3 August 2023
TOPEKA (KSNT) – What better way to kick off the new school year than with a new car?
USD 501 and Lewis Toyota of Topeka partnered to do something special for staff ahead of the 2023 school year. Barbie Atkins, an art teacher at Robinson Middle School and previous Teacher of the Year for Topeka Public Schools Award winner, and Duke Palmer, the current dean of Ross Elementary and retired principal, were each picked in a random raffle to receive a new car. Atkins 2023 Toyota Highlander and Palmer with a 2023 Toyota Corolla.
“I’m still in shock,” Palmer said. “You know, you go places, you see everybody else win something.”
But at 501’s annual Convocation Wednesday morning, he was the winner.
“Not in your wildest dreams do you think of receiving a car, or money,” Palmer said. “You’re just there for the enjoyment of it because you’re glad to be there.”
He’s been teaching for 42 years. He retired as a principal in 2010 before returning to Ross Elementary in 2022, where he’s not only the dean of students, but also serves as a mental health coordinator.
Lewis Toyota wanted to take this opportunity to recognize educators like Palmer, who make an impact in the community on a daily basis. The dealership worked alongside 501 Superintendent Tiffany Anderson to do its first-ever giveaway like this for teachers.
“Supplying these teachers with some vehicles to drive, since they’re free for the year, that’s just one way we can give back,” Lewis Toyota General Manager Mike Surey said. “So, if we can kind of help lessen the load and be able to get them out there driving in style, so they can come in every day prepared and ready to take care of the youth of this community.”
The cars given to Atkins and Palmer are completely free for the upcoming school year, and Lewis Toyota is even covering maintenance during that timeframe. This is just one way for the dealership to give back to those who give so much to others.
“We do make a difference with the students that we teach,” Palmer said. “And educators, you don’t get a whole lot of credit, but your credit comes when your students come up to you, when the parents come up to you, or when your colleagues come up to you and say ‘Hey, you’re doing a good job. Hang in there, because our kids need it.'”