Escambia County Public Schools Foundation Awards $78,458 To 32 School Projects

October 10, 2022

The Escambia County Public Schools Foundation has awarded Grants for Excellence totaling $78,458 to 32 local school projects.

Tate High School was awarded four grants, more than any other school in the district.

Instructional coach Kristin Maum was awarded $4,932 to purchase iPads and Apple Pencils for the Tate High School math department. She is thrilled that her grant was chosen because now “math teachers can easily model how to solve math problems while also moving around their room to check on individual students.  They’ll be able to ensure that each and every student in their classroom understands what they are doing and they’ll be able to quickly adjust their instruction based on students’ needs.”

Reading teacher Carla Urquhart was awarded $2,000 to purchase flexible seating options for her students. “This will have a positive impact on the students who have ADHD, Autism, and other individualized needs often seen in the Intensive Reading Classroom. Most students need to fidget or move in order to focus on tasks such as listening, reading, or writing. The opportunity for flexible seating helps the student to determine which seat works best for them and allows them to get the most out of their time in the classroom,” she said.

Theater teacher Lauren Williams was awarded $1,961 to purchase digital media equipment for both her English Language Arts classes and her drama classes.  She is so excited to use the grant cross-curricularly: “iPads, tripods, and green screen equipment will allow my students to film play trailers to promote our mainstage shows. It will also help theater students learn about film acting and short films. Students in my English classes can record things such as persuasive commercials to learn about rhetoric.”

Fine Arts teacher Elerene Walters was awarded $2,000 to purchase high quality cameras and printers for her art classes. This will allow students to practice real-world skills: “Students will learn how to scan and print artwork and how to print digital art and photography. These are skills that will help them get jobs at online companies like Shutterfly and Minted. This project will even help  students who want to pursue a career in art because they will be able to create a portfolio for College Board, art scholarships, Gallery Nights, and as a professional artist.”

The grants are intended to support innovation in the classroom and enhance the quality of education for students.

Here is the complete list of Grants for Excellence recipients for the 2022-2023 school year:

High Impact Grant Recipients

  • Briana Leatherwood — Warrington Middle School
  • Matthew MacGregor — West Florida High School
  • Kristin Maum — J.M. Tate High School
  • Wayne Menges — L.D. McArthur Elementary School
  • Molly O’Connor — Roy Hyatt Environmental Center
  • Jared Stanley — Hope Horizon
  • Erin Steinmetz — Booker T. Washington High School
  • Patricia Swanz-Reiners — N.B. Cook Elementary School
  • Miranda Williams — Cordova Park Elementary School

Teacher Opportunity Grant Recipients

  • Adam Bretschneider — Roy Hyatt Environmental Center
  • Elizabeth Brown — Ransom Middle School
  • Liberty Davis — R.C. Lipscomb Elementary School
  • Catheryn Grantham — Escambia High School
  • Barbara Guarino — Pine Meadow Elementary School
  • Tally Hawthorne — R.C. Lipscomb Elementary School
  • Jacquelyn Johnston — Byrneville Elementary
  • Andrea Lowery — Hellen Caro Elementary School
  • April Matteis — West Florida High School Department
  • Erica Minchew — Kingsfield Elementary School
  • Rachel Odom — L.D. McArthur Elementary School
  • Elizabeth Shaw — L.D. McArthur Elementary School
  • Bernadette Smith — Global Learning Academy
  • Cindy Speed — Ransom Middle School
  • Rachel Stallworth — Ferry Pass Middle School
  • Stefany Tompkins — Booker T. Washington High School
  • Mary Beth Tubbs — Kingsfield Elementary School
  • Carla Urquhart — J.M. Tate High School
  • Bradley Vinson — West Pensacola Elementary School
  • Elerene Walters — J.M. Tate High School
  • Lauren Williams — J.M. Tate High School
  • Erica Zink — Pleasant Grove Elementary School
  • Candice Zolnoski — C.A. Weis Elementary School

Grants for Excellence are funded by the Escambia County Public School Foundation and matching grant funds from the School District Education Foundation Matching Grant Program. Grants are available for teachers of students in grades K-12.

High Impact Grants were funded between $2,000 and $5,000. Teacher Opportunity Grants were funded from $500 to $2,000.

Pictured: Escambia County Public Schools Foundation Grants for Excellence were awarded to four Tate High School teachers. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under FEATURE TOP STORY, Features, News