From Grand Canyon to Paris to Great Barrier Reef: Barancik Foundation announces TIME winners

The Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation last week announced 25 Sarasota County educators who have won TIME Fellowship awards.

The "Time to Inspire Margie’s Educators" Fellowship program awards teachers up to $12,000 to help refresh their commitment to teaching. The winners include 12 who will travel to Europe, three to South America, and one who will visit Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Some plan to stay closer to home, including a teacher who will travel to see the Grand Canyon.

As a former teacher, Margie Barancik believed that a motivated and highly effective classroom teacher is the most critical factor for a child’s academic success, said Teri Hansen, president and CEO of the Barancik Foundation.

“Teachers are the changemakers of our classrooms,” Hansen said. “We have always known students need guidance and grounding, but when the teachers leading them are happy, healthy, and inspired, that is when the magic happens.”

Fellowship winners commit to teaching in Sarasota County for at least another three years and teach various subjects across elementary, middle, and high schools from Sarasota to North Port. The fellowships include:

· Dylan Bell, Pine View School: “Dr. Bell’s First Trip Across the Pond" – An experience across Scotland andIreland to explore locations critical to astronomy as a field of scientific study.

· Brianna Blount, McIntosh Middle School: “Jazz Festivals and the Sinking City” – A music teacher’s visit to jazz festivals across Europe.

· Holly Brody, Brentwood Elementary: “Permission Granted” – An experience across Portugal, Denmark, France, and Germany to explore food, art, education, and contentment.

· Michael Dutkiewicz, Gocio Elementary: “A Journey into the History of Western Art” – An art educator’s journey across Paris, Rome, and London to experience historical landmarks, buildings, and art.

· Timothy Ferguson, Garden Elementary: “Fanfare for the Common Teacher” – A music teacher’s journey west to sightsee, film, and capture the beauty of the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, and more.

· LaShawn Frost, Booker Middle: “The Global Influence of African Art and Safari: Exploring Major Art Forms of Culture and Creativity” – A cultural expedition across South Africa.

· Tara Green, Tuttle Elementary: “African Expedition” – A 9-day National Geographic Expedition to experience Kruger and Victoria Falls while observing Africa’s iconic wildlife.

· Erin Haughey, Riverview High School: “Portuguese & Italian Interlude” – Exploration of food, culture, music, and architecture.

· Debra Markley, Sarasota High: “Explorations Through the Lens” – A photography teacher’s 12-dayvisit to Alaska (culminating in a photo exhibition at Sarasota High).

· Michelle Miller, Gulf Gate Elementary: “Pura Vida: Traveling with a Purpose in Costa Rica” – An eco-rainforest adventure.

· Raul Quinoes, Heron Creek Middle: “Re-Discovering Science” – A museum tour across London, Paris, Vienna, Greece, and Italy.

· Christine Reagan, Booker Middle: “Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat!: Cruising Through Foundations, History, and Tales in European Arts” – A 9-night Italian Riviera and France cruise.

· Ashley Roemer, Sarasota High: “Highlands and Heaths: A Walk in the Footsteps of Literature and History” – From Glasgow to London, a journey by train to experience the sights and inspirations of literary and historical greats.

· Marie Rosander, Pine View: “Scotland, Rocks, Castles and Daughter time!” – A science teacher’s dream journey.

· Ashley Sanchez, Cranberry Elementary: “Travel to the Land Down Under” – A three-week excursion across Australia and New Zealand, including Great Barrier Reef.

· Paulo Serrano, Venice High: “¡Discubriendo la Magia de la Madre Patria: España! (Discovering the Magic of the Motherland: Spain!)” – A cultural exploration across Barcelona, Valencia, Granada, Malaga, Sevilla, and Cordoba.

· Andrea Spritzer, Glenallen Elementary: “Life on the Galapagos Islands” – A kindergarten teacher’s journey through Ecuador to photograph the world’s rarest wildlife.

· Carmen Turner, Cranberry Elementary: “Art, Antiques and Adventures” – A visual arts teacher’s bucket list journey across Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Taos, New Mexico.

· Andrius Vitkus, Pine View: “Researching the Etymology of the English Language” – An educator’s immersion into the roots of the English language with stops in London, Rome, Munich, Athens, and Paris.

· Kristen Carter and Bridget Rizza, North Port High: “All Aboard a High-Speed Train for a Journey into Exceptional European Classrooms!”– A personal and professional development journey.

· Mary Dembinksi and Eileen Schmucker, Venice High: “Women’s Expedition: Climbing to New Heights” – A 20-day cultural immersion in Peru.

· Dena Henderson and Michelle Slay, North Port High: “Inspiring Artistic Educators” – An 8-day arts immersion project in New York City, including visits to Broadway workshops, performances, artmuseums, and more.

The next TIME Fellowship application opportunity is expected to launch this May. For information, visit barancikfoundation.org/time.

Submitted by Kaitlyn Perez

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota County educators win Barancik Foundation TIME fellowships