---
title: A Tour to Thank Terp Teachers
date: 2025-05-08T05:30:00-04:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/a-tour-to-thank-terp-teachers"
section: Articles
---
# A Tour to Thank Terp Teachers

*May 8, 2025* — by [Emily Schuster](/author/emily-schuster)


> College of Education Surprises 3 Alums During Teacher Appreciation Week

*IMG 2991 1920x1080 — Bouquet in hand, Vassiliki "Vicky" Key ’11, a social studies teacher at Shady Grove Middle School in Gaithersburg, gets a hug from Testudo on Tuesday at the pep rally in her honor. Her three children are at left.*

Irma I. Najarro ’03 suddenly stopped teaching how to measure angles, and her fourth-grade students at a Montgomery County school put down their protractors as a parade burst into the classroom.

Waving pom-poms and blasting the Maryland Victory Song, representatives from the University of Maryland College of Education and the life-size Testudo mascot had come to surprise Najarro on Tuesday at Washington Grove Elementary School in Gaithersburg with balloons, a bag of College of Education-branded swag and a $1,000 check—along with their gratitude.

“I am shocked but really happy that the kids are getting to see this," said Najarro. "They can say, ‘When I grow up and I go to Maryland or I go to college, this could also happen to me.’”


*teacher holds giant check and poses with students and Testudo in classroom. Students hold UMD signs and balloons — Irma I. Najarro ’03, a dual-language fourth-grade teacher at Washington Grove Elementary School in Gaithersburg, poses with some of her students in their classroom.*


*Sara Tatum holds giant check with Kimberly Griffin and Testudo — Bladensburg High School math teacher Sara Tatum ’18, shown with College of Education Dean Kimberly Griffin and Testudo, said, "My favorite thing about teaching is helping kids make sense of the world, math and life."*




**Topics:** [Campus & Community](https://today.umd.edu/tags/campus-community)


**Tags:** [Alumni](https://today.umd.edu/topic/alumni)


**Units:** [College of Education](https://today.umd.edu/topic/college-education)