MPISD Foundation Awards Educator Grants (Fall 2016)

It rained and it poured. But that didn’t stop the bus with the MPHS pep band, cheerleaders, Tiger mascot and members of the board of the MPISD Foundation on their appointed rounds Monday.

The purpose? To award $25,664.94 in Foundation Grants to 24 teachers on seven Mt. Pleasant ISD campuses.

“We got wet and 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 as they fall outside the budgets for our campuses. 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 School, E.C. Brice Elementary School, Francis 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 School: Teacher Stephanie Chambers for sensory play materials, STEM Science stations and Engineer-a-Cooster to provide hands-on tasks that are academically appropriate for special needs students; Fourth grade teacher Amanda Harper for the IXL Grammar computer program to assist students in learning the grammar skills that will be tested on STAAR; and, Second grade teacher Christy Lowry for the purchase of three sets of leveled readers to be used in 2^nd grade classrooms to teach reading comprehension.

E.C. Brice Elementary School: Interventionist Shannon Harvill for Spanish language reading level packs to be used by all grade levels in the bilingual and dual language program on the campus; Counselor Diane Hoffman for “Kelso’s Choices” materials use to teach conflict resolution; and, Second grade teacher Sandra Cortez for Spanish language arts, social studies and science books for dual language classrooms.

Francis Corprew Elementary School: Fourth grade teacher Ritchell DeLaHoya for “Boogie Boards” for students to use in Spanish language arts; Reading Interventionist Melanie Falkner for her Genius Hour Enrichment Group creating Butterfly and Vegetable Gardens; Teacher Antoinette Flores to build a sensory play area to provide a calming environment for students with hypersensitivity to external stimuli and to assist with their learning; Counselor Sarah Long for sand tray and play therapy materials to be used in counseling students who may not be able to verbalize their emotions; and, STEM teacher Gina Rodriguez for robotics kits to be used for the STEM Genius Hour group to learn computer coding using robotics.

Vivian Fowler Elementary School: Teacher Jana Dougherty for iPads to use in teaching her higher functioning lifeskills students writing, math, science and social studies; GT Coordinator Sheila Eddy for GT students to attend Sky Ranch Retreat in Van, Texas this spring; and, Counselor Debra Williamson for sand tray and play therapy materials to be used in counseling students who may not be able to verbalize their emotions.

P.E. Wallace: Middle School: Special education teacher Samantha Dunkin for exercise ball chairs which will allow students to move but stay in their seats; and, Fifth grade teacher Elda Hernandez for a classroom library to provide students with easy access to books and knowledge within the classroom setting.

Mount Pleasant Junior High School: Teacher Crystalla Anderson for items to support the school’s Positive Behavior Management System; and, Principal Kelli Glenn, Assistant Principal Todd Daniel and Officer Robert Ramirez for a Disc/Frisbee Golf Course to provide a new and innovative way for students to exercise while having fun.

Mount Pleasant High School: Theatre teacher Jaden Avance for costume construction and supplies including sewing machines; Math teacher Drew Barkley for tower gardens for growing fresh vegetables and fruits to teach students in science, environment and culinary arts programs about growing food and nutrition; Criminal justice teacher Ricky Chamness for duty belts to better train students and provide gear for Texas Public Service Students Association competitions; Special education teacher Jennifer Griner for an iPad, chargers and educational manipulatives for math instruction; Math teacher Ginger Holt for equipment to record classes and post to Office 365 daily so students who have to miss class will be able to watch the recorded class on their cell phones; and, DAEP teacher Michael Miller for motivational and inspiration movies for teens to teach changing life attitudes.

“The Foundation will award more grants this coming May for teachers to use for fall semester classes,” said Saxton. “The deadline for applications for that round of grants is April 7.”

Anyone interested in donating funds to the MPISD Foundation should contact Saxton at 903-575-2000.