Champions for Learning awards over $166K in grants to Collier County teachers
Champions for Learning, the education foundation in Collier County, surprised teachers Thursday with funds for their classroom grants.
Throughout the day, Champions For Learning awarded 280 grant checks that totaled $166,288 to 55 schools in Collier County, a number the foundation said was record-breaking.
The funds received by the teachers will help them implement creative and innovative learning experiences for students, according to the foundation.
“We’re thrilled to be delivering more grant checks than we ever have, a 63% increase in funding,” said Barbara Evans, President & CEO, Champions For Learning. “That says a lot about how much our community supports and appreciates our Collier County teachers, especially while we’re all still recovering from the storm.”
How were teachers chosen?
Previously: Students returned to class in Collier County in big numbers after Hurricane Ian
Collier County: Where to give, get food and other supplies for Hurricane Ian survivors
Teachers in Collier County were able to request classroom grants through Champion's for Learning's online grant portal on their website. The community is able to go to the site and fund grant requests.
The online grant program began in 2003 as a way for the community to directly support teachers, the foundation said.
Suncoast Credit Union supports the technology and capacity for the classroom grant portable, which means 100% of the community's contributions goes to the teacher grants.
There are still over 100 grants that need to be funded, according to the foundation. They can be found on their website at finditfunditflorida.com/collier. Teachers can also continue to submit grant requests, especially in the wake of Hurricane Ian.
Here are the teachers who received classroom grant money on Thursday:
Cindy Gomez, Administrative Center
Jennifer Acevedo, Pinecrest Elementary
Aimee Arcand, Lake Park Elementary
Darcie Argabright, Naples Park Elementary
Sherry Ashley, Poinciana Elementary
Holly Auckerman, Avalon Elementary
Wylie Bertuna, Gulf Coast High
Susan Bobrow, Gulfview Middle
Brandon Bond, East Naples Middle
Anna Bowe, Lely High
Sarah Bratcher, Lake Park Elementary
Charlotte Bremseth, Oakridge Middle
Edward Briggs, Laurel Oak Elementary
Kate Bringardner, North Naples Middle
Nicole Brown, Sea Gate Elementary
Brooke Bueltel, Lake Park Elementary
Heather Burdick, Manatee Middle
Susannah Burghardt, Sabal Palm Elementary
Carole Burns, Veterans Memorial Elementary
Samantha Burtch, Immokalee High
Pete Cade, Pinecrest Elementary
Sunshine Caldwell Papp, Immokalee High
Jimmy Camp, Immokalee High
Agnerys Canizarez, Gulfview Middle
Lauren Caplan, Golden Gate Middle
Gabriela Cardenas, Golden Gate Elementary
Katherine Carney, Sea Gate Elementary
Lisa Carraher, Pine Ridge Middle
Lisa Casey, Veterans Memorial Elementary
Robyn Cassilly, Pelican Marsh Elementary
Laura Cecil, Veterans Memorial Elementary
Frank Chaprnka, Calusa Park Elementary
Nicole Cholka, Lely High
Maryann Clark, Manatee Middle
Ted Coine, Lorenzo Walker Technical High School
Marsha Colbert, Veterans Memorial Elementary
Rigoberto Collazo, BridgePrep Academy
Nicolas Contreras, Naples High
Kelley Cook, Immokalee High
Jose Cordero Andrade, Golden Terrace Elementary
Christian Cromer, Pinecrest Elementary
Catherine Crowley, North Naples Middle
Kristin Davis, Immokalee Middle
Jayme Deardorff, Laurel Oak Elementary
Maureen DeLacy, Lely High
Laurie DeMorett, Laurel Oak Elementary
Cara Denny Herbert, Cambridge Elementary
Jamie DeRusso, Eden Park Elementary
Amy Diemert, Oakridge Middle
Kathryn Doyle, Pinecrest Elementary
Elizabeth Draper, Oakridge Middle
Sandra Eisold, Vineyards Elementary
Kate Ellsworth, Lake Park Elementary
Juniace Etienn, Palmetto Ridge High
Christine Farnella, East Naples Middle
Anthony Fernando, Immokalee Middle
Lindsey Fitz, Golden Terrace Elementary
Jamie Flatley, Sabal Palm Elementary
Shannon Foley, Naples Park Elementary
Jana Foraker, Immokalee Middle
Wendy Frields, Sabal Palm Elementary
Anibal Fernando, Garcia Pinecrest Elementary
Zackrey Garner, Lely Elementary
Dr. Cindy Gomez, Administrative Center
Amie Grant, Immokalee Middle
Megan Griffis, Lake Trafford Elementary
Jill Hammond, Marco Island Charter Middle
Amie Herrera, Estates Elementary
Maria Hill, Oakridge Middle
Catherine Honiball, Golden Gate Middle
Stephanie Irish, Herbert Cambridge Elementary
Stephanie Irish, Mike Davis Elementary
Joanna Campanile Janell Matos, Vineyards Elementary
April Jaycox- Varga, Oakridge Middle
Laura Kerlek, Laurel Oak Elementary
Dyan Konicek, Immokalee Middle
Sabrina Kovacs, Pinecrest Elementary
Charles Krause, Pinecrest Elementary
Jory Lawson, Naples Park Elementary
Jane Ledoux, Tommie Barfield Elementary
Loretta Lee, Calusa Park Elementary
Wende Malik, Vineyards Elementary
Kim Manning, North Naples Middle
Nicole Manning, Sea Gate Elementary
Gina Manville DeJager, Barron Collier High
Mattea Marks, Veterans Memorial Elementary
Antonio Masiello, Shadowlawn Elementary
Lani Mastrangelo, Herbert Cambridge Elementary
Lani Mastrangelo, Poinciana Elementary
Jennifer Matts, North Naples Middle
Lyndsey Maxner, Gulf Coast Charter Academy South
Lisa Mayer, Manatee Elementary
Lia McCaffrey, Golden Gate Middle
Kristin Merrill, Lake Park Elementary
Joe Merrill, Lake Park Elementary
Michael Miller, Highlands Elementary
Samantha Morrison, Veterans Memorial Elementary
Paige Nelson, Eden Park Elementary
Laura Noble, Seacrest Country Day School - Lower School
Lucinda Nunez, Village Oaks Elementary
Kara O'Connor, Village Oaks Elementary
Amy Ogletree, Shadowlawn Elementary
Anne O'Renick, Oakridge Middle
Jalen Outten, Lely High
Rayna Overmyer, Oakridge Middle
Tara Panella, Poinciana Elementary
Lauren Pardee, Gulf Coast High
Kimberly Passero, Palmetto Ridge High
Da-Anna Paul, Manatee Middle
Jennifer Paxton, Seacrest Country Day School - Lower School
Candace Perez, Golden Terrace Elementary
Bruce Peters, Lorenzo Walker Technical College
Adam Peterson, Lely High
Amy Pike, Herbert Cambridge Elementary
Ysela Quintana, Eden Park Elementary
Jacob Radcliffe, Parkside Elementary
Gregory Rameau, Immokalee Middle
Nicole Rennie, Naples High
Alexander Richett, Herbert Cambridge Elementary
Deana Richett, Tommie Barfield Elementary
Charles Riemer, Immokalee Technical College
Erica Rimbert, Pinecrest Elementary
Frederick Rimmler II, Immokalee High
Christine Roberts, Gulf Coast Charter Academy South
Sara Robinson, Parkside Elementary
Kathryn Robison, Veterans Memorial Elementary
Susan Rodriguez, Naples Christian Academy
Laura Romero, Seacrest Country Day School - Lower School
Gwendoly Sam, Eden Park Elementary
Kevin Santiago, Manatee Elementary
Marissa Santucci, Veterans Memorial Elementary
Stephanie Scalise, Veterans Memorial Elementary
Bob Scallan, Palmetto Ridge High
Kara Schaps, Veterans Memorial Elementary
Pamela Schram, Pine Ridge Middle
Shana Secory, Golden Gate Middle
Audrey Shapiro, Corkscrew Elementary
Jessica Shelbaugh, Corkscrew Elementary
Jake Simmons, Immokalee High
Molly Skudnig, Tommie Barfield Elementary
Yolanda Sohn, Calusa Park Elementary
Sandra Stein, Avalon Elementary
John Stein, Everglades City School
John Stein, Lake Park Elementary
Sandra Stein, Lavern Gaynor Elementary
Kristyn Stetson, Sea Gate Elementary
Rebecca Stines, Veterans Memorial Elementary
Jessica Stricker, Corkscrew Elementary
Mary Sundall, Veterans Memorial Elementary
Andrew Svec, Gulfview Middle
Karen Sydney, Golden Gate Middle
Karen Thistle, Corkscrew Elementary
Richard (Bart) Thomas, Alternative Schools
Erika Thompson, Marco Island Charter Middle
Mary Thompson, Oakridge Middle
Brigitte Thompson, Veterans Memorial Elementary
Jennifer Torkelson, Veterans Memorial Elementary
Gina Travis, Gulfview Middle
Erika Turnbull, Calusa Park Elementary
Stacey Turner, Poinciana Elementary
Heather Van Osten, Veterans Memorial Elementary
Marisa Vessella, Gulfview Middle
Melanie Villa, Immokalee Middle
David Ware, Parkside Elementary
Tiffany Weeks, Lavern Gaynor Elementary
Jack West, Lake Trafford Elementary
Meagan Wherry, Mike Davis Elementary
Segal White, Pelican Marsh Elementary
Kate Wildonger, Veterans Memorial Elementary
Taylor Wilson, Oakridge Middle
Christine Wormke-DeCastro, Sabal Palm Elementary
Lauren York, Lake Park Elementary
Patricia Zawodny, Pinecrest Elementary
Todd Zuk, Golden Gate Elementary
Nikki Ross covers education for the Fort Myers News-Press and Naples Daily News. She can be reached at NRoss@gannett.com, follow her on Twitter @nikkiinreallife, Instagram @reporternikkiinreallife or TikTok @nikki.inreallife.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Champions for Learning: Collier teachers receive grants