In the preschool lab at the Virginia Beach Technical and Career Education (TCE) Center, children ages three to five years old are learning the letters of the alphabet.

Q is for quilts and queens.

R is for rainbows and rockets.

And V is for volunteers – volunteer Amy Sawyer that is.

Sawyer was selected as the TCE Center’s Volunteer of the Year for her dedicated service to the teachers and students in the Center’s Early Childhood Education (ECE) program. It is a high school program and preschool lab she knows well – Sawyer was a student in the two-year program herself, completing it in 2011.

When Sawyer expressed an interest earlier this school year to volunteer her time to support her former program, ECE instructor Theresa Cole said she jumped at the chance to have such an “eager helper.”

“Amy’s service in our preschool positively impacts our school in many ways,” Cole said. In addition to setting an example for current high school students in the program, Cole notes that Sawyer provides an extra set of hands in the classroom that permits Cole and her ECE program colleague Lisa Embrey to spend more time helping their students operate the preschool lab and engage with the participating children.

Also noticing the value of Sawyer’s extra assistance is Donna Hall, TCE Center school-to-work advisor and volunteer coordinator. “Amy assists with the prep work before the preschoolers arrive, prepares snacks and cleans the kitchen area, engages with preschoolers in their lessons and activities, prepares bulletin boards and cleans and organizes materials after the children have left,” Hall said. “And, all of this is done with a smile on her face.”

Sawyer’s smile is broad as she sorts through colorful numbers she made using a die-cut machine for next week’s lessons about the letter R.

“R is for rainbow,” explains Sawyer, adding that the preschoolers will count rainbow-colored dots in the book she is producing to practice the numbers 1-20.

“R is also for rockets,” says Sawyer, and her smile gets even bigger as she shows the moon rocks she made using black paper, tape and bean bags. She intentionally made them of varying sizes and weights to be used in the following week’s lesson on the “moon.” Cole and Sawyer explain that the preschoolers will put on “moon boots” and march around the surface of their transformed moon classroom on a scavenger hunt to find stars numbered 1-20 and to explore moon rocks.

Thanks to Sawyer’s help with all the preparation, the preschoolers’ lesson on the letter R is sure to be one they will “Remember.”

TCE Center director David Swanger is always grateful for the support that volunteers and organizations provide to his students and staff, especially a former student like Sawyer.

“Ms. Sawyer exudes a kind, caring and nurturing attitude that is recognized by all who meet her,” said Swanger. “She is an outstanding volunteer.”

To find ways you can get involved, visit the division’s Get Connected page at vbschools.com/getconnected and find volunteer opportunities available in VBCPS schools. For more information about the Volunteers in Education program as a whole, visit the page to learn more about the service of VBCPS volunteers.