StorageMart, a self-storage operator with more than 130 locations across the United States and Canada, has announced the winners of its Draw My Favorite Teacher contests in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Oakland, Calif. Through the competition, the company is donating $6,000 in school supplies and $1,600 in classroom prize money to selected schools and teachers. The contest invited public-school students in grades K-5 to submit drawings of their favorite educators.

Daphna Gutman, a fifth-grade teacher at Public School 172 is the Brooklyn grand-prize winner. Brooklyn runners-up were Desiree Rios, also of Public School 172; Sean Safford of Public School 67; and Robert Segarro of Public School 20.

In Oakland, kindergarten teacher Marcelo Granda of Glenview Elementary was the grand-prize winner. Runners-up were Suzette Hackett of Peralta Elementary, Valerina Hilton of Hoover Elementary, and Barbara Davis of Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary.

Drawing submissions included brief descriptions explaining why a teacher was a students favorite. Finalists were chosen from more than 500 entries and then put to a public vote via StorageMarts blog and Facebook page. Both contests were very close, with Gutman winning by just two votes and Granda winning by 14 votes.

Both grand-prize winners will receive a check for $500 to spend on their classrooms as they choose. Each of their schools will also receive school supplies valued at more than $3,000. The two students responsible for the winning drawing in each contest will enjoy a pizza party for their entire class. Each of the runners-up teachers will receive a $100 check for use in their respective classrooms.

StorageMart officials will honor the winning schools, teachers and students next week during special assemblies on each campus. The Glenview Elementary assembly will be held Dec. 10, and the Public School 172 assembly will take place Dec. 14.

StorageMart has supported students seeking higher education through our ScholarSmarts program for several years. Extending that support to public school teachers is an honor to us, said Sarah Little, interactive marketing director.

The success of the contests has encouraged the company to begin planning for similar promotions in each of its self-storage markets.

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