MPISD FOUNDATION AWARDS EDUCATOR GRANTS (FALL 2017)

 

It’s becoming a tradition. And it’s not at all subdued. The presentation of Educator grants from the MPISD Foundation hits campuses with the MPHS pep band, cheerleaders, Tiger mascot, members of the Board of the MPISD Foundation and a lot of noise!

Monday, October 30 was the day to award the Fall 2017 cycle of grants: $32,193.08 to 36 teachers on seven Mt. Pleasant ISD campuses.

“We made a lot of noise and the presence of the MPHS Tiger disrupted some campuses but to see the looks of surprise and happiness on the faces of those receiving the grants made it all worthwhile,” said Dr. Judi Saxton, Foundation Executive Director.

“We are so thankful to the MPISD Foundation for again presenting grants to our staff members,” said MPISD Superintendent of Schools Judd Marshall, who went along for the presentations. “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 will 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.”

The grants were awarded to teachers at 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:

Annie Sims Elementary School: Second grade teacher Christi Lowry for the purchase of iPads to be used for differentiated instruction, research, computer based assessments  and communication with parents using the Seesaw App;  GT director Gina Landrum for Breakout EDU kits for all four elementary school campuses for the Gifted and Talented program; Third grade teacher Blanca Meeks for Spanish language books to build up a dual language classroom library; and, Third grade teacher Claudia Ramirez for books to expand the  bilingual classroom library.

E.C. Brice Elementary School: Third grade teacher Marcia Chamness for iPads for classroom use; Second grade teacher Sandra Cortez for the purchase of flexible seating to provide students with choices, movement and opportunities for collaboration; Counselor Diane Hoffman the Auto-B-Good Character Education animated DVD series; and, Fourth grade Bilingual teacher Maria Snodgrass to purchase books for a bilingual library for the 4^th grade classes.

Frances Corprew Elementary School: Special Education teacher Chad Applegate for classroom iPads; Assistant Principal Karen Bogan for physical education class equipment; Music teacher Karen Crooks for materials to build a strong music/dance performance curriculum; Speech Therapy Assistant Jenna Davis to bring a therapy dog to campus to interact with students in therapy and classroom settings; Reading Interventionist Melanie Falkner for her Genius Hour Enrichment Group to purchase seeds, bulbs and starter plants for the  Butterfly and Vegetable Gardens; Special Education teacher Felicia Harris for alternative classroom seating and other items to provide muscle movement; and, Third grade teacher Karen Sharp for targeted and differentiated math skills sets for student use.

Vivian Fowler Elementary School: Kindergarten teacher Patsie De Santiago for materials needed to create hands-on experiences in science and establish a strong foundation for learning; Reading and Math Interventionist Monica Graves for iPads to assist in student intervention and enrichment; Fourth grade teacher Kerri Holt for student friendly dictionaries to teach required dictionary skills; Speech Language Pathologist Sarah Webb for Speech Buddies, tools to help children with articulation disorders make correct sounds for difficult to say letters; and, Third grade Bilingual teacher Amanda Woods for a variety of Spanish books for a dual language classroom.

P.E. Wallace: Middle School: Special Education teachers Carolyn Burris and Samantha Dunkin for classroom iPads; Fifth grade Science teacher Olga Renee De La Torre Guzman for Spanish language science books and science equipment; Sixth grade Math teacher Carla Harris for classroom iPads for project-based learning; Fifth grade Language Arts teacher Elda Hernandez for classroom iPads for small reading groups; Sixth grade STEM teacher Tara Flores for Robotics kits to assist students in creating and programming robots; Fifth grade English Language Arts teacher Dee Anne Kirkland for classroom iPads for testing; Assistant Principal Jessica Ramsey for materials for a mentorship program for young women on the Wallace campus; and, Sixth grade English Language Arts teacher Tonya Schultz for books and games to help students become stronger readers and writers.

Mount Pleasant Junior High School: STEM/Science teacher Tracey Campbell to purchase materials to assist with Science, Technology, Engineering, Math class activities; Eighth grade Science teacher Alanta Knox for complete Kessler 5E Science lessons; Seventh grade Writing teacher Mandy McCorstin for non-traditional desks and seating in her classroom.

Mount Pleasant High School: Assistant Principal Kelly Cowan for three metal picnic tables to increase outside seating capacity; Career Tech Ready, Set, Teach teacher Aimee Sweeden for classroom management materials to use in the Instructional Practices curriculum; Special Education teacher James Townsend for an interactive white board for the Life Skills classroom; and, Career Tech Health Science teacher Suzy Whitten to purchase a refurbished hospital bed for the Nursing Skills Lab;

“We are really excited to have been able to fund so many grants this Fall,” said Saxton. “The Foundation has now awarded over $125,000 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.