Foundation awards nearly $20,000 in grants to local educators

For the past seven years, the Education Foundation has offered CMCSS educators the opportunity to compete for funds that benefit their classrooms and special projects in a non-traditional way.

Education Foundation president Brian Taylor notes that the increase in funds awarded is possible because of contributions made by individual community members to recent Foundation fundraisers including the Vision to Reality Banquet and the Annual Campaign. “Each year we continue to offer more opportunities for our students and teachers in CMCSS because our donors witness first-hand how their support is making an impact in the lives of students.” We are very fortunate that more people are taking interest in our work and offering ways to support our efforts.

This year, 22 educators out of nearly 50 applicants were awarded up to $1,000 each to implement their ideas, which will impact approximately 6,000 CMCSS students both directly and indirectly. Awards received were based on a competitive rubric and its potential impact in the school or in the classroom and student learning. Foundation Board members Tommy Bates, Mark Kelly, Charles Keene and Rudy Johnson recognized the Great Idea Grant recipients at the Business After Schools event held at Northeast High School on January 28.

Grant recipients for 2016: 

Sango Elementary School

Casey Boehm & Sheila Krantz “Third Garde Technology, Centers, and STEM Integration”

Allison Stanley “iPad Use in Kindergarten to Increase Student Achievement”

Pisgah & Oakland Elementary School

Cary Wright “Enhancing ESLs Reading Skills through Parent-Child Read at Home”

Pisgah Elementary School

Ben Griffy “Obscure Sports:  Providing Unique & Different Opportunities”

Kaye Grant “iPads for Literacy”

Cumberland Heights Elementary School

Carrie Allison & Kelly Gaskins “Cumberland Heights Sensory Resource Library”

Rossview Elementary School

Jennifer Menees & Angel Furcolowe “Fractions and Decimals, Oh My!”

Glenellen Elementary School

Kristin Hedges “Social Skills and Impulse Control”

Norman Smith Elementary School

Amanda Tarver & Barbara Kane “Mobile Device Learning”

Ringgold Elementary School

Rebecca Zuercher “Creating a Sensory Classroom”

Burt Elementary School

Belinda Cornell “Time Life for Kids Nonfiction Readers for Small Group Differentiated”

Liberty Elementary School

Timothy Mitchell “iPads in Classroom”

Barkers Mill Elementary School

Mellissa Vallejos “Technology Integration in Reading”

Clara Patterson “Mini iPAD to Open the World”

Jennifer Curry “Technology Integrated Math Centers”

Kelsea Cox “Keep My Kids Seated!!!”

Nikki Lavigne “Building Conceptual Understanding of Place Value, Decimals, and Fractions”

Northwest High School

Ashley McDonald “Science captured through photography; a new way to embed literacy”

Northeast Middle & Northeast High School

Whitney Joyner ” Northeast Middle School National History Day After School Program”

Northeast Middle School

Todd Taylor “Northeast Middle School Robotics Programming and Training Program”

Clarksville High School

Shari Tharpe “900 Club”

New Providence Middle School

Rebecca Jackman “On Fire for Reading”