Local Sonic franchise pledges proceeds to send Tangipahoa teachers to Ron Clark Academy

A locally owned Sonic franchise announced June 3 that it will donate 100% of proceeds from a new “Sweet Louisiana Sunshine” drink through Aug. 31 to help send Tangipahoa Parish teachers to professional-development workshops at the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta.

Lori Morsey, marketing director for Praise Sonic Drive Ins, told the board the franchise has three local locations — Hammond, Ponchatoula and Kentwood — and said corporate Sonic has partnered with the Ron Clark Academy in previous years to send teachers to the Atlanta program.

Two teachers who attended the Ron Clark Academy described the experience to the board. Kenyatta Johnson, a seventh- and eighth-grade math teacher in the Tangipahoa system, said, “It wasn't just a professional development. It was a wake up call, a reminder of what teaching can and should be for all.” Shaquita Williams, a fifth-grade teacher, told the board the visit “made me think, how could I change my classroom? Not change it next year, not change it next month, but change it that day.”

The Sonic representative said the franchise will begin selling the Sweet Louisiana Sunshine drink immediately and will donate sales revenue from the item through Aug. 31 to support local educators' attendance. Two teachers from Greenville Park Leadership Academy who attended a Ron Clark Academy session in March were introduced to the board and spoke about classroom practices they brought back.

Board members thanked the company and praised teachers for volunteering time during the summer. The board did not vote on or authorize district funds for the program during the meeting.