A sweet thank you to teachers

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Any day is a good day to say thank you to teachers, but there’s an extra reason this week.

It’s Teacher Appreciation Week.

Patrick O’Donnell didn’t always have his sights set on the classroom.

He switched careers from finance to education after being inspired by his wife, who’s a teacher.

“She had this energy and this glow about going to the classroom and to be honest, I was kind of like, ‘Okay, I’m going to work today,'” O’Donnell said.

This week, the 5th grade teacher at R.F. Pettigrew Elementary School got a special surprise: cupcakes.

“Teacher Appreciation Week is awesome, but to start off a Monday like that in the morning, it was pretty special,” O’Donnell said.

The delectable delivery is all thanks to a partnership between Oh My Cupcakes! and the Sioux Falls Public Schools Education Foundation.

About 170 teachers were nominated to receive the sweet treats on a social media post.

15 educators throughout the district were randomly selected.

One of the main ingredients of the cupcake is apples, of course.

“So this thing has graham cracker crust, housemade, and then it’s got a cinnamon cheesecake, baked apples on top, and a dollop of whipped cream. It totally tastes like apple pie a la mode. It’s so good,” Oh My Cupcakes! founder and CEO Melissa Johnson said.

The recipe was created just for this week.

“I don’t think teaching as a profession is getting any easier, so anything that we can do to continue to attract and retain the best and the brightest, we want to show support for those who choose to teach in the Sioux Falls School District and just really celebrate them and elevate them,” Sioux Falls Public Schools Education Foundation executive director Allison Struck said.

O’Donnell can’t imagine a career outside of education.

“I really just enjoy coming to school everyday and joking around with the kids and having a fun time and just seeing the energy, and I’m continually learning from those kids as well,” O’Donnell said.

The Apple of My Eye cupcakes are available for purchase from Oh My Cupcakes! through Friday.

A portion of the proceeds will go to the Sioux Falls Public Schools Education Foundation.

Here’s the full list of winners:

Patrick O’Donnell at R.F. Pettigrew Elementary

Amanda Kadi at Lincoln High School

Kari Nichols at Whittier Middle School

Lily Satterlee at Eugene Field A+ Elementary

Sara Wiebelhaus at Oscar How Elementary

Katrina Holz at Garfield Elementary

Kendra Karsky at Discovery Elementary

Michelle Davis at Ben Reifel Middle School

Sheila Pike at Jane Addams Elementary