Local teachers surprised with Chamber of Commerce grants
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on November 3, 2005 1:52 PM
The Wayne County Chamber of Commerce Education Committee "Prize Patrol" distributed nearly $10,000 in mini-grants to teachers around the county Wednesday.
The Business and Education Partnership, sponsored by the chamber and the Wayne Charitable Partnership, delivered 16 mini-grants to 10 schools. The funds will allow teachers to fund innovative ideas for special projects.
Dr. Ken Benton, representing the education committee, said that a large portion of the money was raised during a spelling bee sponsored by the chamber Sept. 22 at the Goldsboro Country Club. Other donations came from sponsors around the county.
Armed with balloons and certificates as they embarked on their mission to surprise winning teachers Wednesday morning, presenters included members of the education committee, chamber staff members, and business representatives who sponsored the Spelling Bell.
Recipients and the projects they will implement include:
*Brogden Primary School: Janet Acorn, Centering in on Learning, $648; and Heather Alexander, Leap into Reading Success, $734.
*Carver Elementary School: Mary Katherine Capen, Education and Learning through the Magic of Puppetry, $670.
*Eastern Wayne Elementary School: Sheri Pabst, Smart Board, $750; Rani White, Mastering Multiplication for All Learners, $189; and Vicki Bannister, Reading with Multi-Sensory Rods, $742.
*Eastern Wayne Middle School: Beth Jorgensen, Reach for the Stars, $748.
*Edgewood Community Developmental School: Jan Whitener, Reading is Exciting, Adventurous and Dynamic, $725; Donna Countryman, Creating Language Art Memories, $600; and Barbara Wagner and Elaine Rowe, Learning is Communicating, $522.
*Mount Olive Middle School: Marion Carter, Technical Reading and Comprehension, $750.
*North Drive Elementary School: Aimee Kahler, NC Scrapbook: A Presentation of Science and Social Studies, $350.
*Spring Creek High School: Amanda Smith, Appliances for the Sciences, $633.
*Tommy's Road Elementary School: Arthur Stafford, Cathie Hooks, Kelly Kokiko, and Karen Stevens, Building Young Playwrights, $750; and Sheila Wolfe and Garris Donnell, Juggle Gym, $664.
*Wayne Montessori: Susan Jackson, Some Storytelling Can Be Good, $295.
Chamber President Steve Hicks stressed the importance of the business community and schools in Wayne County working together to provide unique learning experiences in the classroom.
"This is a great opportunity for us to recognize those teachers who go above and beyond the normal activity to make learning more exciting and rewarding," he said.
A second round of mini-grants will be presented in the spring, Benton said.