When Nacogdoches ISD Education Foundation showed up Wednesday to deliver news of the innovative grant award, Raguet Elementary was ready. Everyone at the campus was seemingly in on the big news – except for the four teachers who wrote the grant.
Once Deidre Merseal, Grace Beaty, Vonda Hoppe and Stacie Adkins discovered they had received a grant totaling $4,500 from the foundation the celebration was on. Students lined the halls cheering while the four teachers paraded the oversized novelty check through the school. Cheerleaders and the drum line from Nacogdoches High School only added to the festivities.
The award – one of the 15 grants given out to NISD faculty at a grand total of more than $34,000 – will pay for a Growing Readers One Book at a Time with Inchy’s Bookworm Vending Machine.
“This morning was just fabulous,” said NEF Executive Director Erin Windham. “The excitement at all the campuses we visited was just off the charts. This has quickly become one of my favorite days of the year.
This is the second year NEF has awarded classroom grants after first forming up in 2022. On Wednesday, seven out of nine NISD campuses received at least one innovative grant from the foundation. Teachers and faculty can apply for grants to fund innovative projects in their classrooms that might not be otherwise available in the district’s annual budget.
“There’s a process in place to inform faculty about the application period, then our NEF Board of Directors get involved as well as assistance from outside the school district and foundation to judge and rank applications,” Windham said. “I’m grateful for the support of our board, the support of the district and the support of our community in contributing to the foundation.”
NEF seeks contributions from the area, but NISD teachers also made a strong financial commitment this year, pledging more than $30,000 themselves. That was returned on Wednesday.
Innovative grants awarded on Wednesday include:
Linsey Taylor, Carpenter Elementary, $1,500 for updating the library’s fiction section.
Nallely Mejia, Wendy Pollette and Jessica Maynard, Fredonia Early Childhood Center, $3,198.80 for Parent and Family Engagement at the Early Childhood Stage – Parent Classes (English and Spanish sessions of reading skills).
Crystal Bradsher, Jessica White, Troy Beam and Blake Watson, McMichael Middle School, $4,479.50 for Pitch Perfect: Tuning into Musical Success - Our grant aims to enhance the band program through the use of tuners.
Michaela Farr, McMichael Middle School, $1,000 for Dragon's Brew Coffee Bar – students would have to “apply” for a job, make, maintain, or transport products, and be responsible for making monetary transactions.
Monica Gryder, Tabatha Thornton, Allison Grimes and Ron Watson, Mike Moses Elementary School, $4,500 for Science Camp Outdoor Education to send the fifth-grade students to Science Camp Outdoor Education Camp Olympia in Trinity in November 2024.
Lindy Arbuckle, Nacogdoches High School, $1,378.87 for Reaching New Heights with Rotational Motion where students will gain access to exciting demonstrations and hands-on experiments for students to learn about rotational motion and torque.
Jody Franks, Nacogdoches High School, $1,150 for Growing our Learning: Leaps & Bounds, a grow tower that defies all of those misconceptions and introduces the idea of asking, "Just what does a plant really need to grow?"
Heather Paluch, Nacogdoches High School, $1,403.89 for Combined Gas Laws Lab, lab equipment that’s invaluable in chemistry classrooms for hands-on experimentation.
Jacqueline Elise Meyer, Nacogdoches High School, $1,444 for Interactive Labs to Enhance AP Psychology to increase enrollment for AP Psychology and increase the number of students taking and passing the AP exam.
Rachel Krygsman and Dr. Katherine Whitbeck, Nacogdoches High School, $500 for Lamp-Lite Players Present: The Glass Menagerie by Tennesse Williams - In addition to reading and viewing the filmed version of the play, the students will engage in a live performance by the Nacogdoches Lamp-Lite Players in the NHS Auditorium, followed by a talkback with the actors. The grant also covers NHS culinary arts class to cater a meal for the Lamplite Players.
Luke Shadix, Nacogdoches High School, $1,500 for Welding Shop Clothing to have on hand for lower income students to be able to participate and learn in the shop.
Leslie Bortz, Nacogdoches High School, $1,500 for Cake Showcase & Noodle Bar for students to demonstrate their culinary knowledge and skills with a cake design showcase and full noodle bar, including a printer for edible ink that would allow students to imprint custom designs on desserts.
Deidre Merseal, Grace Beaty, Vonda Hoppe and Stacie Adkins, Raguet Elementary, $4,500 for Growing Readers One Book at a Time with Inchy's Bookworm Vending Machine.
Emily Drewery, Kimberly Teas and Alyssa Wharton, Thomas J. Rusk Elementary, $4,500 for Engagement Lab-Materials Only to create and fully transform a traditional learning space into our very own Engagement Lab that will bring lessons to life in an interactive environment with endless possibilities. Drewery also received $1,498.34 for Magical Math Library where students will practice daily problem solving skills in their reading and also learn about mathematicians who were global changemakers in their community.