Barton Middle School librarian Suzanne Krejci flashes an example of the joyous smiles that spontaneously appeared on the faces of HCISD staffers having Innovative Teaching Grants placed in their hands by members of the Hays CISD Education Foundation. Krejci and Bobcat teacher Jeremiah Thomas cooperated on the writing of a $5,000 grant proposal, fully funded by the Foundation, titled “Employing E-readers Equals=Excitement and Enthusiasm for Every Student.” (Photo by Jim Cullen)
by JIM CULLEN
It has become an annual rite of celebration and, while the celebrants vary each year, the excitement and enthusiasm with which the rite is met never changes. The Hays CISD Education Foundation has been awarding its Innovative Teaching Grants for more than a decade now and countless local students have enjoyed the benefits of extra funding for special learning opportunities envisioned by their teachers. Foundation members visited the classrooms of the latest group of grant recipients shortly before the Christmas break, distributing more than $40,000 in funding and adding to the holiday cheer.
Ten traditional Innovative Teaching Grants of up to $5,000 were awarded and in a new twist on the established process, a dozen more “mini-grants” of up to $500 went to teachers with a host of smaller scale projects and needs. As has been the Foundation’s practice for years, a contingent of its board members boarded a school bus to crisscross the district, bearing celebratory balloons, flowers, and those coveted checks.
The full list of grant recipients, their projects, and their grant amounts included the following:
Suzanne Krejci, Jeremiah Thomas – Barton Middle School – Employing E-readers Equals Excitement and Enthusiasm for Every Student – $5,000
Linda Kaufmann, Marie Killion, Stephanie Howard, Jenny Larson – Hays High School and Lehman High School – Career Training Now for Real Life – $4,288
Cynthia Farest – Buda Elementary – Citizenship in the 21st Century – $785
Michael Saberian – Lehman High School – Digital Math Works – $1,575
Nancy Payton, Jennifer Larson, Tracy Ward – Hays High School and Lehman High School – Going Green…House – $3,520
Leticia Maynard, Paulette Garza, Kelly Johnston, Barbara Atkisson – Simon Middle School – iLearn with iPads – $4,992
Alberta De la Paz, Ryan Browning, Gaston Romero, Lindsay Dixon – Hays High School – iSpeak - iSing - iListen - iCommunicate - iLearn with iPod Touch – $5,000
Jeanne Ditta, Cynthia Farest, Kimberley Crow – Buda Elementary – Westward Ho! 21st Century Style – $1,200
Jana Krueger, Sara Thurman – Dahlstrom Middle School – Making Math “Click” for Kids – $4,870
Mini-grants:
Christina Smith – Science Hall Elementary – Increasing Students’ Listening and Comprehension and Enjoyment of Reading – $420
Sherry France, Jeremiah Thomas – Barton Middle School – Chip Off the Ole Black – $495
Kelly Coleman – Carpenter Hill Elementary – Colts with Character – $392
Nicole Cardiel, Jeremiah Thomas – Barton Middle School – Read It Forward, All Over Again – $301
AnneMarie Garza – Camino Real Elementary – My Culture, My History – Cajas de Carton Book Study – $300
Anne-Marie Dalvi – Lehman High School – Increase Students’ Scores in French AP Test for College Readiness – $466
Diana Hernandez, Jonathan Wilson – Simon Middle School – Grade Level Fitness Kits – $500
AnneMarie Garza – Camino Real Elementary – Easy Speaks for Second Language Learners – $500
Mindy Webber – Science Hall Elementary – Raz Up Reading – $80
Janice Mangrum, Terri Castille – Carpenter Hill Elementary – Fit Forever – $500
Blair Little, Tracy Mulligan – Kyle Elementary – Learning on Demand – $300
Barbara Stangler – Lehman High School – Tiny Dancer – $500
