Photo by Leah Ingram Eagle.
Shelby County Schools Education Foundation Executive Director Bethany Ivey, left, presents an Inspire the Journey grant check to Chelsea Park Elementary fourth grade teachers (from left) Kim Smith, Lydia Riggins and Amy Floyd.
The Shelby County Schools Education Foundation recently awarded 31 grants requested by teachers at schools throughout the district.
The Inspire the Journey grants are given out each spring and are available for teachers in Shelby County Schools. They are specifically geared to promoting quality teaching and enhanced learning.
“Innovative classrooms keep students engaged and keep teachers inspired professionally, which in turn inspires and engages student learning,” said Bethany Ivey, the executive director of the foundation. “The grants help to enhance excellence in education through grant programs available to teachers, departments and students.”
A total of 72 grant applications were received, totaling over $81,000 in requests. 31 of those requests were fulfilled, totaling $38,585. The more money the foundation raises, the more grants they are able to fulfill.
Here are the teachers in schools in the 280 Living coverage area that received grants.
- Chelsea High School: Clarissa Clark — Field Trip Frenzy for her Career and Technical Education students ($1,000)
- Oak Mountain High: Jon Milton — Drone Photography and Film ($1,000)
- Chelsea Middle School: Rebecca Rayl — Lego Creative Space ($400)
- Oak Mountain Middle: Hailey Carter — Students as Creators not Consumers ($1,000)
- Oak Mountain Middle: Kelly Stewart — Empowering Inclusive Learning Environments ($1,876)
- Oak Mountain Intermediate: Krista Bender — Storytelling with Stop Motion Animation ($1,000)
- Chelsea Park Elementary: Julie Middleton — Creation Crate Classroom for STEAM ($849.28)
- Chelsea Park Elementary: Lydia Riggins (and other fourth grade teachers) — Mystery Science ($1,495)
- Chelsea Park Elementary: Paula Tolbert — Innovate to Elevate drones ($1,000)
- Inverness Elementary: Susan Lee — Supporting Children of Trauma ($966)
- Inverness Elementary: Lauren Ash — Math on the Move ($908)
- Oak Mountain Elementary: Jill Vaughan — Moving up with Math Games ($583)
Krista Bender, a fifth grade teacher at Oak Mountain Intermediate School, said that she was thrilled to receive the grant and her students were excited to be a part of the journey and experience support from outside the classroom.
Her grant will purchase equipment to more efficiently integrate stop-motion animation into her reading and writing curriculum, such as iPads, tablet stands, the Stop Motion app and other items.
“My students have used their Chromebooks to experience stop-motion animation; however, it limits their creativity and products,” Bender said. “Seeing how engaged they were made me want to provide an opportunity for them to explore and innovate with more reliable equipment. I hope that this project will increase student engagement, while simultaneously achieving fifth grade standards. I want students to write their own narratives, but in a script format that can be transferred into a stop-motion animation film. To celebrate my students’ filmmaking, I picture red carpets and popcorn to share their stories in a way that excites them. Maybe it could even inspire a student to think about a career in the movie business.”
Chelsea Park Elementary fourth grade teacher Lydia Riggins was awarded a grant for Mystery Science, an online video program that features engaging science lessons for students in grades K-5.
“Receiving the SCSEF grant will have a huge impact on science instruction at our school,” Riggins said. “The lessons encourage students to stay curious about the world around them and provide hands-on experiences to teach students about science concepts. This resource will also be a blessing to teachers in a culture where teachers are constantly coming up with ways to keep students engaged.”
