Holloway Gym Teacher Wins Office Max School Program
BY KAREN BERGER — MIRROR REPORTER
By incorporating reading, math and geography lessons into running, jumping and throwing, Rick Rinestine enhances his Holloway Elementary students’ physical education experience.
“It’s not just gym class. It’s gym class with a twist,” said Holloway principal Bill Renwand, who nominated Rinestine for Office Max’s “A Day Made Better” program.
On October 10, Rinestine had a twist to his gym class – a surprise visit from a team of Spring Meadows Office Max employees, rolling in loads of donated school supplies.
“I will share a lot of this with teachers throughout the school,” said Rinestine, as he sat in his new rolling chair and surveyed the boxes filled with calculators, paper, crayons and even a printer and camera. “But I could find a way to play shuffleboard with this chair.”
As a physical education teacher for 11 years at Holloway, Rinestine has found unique ways to creatively blend reading and math curriculum into his gym class, Renwand said. Students identify cities around the world while playing basketball, count beanbags and follow the Iditarod dog sled race.
For his enthusiasm and creativity, Renwand nominated the gym teacher for the Office Max program, in which local stores reward one teacher a year as part of their “A Day Made Better” program.
“Office Max understands the challenges that teachers face every day, with high expectations but not always enough resources,” sales specialist Ashley Jones said. “Teachers spend $1,000 of their own money each year on supplies.”
In addition to giving Rinestine $1,000 worth of merchandise and a certificate, the Holland store also collected community donations of paper, glue sticks, pencils and more to give to the school, said store manager Shellie Michael.
This year is the fifth year for the program, which is probably the best thing they do as a store, Michael said. When associates hear about the program from peers, they lobby her to go next year.
“It’s exciting to see the little kids get all pumped up,” Michael said.

Holland Donation Sale To Benefit Leukemia And Lymphoma Society
BY KAREN BERGER — MIRROR REPORTER
Taylor Devol is active at Springfield Middle School – with clubs, volleyball and schoolwork. But during the past several months, she’s found time to clean and sort toys, change batteries and pass out flyers for her second donation sale to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
The sale will be held on Saturday, October 22 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Holland Community Center, 940 Clarion St.
Taylor and her parents Kelly and Gary have piled up games, books, bikes and equipment in a storage unit.
“We got a big load of Polly Pockets and little trinkets, and we had to lay them all out and clean and sort them,” she said. “But I think if the toys were all dirty and didn’t have new batteries, people wouldn’t like them as much.”
With a motto of “Take what you need and give what you can,” the sale will have donation cans instead of price tags.
That worked well in 2009, when Taylor held her first donation sale and raised $1,200 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
That sale was a suggestion by her family, after several members battled cancer or lymphoma.
Her father Gary, principal of Holland Elementary, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1984 and celebrated 25 years of being cancer-free by biking 100 miles in 2009. Her grandmother Barbara Irons has also beaten lymphoma, Taylor said.
“I decided to turn it into a fund-raiser because I knew my family had it (lymphoma). I thought of the people with leukemia and lymphoma and I didn’t want them to have to go through it,” Taylor said.
She was planning a sale in 2010 but her grandfather’s illness postponed the event. Donated toys and kids’ items were saved for this year’s sale, making for a good selection, she said.
Taylor predicts that this year’s hot sellers will be books, larger outdoor play equipment, Barbies, Polly Pockets, baby toys, Legos and cars.
Donations will be accepted through Sunday, October 16. Pickup can be arranged by calling (419) 861-4531.
Her goal is to raise $1,400.
“We need to get some money to give to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society,” Taylor said.
Donations can also be made by dropping off a check to the sale or online at www.lightthenight.org/NOH.