Students and faculty at Stilson Elementary School received an unexpected gift during the school's first pep rally last week when a custom-built electric guitar was unveiled in recognition of the school's spirit and its support of faculty.

The one-of-a-kind instrument, dubbed the "Stinger," was designed and built by Pladd Dot Music owners Chris and Ashlee Mitchell. The guitar features Stilson Elementary's Yellowjacket logo and the school's motto, "Strive," inlaid into the fretboard.

The Mitchells donated the guitar as a gesture of appreciation for the school community, where Ashlee Mitchell has served as a speech-language pathologist for more than 25 years.

"Stilson is my family, and I wanted to do something special to show them how grateful I am to have such an amazing support team," she said.

Mitchell has spent the majority of her career at Stilson Elementary. She was named the school's Teacher of the Year in 2012 and was later recognized as one of Georgia's Top 10 Teacher of the Year finalists.

According to Chris Mitchell, the idea for the guitar became especially meaningful following medical challenges Ashlee faced last year.

"Last year Ashlee faced some medical challenges, and the Stilson team didn't hesitate to make accommodations to make sure she had what she needed to be successful," he said. "That speaks volumes about the quality of instruction and leadership at Stilson. When Ashlee asked if we could design and build them a custom guitar, I jumped at the chance."

The guitar was presented during the pep rally as a permanent gift to the school and is intended to recognize the dedication of Stilson's teachers, administrators and staff.

The handcrafted instrument is the only guitar of its kind, incorporating the school's branding and motto into a fully functional electric guitar.

Pladd Dot Music, based in Statesboro, designs and builds custom guitars under the brand name “CMG”, in addition to providing music instruction, instrument sales and repair services throughout southeast Georgia.