For educators in the Tecumseh Local School district, winning a Tecumseh Education Foundation (TEF) grant can provide the support needed to make a new, original program for their classroom a reality, or it can help them sustain popular projects already in place.
TEF Teacher grants are only awarded to educators who design, or expand , their own project. This means each proposed project is uniquely created keeping the specific needs of Tecumseh students in mind.
Grant recipients can qualify for up to $750 for the supplies and materials necessary to carry out their distinctive project.
The newest grant winners were awarded their funds during the Arrows’ home basketball game Friday night. Tecumseh Education Foundation President Kevin Harmon, New Carlisle Rotary Club President Rob Pollock, and New Carlisle Optimist Club President Sue Ann Martin also presented a certificate to each winner.
The winners of TEF Teacher grants for 2016-2017 are:
Laura Wright (THS; News 2 You)
Andrea Weymouth (NCE; Fact Fluency through OSMO)
Lisa Moon (THS; Strengthening Students Evaluation, Analyzing, Editing and Writing Skills)
Mark Holbrook (THS; Dynamic Cart and Track System with Motion Encoders)
Sara Wells (DE; Lego Education Story Starters Expansion)
Tia Stryker and Amy Leighty (PLE; From Seed To Plant)
Lahela Snyder and Tag Fox (DE; Come Grow with Me)
Stacie Anderson Cook (DE; Publishing Personal Autobiographies)
Tonya Back-Collinsworth (TMS; Gizmos in the Classroom).
For the educators, it was special to get the rare public recognition for their hard work.
“It is very nice to be recognized at the basketball game,” says grant-winner, Laura Wright, “It means a lot to have the TEF take time out of their busy schedules to come and give (us) this money in front of people that support this organization.”
The Teacher Grant program has supported teacher innovation since it was initiated in the mid-1990s. All teachers are invited to compete for TEF grant monies; however, competition for the monies is stiff. One of this year’s recipients, Sara Wells, says she has been teaching in the district for 20 years and this is only the second TEF grant she has won.
The winning projects are as varied as the educators who create them.
Wells’ grant will allow her to expand a current project she has in place where her students work with Legos to help them create stories and become better writers. “My kids love the Lego builds so far, and their first stories were amazing!” says Wells.
Wright’s grant will pay for a second subscription for the “News 2 You” weekly newspaper, which that has various current event topics and utilizes different reading levels. Some of the topics include the Super Bowl, an Eagle Watch, and Inauguration Day. The project is a renewal from previous years. “I have seen so much growth in the student’s reading, and they enjoy the topics that are discussed each week.” explains Wright.
The number of grants available depends on the amount of money donated towards the program. The TEF was able to award grants to 11 of the 21 applicants for 2016-2017 school year, for a total of $5,200 in grant monies.
The TEF grants were made possible through donations from the New Carlisle Breakfast Optimist Club ($750), the New Carlisle Rotary Club ($3,000), the Tecumseh Class of 1981 ($1,000), and individual donations towards the Tecumseh Education Foundation.
