Inquiry Center for Language Arts and Humanities.
“We feel these are fitting tributes to these special women, who exemplified the IB Learner’s Profile and were positive role models for students, staff, parents and community members,” Cummings said in a statement.
Padilla worked at Rogers for 12 years, teaching Spanish, Bilingual, and ELL, the statement said. She also directed all of the theater productions and co-founded the theater group Racies.
Pollard was an International Baccalaureate Humanities and Language Arts teacher for three years at Rogers.
Students will also sell commemorative bracelets for both teachers to raise funds to provide a scholarship for a child to attend the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, a camp founded by actor Paul Newman for children with cancer.
The dedication ceremony included a proclamation from Mayor Michael Pavia and musical presentations performed by current and past students honoring the teachers.
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