The Mt. Pleasant ISD School Foundation awarded its second Educator Grants last week. The grants, totaling $24,709.36, were presented personally by Foundation Board members to 22 teachers on seven campuses. The presentations were made before morning assemblies of students and staff members and in classrooms.
“We are so thankful to the MPISD Foundation for these grants,” said MPISD Superintendent of Schools Judd Marshall. “These funds will allow our teachers to do things that will benefit our students that would not be possible without Foundation assistance as they fall outside the budgets for our campuses. Combined with the $8,719.65 the Foundation presented to teachers in January, this group has awarded $33,429 in additional funds to our teachers in its first year of operation. That’s amazing. I am so very thankful to all our employees and community members who have donated to the Foundation. Without them, these grants would not be possible.”
The grants were awarded to teachers at Annie Sims Elementary School, E.C. Brice Elementary School, Frances Corprew Elementary School, Vivian Fowler Elementary School, P.E. Wallace Middle School, Mount Pleasant Junior High School and Mount Pleasant High School.
Grant recipients and their funded projects are:
Annie Sims Elementary: Second grade teacher Christi Lowry for Listening Center/Classroom Climate, Second grade teacher Bethany Malone for a Classroom Environment Pack, Dyslexia teacher Kim McCullough for Read Naturally Live, and Third grade Two-Way Dual Language teacher Blanca Meeks for a Dual Language 3rd Grade Library.
E.C. Brice Elementary: Second grade Dual Language teacher Sandra Cortez for a Social Studies Dual Language Center, Science teacher Rachel Findley for Project Lead the Way Resources, Dyslexia teacher Jill Kent for Read Naturally Live, and Kindergarten Dual Language teacher Magdalena Martinez for a Kindergarten Science Dual Language Bin and Bilingual Center Supplies.
Frances Corprew Elementary: Third grade teacher Amber Portley for her Eye of the Tiger on the Prize Project and Fourth grade teacher Tina Rodriguez for IPad Minis Intervention Project.
Vivian Fowler Elementary: P.E. teacher David Forest for additional Physical Education Equipment, Second grade Bilingual teachers Liz Rivas and Lorena Tapia for Bilingual Classroom Resources, and Second grade teachers Amanda Woods and Tammy Caldwell for their Comprehension Through Games Project.
P.E. Wallace: 6th Grade English teacher Jana Jenkins for Vocabulary Games such as Scrabble to provide a creative way to increase students’ vocabulary;
P.E. Wallace: 6th Grade Math teachers Tammy Davis, Cathleen Fender and Sandra Wright for classroom supplies (dry erase boards, markers and erasers; a magnetic coordinate grid; student seating; small group tables; and, storage units);
P.E. Wallace: P.E. teacher Dona Elliott for Physical Education Equipment, Sixth grade science teacher LaSonya McDaniel for Science Lab Equipment, Fifth grade Math teacher Tonya Schultz for Technology in the Classroom, and Fifth grade Music teacher Diane Swiger for Music Performance Resources.
Mount Pleasant Junior High School: Outdoor Adventure teacher Van Bowen for the Outdoor Adventure Garden and Seventh grade Science teacher Maria Sanchez for Classroom Models.
Mount Pleasant High School: Vocational Coordinator Becky Bradshaw for the Career Training Center Resources, Health Science teacher Kristi Houchin for the Deluxe Patient Care Simulator, and Counselor Dawn Trickey for College Preview Day Visits.
“We are thrilled to have been able to award grants to 39 MPISD teachers this school year,” said Foundation Executive Director Dr. Judith Saxton. “And we are grateful to the MPISD teachers and staff members and Mt. Pleasant businesses that have generously donated funds to the Foundation. It is only because of their generosity that these grants have been possible. Anyone interested in donating funds to the MPISD Foundation should contact me at 903-575-2000.”