FAYETTEVILLE — The Fayetteville Public Education Foundation handed out $257,890 in program and teacher grants and scholarships at its annual Celebration of Excellence on Monday.
Some 36 teachers and staff received $161,000 in classroom grants and 10 Fayetteville High School seniors received $14,670 in scholarships. Programmatic grants, valued at $82,224, also were distributed.
Phillip Martin of Lifetouch Photography and CitiScapes Metro Monthly magazine were recognized as the A.P.P.L.E. Award winners for their continuing support of the education foundation. The award is called A Patron Providing Leadership by Example, or A.P.P.L.E.
At A Glance
Grants Awarded
The Fayetteville Public Education Foundation awarded grants totaling $243,224 to teachers and programs as follows:
District — Linda Granbois, $2,899, science; Nicky Anderson, $8,400; elementary math; John L Colbert, $6,000, orchestra; Christie Jay, $4,263, iPod Touches for English as Second Language interpretation project.
Asbell Elementary — Audrey Caldwell, $1,272, literacy; Carlena Lambert, $5,000, music.
Butterfield Trail Elementary — Cheri DeSoto, $560, science.
Fayetteville High School — Jonelle Lipscomb, $5,000, film; Jeter Morse, SMART integration, implementation, collaboration at ALLPS; Susan Golbski, $5,000, iPads; Marc Reif, $1,298.50, physics; Linda Stocker, $4,091, lab equipment; Barrett Baber, $1,5o0, debate; Lory Hall, $1,837, iPads for FHS library; Vic Dreier, $11,326, robotics; Emery Faulkner, $3,186, math; Clay Morton, $5,361, physics; Mike Kaminski $2,382, science; Anna Beaulieu, $,2,000, world languages; Barry Harper, $2,500, instrumental music.
Happy Hollow Elementary — Alicia Whitaker, $2,705, literacy.
Holcomb Elementary — Nicole Tilton, $1,000, community garden.
Holt Middle School — Becky Baum, $2,000, technology; Tracie Slattery, $1,000, gifted-talented.
McNair Middle School — Beth Lewis, $4,500, digital audio books.
Owl Creek School — Bill Maxey, $1,900, science.
Root Elementary — Cathy Von Hatten, $3,000, outdoor classroom.
Vandergriff Elementary — Karen Wikholm, $1,733.50, technology; Jason Edwards, $3,000, archery; Christye Hudson, $1,000, school garden; Sherri Wheeler, $2.041, classroom amplification system; Kathy Butler, $550, math.
Woodland Junior High — Marilyn Bauer, $5,000, physical education; John Stiefer, $1,508, computers.
Source: Fayetteville Public Education Foundation
More than 300 teachers, administrators and patrons attended the dinner event at the Arkansas Air Museum.
The single largest grants — $25,000 each — were awarded to Bill Laney for the development of a modern agriculture science and technology program at Fayetteville High School and to Bethany Strasser at Ramay Junior High School for an information and communication technologies program.
Strasser, who teaches engineering technology, said the money will be used to purchase a laser engraver, which can cut glass, wood, plastic and other materials. Students will be making nametags for the district and wooden plaques as needed, she said.
“Students can take projects they do on a computer to another level with this equipment,” Strasser said.
Laney’s agriculture grant is part of a $75,000 donation from the Tyson Foods Inc. corporate charitable giving program. The contribution will be divided over the next three years and will pay for new equipment as the agriculture program moves from the ALLPS Center, formerly West Campus Technical Center, to space in the new classroom building under construction at Fayetteville High School.
The new building is expected to be completed in 2014 and is part of a $93 million transformation of the high school.
Laney said this year’s grant will be used to purchase equipment, including items for an animal science laboratory as well as holding and care facilities for animals. The rest of the Tyson donation will be allocated over the next two years.
Fourteen of the grants were awarded to teachers at the high school.
Principal Steve Jacoby said, “The foundation supports a lot of opportunities for students and teachers. We appreciate and value this.”
Assistant Superintendent John L Colbert said a $6,000 grant to the orchestra program will allow fourth-graders in the district to learn about the instruments in the orchestra. The grant will give many students their first exposure to touch or hear the instruments in an orchestra.
Each year, teachers apply to the foundation for grants for supplies and programming to supplement classroom instruction. In its 20-year history, the foundation has distributed more than $3 million for grants to Fayetteville teachers.
The grants range in size from $550, the smallest for learning-through-touch technology, to the $25,000 grants to Laney and Strasser.
“We bring educators and caring citizens together to support a top-notch education in Fayetteville,” said Cambre Horne-Brooks, the foundation’s new director who was named earlier this year. She replaced Holly Johnson who accepted a position as development director for the Fayetteville School District.
“We do this in a variety of ways, all of which center on the help from our community, alumni and friends. The celebration event is a time in which we celebrate these partnerships,” Horne-Brooks added.
Scholarship winners, who were recognized during the event, are Marlee Stark, Brandyn Young, Isabella Blakeman, Hannah Scott, Solomon Simpson, Julia Kyser, Sarah Huong, Sarah Smith, Aislinn Beaumont and Morgan Hoffman.