A teacher’s job is to get students off on the right foot, but at Hancock Park Elementary School on May 8, the focus turned instead to the faculty and the staff – and their feet. In honor of the nationally recognized Teacher Appreciation Week, May 7-11, shoe brand Ccilu USA donated 100 pairs of shoes to the educators at Hancock Park Elementary.

Faculty and staff at Hancock Park Elementary School had a choice of 20 shoe styles by Ccilu USA to pick from during an event for Teacher Appreciation Week. (photo courtesy of Isack Fadlon)

Shanon Trygstad, president of the Friends of Hancock Park School booster organization, gathered the faculty and staff in the school’s auditorium on May 8 and kicked off the event with a pun-filled speech.

“We wanted to do something special to show you, the teachers and staff at Hancock Park School, that you’re truly the sole of our kids’ education. You have really big shoes to fill and we must tread lightly to even imagine our school without you,” she quipped. “I don’t think I can lace up my words today with too many compliments for you because it is really on the heels of your great leadership and support that our kids succeed.”

Onstage, Isack Fadlon, a Hancock Park School parent and owner of Sportie LA, an independent footwear store on Melrose Avenue, unveiled a large wall of stacked shoeboxes. Invited to dig through the options and find their size and preferred style, teachers littered the floor with tissue paper and empty boxes as they eagerly tried on the footwear.

“I think it’s a fantastic and such a sweet idea. Usually for teachers, we get food – which we love – but to get something like this is so fun and it’s so different,” said Deborah Glass, a third grade teacher at Hancock Park School. “And the shoes are really cool. I’m just shocked. There was a rumor going around and no one knew what was going on. This is so fun!”

Ccilu makes lightweight footwear – from sneakers to sandals and boots – in vibrant colors and durable, sporty designs. During the Hancock Park School event, there were 20 different styles for men and women for teachers to choose.

“They’re seriously comfortable,” Glass added. “They’re nice. I like them.”

The donation to the school was a part of Ccilu’s #StepForwardGiveBack campaign, an initiative during which the footwear brand plans to give 100,000 pairs of shoes to children around the world. As Ccilu Footwear founder and CEO Wilson Hsu shared in a statement, “We should seize every opportunity to #ThankATeacher for their dedication and impact on our children. Also, teachers spend their day on their feet in front of kids who are tuned in to fashion, so with Ccilus they can feel great and be stylish.”

Fadlon, who connected Ccilu with Hancock Park Elementary, wanted to use the donation to not only celebrate the philanthropic shoe brand, but to show his own personal appreciation for the school as well.

“As a parent with a kindergartner at Hancock Park, I, along with the other parents, feel enormous gratitude for the dedication and commitment the teachers have for our children,” he explained. “Ccilu USA … is committed to supporting local communities in the U.S. and around the world. When they approached us about partnering on some community-driven events in the L.A. area, I saw a perfect fit.”

The smiles and laughs from the school staff as they checked out the shoes indicated their own gratitude for the event.

“It’s nice to be appreciated, and we work hard, we do. But we also do it because we love it, right? So it’s sweet when parents acknowledge it,” Glass said.