It is always exciting and satisfying to give teachers money to spend on their students. Especially when they don’t know they’re getting the funds.
Members of the MPISD Education Foundation Board got to experience that when they presented grants totaling $39,999.13 to 41 teachers on 8 campuses on April 2.
“We make a big deal out of Grant Distribution Day,” said Dr. Judith Saxton, the MPISD Foundation Executive Director. “We bring members of the MPHS Band, some cheerleaders and, of course, the Tiger mascot with us. We make a lot of noise and the presence of the MPHS Tiger disrupts some campuses but to see the looks of surprise and happiness on the faces of those receiving the grants makes it all worthwhile.”
The grants were awarded to teachers at the Child Development Center, Annie Sims Elementary, E.C. Brice Elementary, Frances Corprew Elementary, Vivian Fowler Elementary, P.E. Wallace Middle, Mount Pleasant Junior High and Mount Pleasant High Schools.
Grant recipients and their funded projects are:
Child Development Center: Special Education teacher Tasey Cates for sensory devices to improve classroom participation in the preschool program for children with disabilities
Annie Sims Elementary School: Second grade teacher Christi Lowry for the purchase of Breakout and Learn kits to help teach problem solving to second grade students; Kindergarten teacher Bethany Malone for technology that turns any surface into a smart board to increase interactive learning; Third grade teacher Blanca Meeks for iPads to use in her Dual Language classroom; Second grade teacher Windey Owens for a classroom set of World Book Encyclopedias; Third grade teacher Claudia Ramirez for flexible seating for her classroom library; and, Third grade teacher Leslie Wilson for iPads for her Dual Language classroom.
E.C. Brice Elementary School: Second grade teacher Kristina Broadway for flexible seating, such as bouncy bands, for her classroom; Second grade teacher Sandra Cortez for the purchase of interactive technology; Fourth grade teacher Juan Danial Diaz for moveable classroom technology; Second grade teacher Maria del Carmen Fernandez for bilingual literature; Third grade teacher Maria Flores for English and Spanish books for her dual language classroom; Testing Coordinator Shannon Harvill for English and Spanish textbooks for the campus; First grade teacher Carmen Perez for books for a classroom library; Kindergarten teacher Mistie Sloan to purchase children’s literature to use in Math instruction; and, Music teacher Nan Verner for Glockenspiels for the music program.
Frances Corprew Elementary School: Science teacher Eddiel Benavides for bilingual literature and manipulatives to use in 3rd and 4th grade science; Principal Amanda Jones for Spanish language library books; Second grade teacher Dunia Rodriguez for robotics kits; and, First grade teacher Juan Manuel Serna for bilingual classroom books.
Vivian Fowler Elementary School: Special Education teacher Carroll Earhart for manipulatives to improve the fine motor skills of students; and, GT Coordinator Sheila Eddy for interactive kits for each elementary campus that will teach students about circuits, electricity and computer commands.
P.E. Wallace Middle School: Sixth grade math teacher Ernestina Amador for manipulatives to teach math concepts; Special Education teachers Carolyn Burris and Samantha Dunkin for classroom iPads and laptops; Fifth and sixth grade P.E. teacher Dona Elliott for equipment to play Nine Square in the Air; Sixth grade math teacher Sharon Fain for manipulatives to improve student understanding of math concepts; Sixth grade STEM teacher Tara Flores for Robotics kits to assist students in creating and programming robots; Fifth grade science teacher Susan Gage for materials to construct vocabulary/content anchor chart holders for her science classroom; Fifth grade teacher Elda Hernandez for Mini iPads to use with online reading programs; Sixth grade math teacher Chrishina Maull for manipulatives to assist student learning of math concepts; Assistant Principal Nathan Rider for archery materials to use with the growing archery program at the school; and, Sixth grade reading teacher Tonya Schultz for materials (books and games) to enhance student learning.
Mount Pleasant Junior High School: Seventh grade reading and writing teacher Lynn Lovell for classroom laptops; Seventh grade English Language Arts teacher Launa McCord for classroom interactive and multisensory literacy centers; and, Seventh grade history teacher Tina Terrell for classroom iPads.
Mount Pleasant High School: Spanish teacher Maryna Svirska-Otero for Spanish-language books; DAEP teacher Lisa Rider for magazine subscriptions to improve reading skills; and Director of Theatre Arts Jace Sturgill for computers for the Fine Arts Department.
Titus County Shared Services: Speech Therapist Jenna Davis for materials to assist in correcting fluency problems like stuttering.
“We are so thankful to the MPISD Foundation for presenting grants to our staff members,” 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. These supplemental funds help us enrich the learning experiences of our students. I am also very thankful to all our employees and community members who have donated to the Foundation. Without them, these grants would not be possible.”
Saxton added, “We are really excited to have been able to fund so many grants this Spring. The Foundation has now awarded over $165,000 in grants to MPISD teachers in our three years of operation. We have exceeded our expectations thanks to the generous donations from MPISD staff members and the Mt. Pleasant community.”
Anyone interested in donating funds to the MPISD Foundation should contact Saxton at 903-575-2000.