The old adage that the early bird gets the worm doesn’t always hold true. But on Sunday night, the early bird did get the “worm.”

Regina Catrett, a special services teacher at Pike County High School, was the winner of the field trip giveaway at the Pioneer Museum of Alabama’s “Welcome Back Scholars Night.”

Catrett was the first teacher to register and her name was the one pulled from the fishbowl at the close of the educator appreciation event. The field trip includes free admission for a class of up to 40 students and picnic lunch and a donation to assist with expenses of the bus trip to the museum.

“This is a great prize and we are looking forward to having Regina and her class visit the museum,” said Rachael Greve, museum director. “We had some great door prizes, really good food and the fellowship was wonderful. As a first time event, ‘Welcome Back Scholars’ was a success and we hope to make it an annual event. The event was also an opportunity for us to recognize our teachers for their dedication and commitment.”

Greve said her two older sisters are teachers so she has first-hand knowledge of the time and effort that teachers dedicate to their vocations.

“Teaching is not a nine to five job or a Monday through Friday job,” Greve said. “It’s much more demanding than that. ‘Welcome Back Scholars’ was the museum’s way of saying thank you to our teachers for giving 100 percent to their profession. And, it was also an opportunity for us to provide them with our updated resources.”

Although the focus of the Pioneer Museum of Alabama might be of greater interest to social studies, history and humanities teachers, it can be a resource across the curriculum.

“At “Welcome Back Scholars Night,’ we had three professors from Troy University and that was encouragement that the Pioneer Museum of Alabama might also be a potential classroom resource for Troy University.”

Greve said that the teacher appreciation event was also an opportunity for teachers to pre-register for Pioneer Days on Oct. 7 and 8.

“We already have several teachers who have registered their classes for Pioneer Day on Friday, which is geared toward students,” she said. “Saturday is family day and we have a lot of home-school students who attend on that day. We are expecting a huge family day this year because of the programming that we have planned. Professional puppeteer David Stephens of All Hands Productions will be here along with several vendors who will add interest and excitement to Pioneer Days.”

For more information about Pioneer Days, contact the Pioneer Museum of Alabama at 334-566-3597.