Investing in Teachers. Investing in Students. Investing in the Future.💙
Posted Date: 09/14/26 (03:53 PM)
A heartfelt thank you to the Missouri Retired Teachers Association (MRTA) and the Missouri Retired Teachers Foundation (MRTF) for continuing to support Missouri educators and for making a difference right here at Putnam County R-I!
During our August professional development days, MRTA members Carol Starbuck and Tracy Ockenfels stopped by with a special surprise for Mr. Jeremy Watt: a $500 classroom grant! 
The funding will support a new high school course designed for students interested in exploring the nursing profession, helping provide hands-on learning opportunities and resources as students discover whether a future in healthcare might be the right path for them. 
There’s something especially meaningful about retired educators investing in the next generation of educators and students. MRTA represents nearly 30,000 retired educators across Missouri, while MRTF has awarded more than $660,000 in grants to Missouri public school teachers since 2001.
We are grateful that some of that generosity found its way to Putnam County—and even more excited about the opportunities it will help create for our students.
Thank you, Carol, Tracy, MRTA, and MRTF, for continuing to champion public education long after leaving the classroom. Once an educator, always an educator. 
Learn more about the MRTA by visiting www.mrta.org/foundation
Pictured left to right: Jonnie Beavers (Superintendent of PCR-I Schools, Tracy Ockenfels (MRTA), Carol Starbuck (MRTA), Tiffani Klinginsmith (PCHS Principal), and Jeremy Watt (PCHS Science Teacher)
Photo: Haley Watt