National Pen Donates Face Masks to Vallecitos Elementary School in California

Face Masks, Morale, and the Vallecitos Vikings: National Pen Proudly Donates Custom Face Masks to Support Teachers, Staff, and Other Heroes at Vallecitos Elementary

The Vallecitos Elementary School (Go Vikings!) in Rainbow, California is a tight-knit group of faculty, staff, students, parents, and guardians working together to engage and educate kids from kindergarten through 8th grade. Over the course of the closures and changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the community began to feel increasingly disconnected and school spirit began to suffer. 

So, when an online-only teaching model gave way to a hybrid model, one teacher thought of a fun way to celebrate and welcome students for in-person learning. She asked National Pen to customize face masks with the Vallecitos Elementary name and mascot for distribution among faculty and staff. As kids returned to campus in October of 2020, they were greeted with familiar faces and the familiar mascot of the Vallecitos Vikings. What’s more, this impressive school maintained a hybrid model even through the hardest holiday months of the pandemic.

Says Erin Eulberg, the teacher behind the morale-boosting masks:   

“The pandemic has taken a large toll on teachers, students, and their families. Vallecitos School is a lively and close knit community in Rainbow, California. After teaching at Vallecitos for four years, it was extremely disheartening to see the community so disconnected over the course of the last year. After shifting our instruction and classrooms so many times and being away from our students for so long, teachers were in need of a major boost in morale. Now that we are teaching a hybrid in-person and online model, the custom face masks for staff at Vallecitos were the perfect decision. They showed our community that we are united, resilient, and ready to move forward!”

National Pen was so impressed with Erin’s commitment to her community, they decided to donate the masks. We salute teachers across the country who are educating kids while keeping a watchful eye out for their hearts and minds, even through changing and challenging times. 

Cheers to community, masks, and morale at Vallecitos Elementary! Personalize your own custom face masks for restaurant staff, team members, employees returning to work, and more.