St. Anne Catholic School Teacher Honored as ‘Symetra Hero in the Classroom’

Symetra, Gallagher Benefit Services and the Chicago Bears honored St. Anne Catholic School teacher Andrew Carter as a “Symetra Hero in the Classroom” on Oct. 29, 2013 during a surprise school assembly. Carter teaches fourth grade at the Barrington elementary school.

“Mr. Carter is an excellent teacher who goes above and beyond what is expected each and every day.  Not only does he teach students all of the academics they need to know, he also teaches us to be a better person and do our best to make a difference in the world,” said Sophia Peterson, a former student. “For example, if Mr. Carter is talking about kindness and acceptance, he also demonstrates it in his own behavior. He treats students with respect and shows an interest in our uniqueness, as weird as we all may sometimes be. Even when some students have been unkind, he has a great way of pointing out our shortcomings without making us feel terrible about ourselves.” Peterson nominated Carter for the Symetra Heroes in the Classroom® award.

“Mr. Carter is a special teacher because he lives and breathes teaching. He is never too tired to answer a question or stay after school to help students when they need help,” said Peterson. “He has assigned many memorable school projects, but one in particular stands out for me. It was a simple project where he gave each student a piece of paper with our name on it. Each student then went around the room and wrote kind things about our classmates on their papers. By the end of the project, each of us had a piece of paper filled with wonderful words of encouragement and love written by our classmates. Mr. Carter told us to hang on to those for the rest of our lives.”

Carter is one of 16 K–12 teachers in the Chicago area who will be honored for educational excellence in the Symetra Heroes in the Classroom program during the 2013 NFL season. Teachers are recognized in front of their students and peers at surprise in-school presentations, and they receive a $1,000 donation for classroom books and supplies. In addition, they receive tickets to a Bears home game and are acknowledged during an on-field presentation at Soldier Field. Carter will be recognized at the Nov. 10 game when the Bears take on the Detroit Lions.

Teachers may be nominated by their principal, district staff, student or student’s parent. The winners are selected based on their ability to make a real difference in students' lives; to go above and beyond in their day-to-day responsibilities; and to help students build life skills.

More information about Symetra Heroes in the Classroom is available at

www.SymetraHeroes.com/Bears.

About Symetra
Symetra Financial Corporation (NYSE: SYA) is a diversified financial services company based in Bellevue, Wash. In business since 1957, Symetra provides employee benefits, annuities and life insurance through a national network of benefit consultants, financial institutions, and independent agents and advisors. For more information, visit www.symetra.com.