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Nothing fuels a morning better than a good breakfast, especially if you’re a teacher. 

On Oct. 14, teachers and staff at St. Colman’s Home in Watervliet enjoyed a free breakfast as a “thank you” from McDonald’s. The fast-food chain ran a five-day promotion through Oct. 15, offering teachers and school staff free breakfast orders at participating locations around the country to show their appreciation for all the work school administrators do.

St. Colman’s, once an orphanage for boys and girls and now a school for special-needs children, has operated with the help of the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary since its foundation.

Sister Rosemary Cuneo, CR, teacher assistant at St. Colman’s, heard about the breakfast promotion on the radio and reached out to a local McDonald’s about getting free breakfast items for the staff.

“I was really touched because I never heard of anyone doing that before,” Sister Rosemary said. “I said, that’s a good idea. Let’s see if we can get into this.”

Sister Rosemary arrived at the McDonald’s on 16th St. and Broadway in Watervliet and placed the order for the next morning. Over 55 breakfast meals, stacks of pancakes and containers of coffee were collected together. Bobbi Parrish, the store’s manager, was ecstatic to fill the order.

“I think all the teachers do a lot for future generations,” Parrish said. “They’re heroes ... and we love doing things for the community.”

“It’s just a little thing, an Egg McMuffin, but it was really good,” Sister Rosemary added. “It did something (good) to start the day off like that. And when you work with special-education kids you don’t really get a break, so to have something like this, it said you’re appreciated.”

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