This Valentine's Day, The Item and Sumter School District partner for Adopt-A-Teacher free subscription program

The word teacher doesn't really even begin to describe it.

Teachers give their students - our children and our next generation to inherit and lead the world - more than the textbook knowledge they need to become successful adults. They instill the soft skills necessary to interact in the world, the critical thinking and empathy they'll need to form relationships. They are a safe space, a watchful eye. They give up bathroom breaks and money from their own wallets in service of other people's children.

Teachers aren't in this for the paycheck or the notoriety. They do it because they love their students.

Our staff at The Sumter Item knows how important teachers are to our community. We know an informed citizenry, an informed electorate, an informed next generation is critical to quality of life and a thriving community.

And while we know we rely on subscribers and advertisers to support the continuation of Sumter's only source of daily local news, we also know that not everyone can choose to spend their hard-earned money on access to local information.

So The Item and Sumter School District have partnered to help the community thank its teachers for their hard work and to support that access to local news.

Individuals and businesses can adopt a teacher, giving one or many a free digital subscription to The Item. The gift costs $99 for an entire year, more than 35% off the normal rate.

WHO WANTS A GIFT

More than 300 teachers and educators from Sumter School District have signed up to request this community support.

They include teachers at every level of the district, and they span schools from the city to the county. They teach everything from math and STEM to social studies and history. They're media specialists, career technology educators and counselors, grade teachers, language teachers and reading interventionists.

Teachers with a subscription to The Item can use the information and local news, videos, podcasts and more they'll get daily to inform their own lives and in their classrooms and lessons.

HOW IT WORKS

Go to www.theitem.com/adoptateacher to sign up.

Complete the subscription purchase process in just a few steps, including creating a username and password.

Once complete, The Item will change that username and password to a teacher's, therefore giving them a free subscription to The Sumter Item. The Item will notify the teacher of their gift and ask if they want to remain anonymous to the giver or be connected via a thank-you email. If anonymous, the giver will receive general information about the teacher.

Email editor@theitem.com if you have a specific teacher in mind you want to adopt. If that teacher is on the list of those who signed up with interest in receiving a free subscription to The Item, that connection will be made. Otherwise, teachers will be selected at random.

For questions about adopting multiple teachers at an even further discounted, bulk rate, email editor@theitem.com.

WHAT THEY GET

A digital subscription to The Sumter Item includes access to everything The Item produces, except delivery of the printed newspaper, including all articles, photos, videos, podcasts, newsletters, contests, promotions and the E-Paper, a digital replica of the printed newspaper, which is posted online the night before it is published and delivered via email by 6 a.m.