Photo by Carrie Pryor-Newman

Christina Hosford from Carver Elementary is awarded a check for $1,800 by the Goose Creek CISD Education Foundation for her innovative teaching grant, “Young Scientists At Work,” when the Education Foundation’s Grant Surprise Patrol made its rounds in May. She is surrounded by her students as well as (back ) Sandra Bell, vice president of marketing and events and Jenice Coffey and Gena Hutto, Foundation board members.

By: Susan Passmore

With smiling faces and noisemakers, members of the Goose Creek CISD Education Foundation, donors and GCCISD administrators, accompanied by drum lines and cheerleaders, recently boarded yellow school buses to award more than $130,000 in innovative teaching grants to teachers throughout the district. Thanks to generous donors in the community and GCCISD staff members, who donated through the payroll deduction program, this marked the seventh year the Grant Surprise Patrol has delivered grants to enhance learning on the campuses for a total of $710,000 since the Foundation’s inception in 2009.

Parading through the halls, the rowdy bunch greeted students and stopped at teachers’ classrooms to award the checks and to hear about the purposes of the grants from their creators. Recipients were Stacie Poland, Alamo Elementary; Susan Sloan, Ashbel Elementary; Leah Henry, Celeste Garcia, Shannon Rockwell and Leah Henry from Bañuelos Elementary; Jennifer Nerf and Janie West from Baytown Junior; Purnima Rahlon and Ruth Zimmerman from Cedar Bayou; Natalie Palma, Angela Goss, Kelli Gilbert and Heather Lorton from Clark Elementary; Carrie McRay and Melissa Chapman from Gentry Junior School; Christina Hosford, Norma Dominguez, Maria Andrade and Kandice Melchor from Carver Elementary; Sean Kang, Shonda Clark, Debbie Himsel and Misty Dolgner from Goose Creek Memorial High School; Janet Charles, Janet Tello, Alan Boudreaux and Brandy LaBouve from Harlem Elementary and Bonnie Hogue, Sharon Rockwell and Robin Edwards from Highlands Elementary.

Other recipients included Lisa Jimenez, Racheal Matos, Candace Southall and Stephan Aguero from Highlands Junior; Debbie Crow from Lamar Elementary; Janie Rivera, Jorge Zarzosa and Jenn Kova from Peter E. Hyland Center; Kathryn Aguilar, Misty Coyle Jacobs, Allison Higdon, Sarah Graham, Brandon Funderburg, Randy Sprehe and Andrea Bechtel from Robert E. Lee High School; Marcus Goodlow, Jennifer Malpass and Dawn Egan from Ross S. Sterling High School; Kimberly Hillis, Jennifer Moran and Haley Johnston from San Jacinto Elementary; Mindy Merling and Jackie Brown from Stephen F. Austin Elementary; Theresa Hall from Victoria Walker Elementary and Jill Harris and Ah-Kee-Sha Jacquet from Travis Elementary.

“Knowing that our teachers will use these innovative grants to help our Goose Creek students in the classroom is both exciting and rewarding,” said Kathy Clausen, Education Foundation president. “I want to thank the teachers for applying and our many donors from the community and the school district for making the funding available. I also want to thank the grant committee, led by Tracey Prothro, for the time spent in reviewing and selecting the grants.”

Teachers submitted 154 grant applications totaling more than $335,000, and the Education Foundation was able to fund more than $130,000. In addition, for the first time ever, 10 mini grants, displayed at the recent Donors Gala and sponsored by generous donors, increased the grant total awarded this year by $7,004.97. Evelyn Kincl from De Zavala Elementary received a grant, adopted by Caroline and Bob York, in the amount of $694.48 for “Literacy Station – Listening.” Bowie Elementary’s Kimberly Monteau’s grant, “Math and Science Learning Modules,” was adopted by Hrabina Realty LLC for $405. “Today a Reader, Tomorrow a Leader,” written by Maghan Orebo of Harlem Elementary, was selected for adoption for $627.25 by Gulf Coast Educators Federal Credit Union. Linda Le Day from Bañuelos Elementary, received a mini grant for $485 from Beacon Federal Credit Union for “Empowering Young Writers.” Lamar Elementary’s Janie Santos’ grant for $995.70, “Leap Into Learning,” was adopted by Hotchkiss Disposal.

Other mini grants included “Learn the What, but See the Way – with Bill Nye,” written by Latanza Haggerty-Allen of Highlands Junior for $850 and adopted by Hotchkiss Disposal. Joy Powers of Lamar Elementary received an $850 mini grant for “Free Write Journals,” adopted by Community Resource Credit Union. Robert E. Lee High School’s Patricia Hollis was awarded $900 for “Welding Improvements,” a grant adopted by Gilbert and Sherril Santana and Woody and Sheila Crawford. Sharon Harp of Robert E. Lee High School was awarded a mini grant for $500 for “Book Bingo,” adopted by BDI Resources. Finally, Jessica Woolard from Austin Elementary received her $707.74 mini grant for “Physical Brain Breaks to Increase Learning” due to the generosity of Sarah Baldwin, Michelle Bitterly, Sheila Crawford, Gail Kenny and Laurie Terry.

“Thank you to our community friends who stepped up to the plate and funded all 10 of the innovative mini grants that were presented at the Donor Gala. Their generosity will enable even more teachers to enhance the instruction they provide to Goose Creek students,” said Clausen. “This was such a successful first-time endeavor, and the Foundation is very grateful to these donors.”<