$25,000 In Grants To QISD Teachers

The Quinlan ISD Education Foundation awarded $25,000 in grants this week to 21 local teachers.

Winning teachers were presented the grants by foundation members at the various campuses and were accompanied by the W.H. Ford High School Band playing the school fight song.

Foundation board members are President Dr. William Claxton, Vice President of Programs Barbara Norris, Vice President of Administration Melanie Kuykendall, Vice President of Fundraising Steve Tucker, Secretary Sharon Royal, Treasurer Stephanie Reeves and board member Dale Chreene.

Dr. Claxton said, "The foundation is very excited to award these grants to teachers that will enable them to expand teaching in their classrooms. The foundation is a solid organization whose primary goal is to enhance student learning and give more students opportunities to succeed in school that will lead to success later in life."

The foundation is currently conducting a brick expansion campaign to be installed at the FHS courtyard adjacent to the Foundation’s founding donor monument. Customized bricks are available for as low as $50.

"It is essential that we build the perpetual source of funds the foundation has to offer QISD so that monies are made available year after year to teachers and programs that the district’s budget is not able to afford," Claxton said. "I plead with all parents, community and businesses to support the foundation. The money is getting back to QISD. All donations to the education foundation are tax-deductible as determined by the IRS."

Grant winners by campus along with their respective projects include D.C. Cannon Elementary School, Cynthia Curb, $750, "Cannon Sound System;" Christy Clements, $3,000, "Document Scanners — Inclusion Classrooms;" Jeanna Petty, $900, "LCD Projector;" and Lynn Kirkman, $1,500, "LCD Projector & Document Camera;"

A.E. Butler Intermediate School, Julie Montgomery, $4,000, "Show Me the Mobi," campus-wide grant;

Joe Martin Early Childhood Center, Angie Burns, $646.00 – "I-Pods, I-Tunes and Speaker Clocks;" Lisa Young, $3,000, "Campus Study Island Software;" Dianna Barber, $1,000, "Electronic Piano;"

C.B. Thompson Middle School, Angela Miller, $650, "Fitness Gram Materials;" Cheryl Sockwell, $500, "AR Reader Books and Quizzes;" Scott Copeland, $1,000, "Science Lab Equipment;" Gregory Rowe, $649.75, "Social Studies Resources and Supplies;" and

Tawanna Pumphrey, $700, "TMS Dictionaries;" Tawanna Pumphrey, $600, "TMS Thesauruses;

District, Donna Hopson, $719.14, "Health-Wellness Supplies;" and Stephanie Phalen, $2,120.95, "Reading Department Elmo Projectors;"

W.H. Ford High School, Vickie Smith, $203.40, "Spanish DVDs;" Keith Floyd, $650, "Ag Science Supplies;" Amber Davisson, $1,679.26, "Science Lab Equipment and Supplies;" Sandy Almon, $531.50, "Math Whiteboard Sets;" and JoNeita Kelly, $200, "History Department Resources."

Twenty-six applications were turned into the foundation. Programs Committee and Foundation Vice President Barbara Norris along with committee members Amy Ivey, Troy Roberts, Larry Buchanan and Sherrie Burks reviewed each and graded the applications on a rubric. Curriculum Directors Sue Boone and Gail McDaniel were liaisons to the committee to ensure the applications met the district’s goals and strategic plan.

A total of $55, 715.65 was requested by the 26 applications

Norris said, "We would have loved to have given everyone the amount they requested. We wish this had been possible. We thank every teacher for applying and hope that it encourages them and others to do it year after year. It is exciting to be able to give a total of $25,000 this year. I also want to thank my committee. It is a very difficult and hard task to read and grade each grant and to award or deny a proposal. When grant applications reach my committee, all names are removed. We do a blind review and grade them. By not knowing any names, we feel we make every effort to be as fair and unbiased as we possibly can."