Teacher grants bring big smiles
Nov. 9—Smiles — big grins of genuine surprise — seemed to be all over the place as teachers in Pauls Valley and Whitebead got some good news the other day about their own special projects.
From some pretty special fields to a few extra classroom materials, a total of 34 projects from certified teachers in the two districts have been given the thumbs up by the Pauls Valley Foundation for Academic Excellence.
The happy news came last week as board members with the foundation took their own field trip from classroom to classroom to let teachers know their submitted grant proposals had made the grade.
"We're pleased that the community supports education in this unique way," said foundation board President Matt Hamilton. "The outpouring of support is what makes all this possible.
"We're unable to fund all the projects, but hopefully the ones chosen will help the teachers with their students."
In all, the board awarded nearly $20,500 in teacher grants this year in what members describe as "creative, innovative and exciting approaches to teaching."
The hope, they said, is to "offer a new experience to children that will spark enthusiasm, be memorable and bring new experiences into their lives they would otherwise not have."
"One project that's really interesting involves water resources and conservation. There are a lot of creative books and materials that are a part of these projects," Hamilton said.
"These projects help teachers engage students beyond the typical classroom instruction."
Along with the smiles, there were also some reactions that kind of lit the room up even when the students weren't there as the news came about the approved grants.
One was from Whitebead third grade teacher Rebecca Miller, who was awarded two grants.
"This will put some shoe leather to what they've been learning," Miller said, referring to one project on Oklahoma history and a field trip to the Chisholm Trail Museum in Duncan.
The way it works is grant committee members read the applications for grants and score them according to creativity, originality, budget amount, number of students impacted and the extent the project "expands curriculum and enhances the academic experiences for the students."
The PV Foundation for Academic Excellence was founded in 1990 by a group of local residents wanting to promote and expand the schools.
Each year it conducts a fundraising effort to expand the foundation's endowment, which is used to fund the teacher grants.
The foundation also awards scholarships to Pauls Valley seniors each May.
Along with Hamilton, board members include Allison Dunham as secretary and Debra Ely as treasurer.
The grant committee chair is Bonnie Beadles, fundraising co-chairs are Allison Dunham, Michael Dobbins and Camille Milligan and the scholarship chair is Donna Looney.
Board members include Becky Messec, Janet Moore, Josh Rolan, Mary Smith and Emily Spence.
