One fifth-grader made his teachers smile before moving onto middle school by treating all them to a dinner party.
Cody Dortch, 11, of Edmond, Oklahoma, took his seven elementary school teachers to the farewell dinner, all expenses paid.
“They loved it,” his mother Ashley Dortch told ABC News. “One of his teachers, she said, ‘I’ve been teaching for 23 years and that never happens. Some of them cried, and it was an eye-opener to realize that a simple gesture like this would mean so much. They’ve done so much for my kids—giving them an extra hug when they needed it, or a joke to make them laugh.”
Cody had been moved by tragedy to make the token of appreciation. His friend’s brother had recently passed away, and he felt he needed to make people feel appreciated while they still can.
“All these teachers had been awesome through this. Every single one,” his mother said.
Cody saved up money for the dinner by requesting extra chores from home, which boosted his allowance, and he also offered babysitting services to neighbors.
On April 13, he held the dinner for his teachers at a restaurant called Interurban, and guests received an invitation designed by Cody himself.
“Dinner was a Wednesday night and [Cody] brought them all flowers. He wanted to show his appreciation for all they had done throughout the years,” his mother said.
Marci McVay, one of the teachers who attended the dinner, said that they were touched by what Cody did.
“At some point, halfway through the dinner, he stood up and made a very endearing speech saying, ‘The dinner is on me,’” McVay said. “It was very sweet.”
