These 8 South MS teachers awarded Leo Seal grants for innovative learning projects
Eight South Mississippi teachers collected Leo W. Seal Innovative Teacher Grants Friday to help pay for their original teaching projects.
The grants were presented to teachers in the D’Iberville, Gulfport, Hattiesburg and the Pine Belt, Long Beach, and Pass Christian school districts during a ceremony at The Great Southern Club atop Hancock Whitney Plaza in downtown Gulfport.
The grant program honors the legacies of the late Leo W. Seal Sr. and Leo Seal Jr., who led Hancock Whitney Bank for decades and championed educational and economic growth across the Gulf Coast.
Grants of up to $2,000 each will help the teachers pay for hands-on creative learning projects for their students.
This year’s recipients and their projects are:
Melissa Leigh Payne, D’Iberville High School. Her project, Composers Corner, will teach high school students to produce high-quality weekly podcasts featuring their analyses of literature, hot-topic issues teenagers face and tips for academic writing.
Brandy Waltman Kopszywa, D’Iberville High School. Her project, Warrior Coffee, will teach high school students business concepts, money management, safe food handling, customer service skills and interactions with those who have disabilities as they manage a beverage cart at the school.
Tania Tellier-Brooks, Gulfport High School. Her project is Coastal Waters Pollution Check — Freshmen and sophomores at Gulfport High school will collect and test water samples from locations in Gulfport and using science technology will determine if common pollutants are present.
Melanie Davis, Pass Road Elementary School in Gulfport. Her project is Community Revitalization & Creation — Students in 2nd-5th grades will design or redesign historical structures in Gulfport, with a focus on buildings damaged in Hurricane Katrina to learn about preserving history through revitalization.
Carly Parker, Harper McCaughan Elementary School, Long Beach. Her project is The Problem Solver’s Friend, which will teach fourth through sixth grade gifted students grow to understand the untapped potential of technology by interviewing STEM community members and brainstorming problem-solving possibilities of a 3-D printer.
Cherynne Denise Wright, Pass Christian Elementary School. Her project is B.E.L.O.N.G.: Beating Every Length of Note Globally will teach pre-kindergarten through fifth grade students rhythm, rhyme and repeating patterns on a West African djembe drum.
Matthew Seal, Forrest County Agricultural High School, Brooklyn. His project, Tower to Table, will teach high school students to grow their own food in tower gardens in the school cafeteria.
Elvira Gabriela Deyamport, Thames Elementary School, Hattiesburg. Her project is Lights, Camera, Action!: Creativity Meets Communication with Movie Making
