Mini Grants
Mini-Grant Applications are Due
July 15, 2024
Wilkes Education Foundation Awards 32 Mini-Grants To WCS Teachers
Wilkesboro, N.C. – Celebrating 40 years, the Wilkes Education Foundation (WEF) has awarded 32 mini-grants for the 2023-24 academic year to Wilkes County school teachers. The grants of up to $2,000 each are designed to provide funds to implement creative and innovative instructional programs in the classrooms for which federal, state or local funds are not available. Teachers submit proposals that are reviewed anonymously and ranked based upon clarity of goals, creativity, benefit to and involvement of students, efficient use of foundation funds and adaptability of projects for use by other teachers.
The 32 mini-grants awarded for 2023-24 totaling $36,609.67 include the following:
C. B. Eller Elementary: Jamie K. Williams, Diving into the Science of Reading!; and, Katy Willis, STEAM into Learning.
C.C. Wright Elementary School: Jaimie Cooper, Generifying the Elementary Library to Meet the Needs of Readers.
Central Wilkes Middle School: Jennifer Floyd, Positive Action Behavior Support Intervention for Tier Two/Tier Three Students.
East Wilkes Middle School: Angel Lyles, Manipulating ELA!; and, Rita Ray, Teach Like an Egyptian.
Millers Creek Elementary: Paula Bryant, Chromebooks for English Language Development; and, Kristie Brown, Engaging Readers with Reading Workstations.
Moravian Falls Elementary: Anna Arroyo, Engaging Readers One Book at a Time; Monica Smith, STEM Bins for the Win!; and, Stephanie Barber, Teaching Independence and Team Work Through Hands on Learning.
Mountain View Elementary: Leslie Pruitt, Digging into Decodables; Becky Vanderheide, Face to Face: Engaging Struggling and Reluctant Readers; and, Katie Hodge, “Radi”cal Waves.
Mulberry Elementary: Belinda Marino, Animated Science Activities.
North Wilkes Middle: Kinsey Crabb, 2023-2024 Drama Club Musical.
Rhonda-Clingman Elementary: Jeannie Shore, Hands on Learning is the Best Way to Learn to Read.
West Wilkes High School: Bethaney Hamby, “Are We Playing a Game Today?” The Power of Social-Emotional Learning Games; Susan Coleman, Collaborate, Create and Construct; Dr. Jim Brooks, Teacher Cadets Learn About Teaching; Chris Roten, “If These Walls Could Talk…”; and, Rhiannon Adams, “Traveling Around the World Through Literature”.
West Wilkes Middle: Morgan McGlamery, Attention Students!; Joanne Schwab, Journey Through the Jungle; and, Kenneth Bryan III, Slice’em and Dice’em.
Wilkes Central High School: Jamie Miles, Luke, I Am Your Father.
Wilkesboro Elementary: Elizabeth Dancy, Choose A Seat, Any Seat; Jennifer Bauguss, Hands on Science Fun!; Kaylee Simmons, Movin’ our Education Up!; and, Keven Langston, Reading at Home Can be Fun.
Wilkes Early College High School: Kaylee Burcham, Building ELA & Civic Skills and Bringing Together Campus & Community Voices; and, Olivia Walsh, Getting High Schoolers to Love Reading: A Novel Idea.
Founded and incorporated in 1984, WEF has been awarding mini-grants since 1985. To date, some 938 grants have been awarded to Wilkes County School teachers totaling $578,962.17. Funding for grants and scholarships is obtained from individual and corporate contributions and the annual Hugh Martin Memorial Golf Tournament.
Teachers say that getting these grants for students keeps them excited about teaching. Because of these grants, Wilkes County students have a chance to have wonderful resources that they otherwise would not have. These teaching tools keep students engaged in learning new concepts and make learning meaningful and fun. Their eyes light up each time they come into the classroom with a smile and eagerness to learn!
The president of WEF is James Motsinger; vice-president Jackie Mallory: secretary, Carolyn Triplett; treasurer, Jody Hamby; mini-grant chair, Danny Holman; investment/finance chair, Bill Myers; fundraising Hugh Martin Memorial Golf Tournament chair, David McNeill; WEF, G. Gerald Hendley Family, and Della Arnold college scholarships chair, Marcia Reynolds; nominating chair, Dr. Keith Bentley; and public awareness chair, Dr. Gordon Burns.
The Wilkes Education Foundation is a private, non-profit, IRS 501(c) (3) tax-exempt endowment corporation dedicated to promoting excellence in education in the Wilkes County Schools. For information about making a donation to the WEF, contact Jody Hamby, 302 9th St., North Wilkesboro, NC 28659, call 336-667-1121or go to the website at www.wilkeseducationfoundation.org.