Students work together to replace beloved teacher's stolen shoes

(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/KETV)

last updated 6 February 2020

When their teacher's pricey basketball shoes were stolen from his office last month, a group of eighth grade students in Bellevue, Nebraska, immediately came up with a way to replace them.

The students from Logan Fontenelle Middle School hatched their plan in a group chat. They decided to raise money to buy their teacher, Trey Payne, a new pair of shoes, and asked their friends to contribute to the effort. As soon as they had enough to pay for the shoes, they ordered a pair online, and presented the box and a card to Payne.

As soon as Payne realized what they had done, he started to cry. "It's more than a pair of shoes," he said. "It's about doing things to build everyone up around you. I try to show my kids this and I think the lesson has sunk in for many, in turn, reaffirming my purpose and my ideals." Payne has definitely made a lasting impression on the students, who were happy to let the world know how much he means to them. "We want Mr. Payne to know we love him and we care about him," Elicia Fenner told KETV. Catherine Garcia

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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