FAYETTEVILLE -- All School District elementary and middle school students will have regular access to iPads as a result of an $18,500 grant from the Fayetteville Public Education Foundation.
Because of another $25,000 grant, aspiring veterinarians in Jade Cameron's animal science classes at Fayetteville High School will be able to use animal mannequins to hone their skills.
Grants
Teachers and staff members in the Fayetteville School District received $103,466 in grants Monday from the Fayetteville Public Education Foundation’s endowed funds.
SchoolGranteeTitle*Amount
AsbellA. CaldwellTwo for One Book Project*$3,500
Asbell, Butterfield Trail, Holcomb, Owl CreekM. BurkReimaging the library*$18,500
Butterfield Trail and Happy HollowJ. GammillTinkering with Tools*$1,977
Butterfield Trail, Happy Hollow, Holcomb, Leverett, Owl CreekK. HaleFull STEAM Ahead*$2,817
FHSJ. CameronVeterinary and Medical Science*25,000
FHSE. FaulknerEngineering in Flight*$3,650
FHSD. FincherMemorial Day at Kennedy Center*$750
FHSB. HarperNew Music for Marching Band*$2,500
FHSJ. HartDifferentiated Classroom*$4,536
FHSW. RosenaurCreating the Perfect Costume*$6,000
FHSK. StueartConnotations: FHS Literary Magazine*$1,500
FHSR. TernesIntramural Soccer Goals*$1,201
FHSA. BeaulieuMore than Words*$3,000
FHS-ALLPSL. AdamsHistory Day Project*$3,500
LeverettM. RobertsElementary STEM Makers Lab*$15,000
RamayL. HaysMeasuring Waves*$450
RamayL. LinamIntro to Multimedia*$2,800
Woodland and RamayA. BlevinsGerman Immersion*$4,986
WashingtonT. LechtenbergerExploring Arkansas*$1,800
Source: Fayetteville Public Education Foundation
"They can perform CPR. They can intubate. They can do injections," Cameron explained. "They can practice suturing and stitching up wounds."
"It's just given us a lot of opportunities to help kids get their hands on the learning," she added. "The students have seen these skills done, and now they can actually practice them themselves."
In total, the Public Education Foundation distributed more than $228,044 Monday during the foundation's annual Celebration of Excellence at the Arkansas Air and Military Museum.
From the distribution, $103,466 came from the foundation's more than $3 million endowment. Another $124,578 came from annual gifts from corporations, foundations, and individuals, including the Walmart Foundation and Truity Education Foundation.
The Public Education Foundation has about 55 endowed funds. The funds were established by various community benefactors and give the foundation an ongoing revenue source that can be distributed on an annual basis, Cambre Horne-Brooks, executive director, explained.
Marjo Burk, a fourth-grade teacher at Root Elementary School, applied for the Apple iPad money with Lisa Davis, an instructional technology coach who will be teaching next year at McNair Middle School.
Burk said the iPads will be part of each school library's digital training program and hopefully will free up instructional time in the classroom.
"It's an engagement piece," she explained. "When the students can put their hands on technology and show they're learning, they're much more engaged."
"If it weren't for the Fayetteville Public Education Foundation, this wouldn't happen," Burk added. "They allow us to think outside the box and to solve problems beyond the financial means of the district."
Two new endowed funds were established at this year's Celebration of Excellence.
An Agee family endowment was created in honor of Martha Agee, a retired teacher and administrator who, for years, worked with at-risk students at Fayetteville's Uptown School.
Former Washington County Justice of the Peace Candy Clark established the second fund in memory of her late mother's decades of teaching biology, chemistry and health class in the Fayetteville School District.
"My mother was dedicated to her students and dedicated to the thought that anyone, given the right environment, can achieve," Clark said Monday.
The evening's celebration also included the presentation of $17,362 in scholarships to Fayetteville High School seniors Kendall Coats, Peyton Smith, Samantha Doss, Kayla Mounce, Julia Smith, Alexander Smith, Alexander Fuller, Kaleb Elrod, Chidubem Egbosimba, Megan Luetkemeyer, Joshua Williams and Jennie Grace Steiner.
The University of Arkansas School of Social Work and the company Five Star Sports were recognized as this year's APPLE (A Patron Providing Leadership by Example) award recipients for their dedication and continuing support to the Public Education Foundation.
NW News on 04/28/2015