Twenty-six Round Rock ISD educators at 20 different district campuses were surprised in their classrooms, libraries or offices this month with the news that they had been named winners of an Excellence in Education Grant and a portion of the nearly $60,000 distributed district-wide to make teachers’ project ideas a reality.
The Round Rock ISD Partners in Education Foundation sponsors the grant program to provide funding for resources and tools that can significantly and positively impact student achievement and learning. This year, the Foundation awarded $58,472 in grants to teachers throughout the district for projects that support best instructional practices benefiting students in a grade level, school, group of schools or district-wide.
Schools that won 2012 Excellence in Education Grants include:
- Anderson Mill ES, $1,344 for Robokids (Jennifer Hutchcroft)
- Bluebonnet ES, $4,295 for Growing Readers in English and Spanish (Sheri Ogden)
- C.D. Fulkes MS, $2,390 for Spoken Word Poetry (Cynthia Clement)
- Callison ES, $2,303 for Caring Kids (Pamela Nagar)
- Callison ES, $2,700 for Reading – A Magical Journey into Success! (Lalitha Shetty)
- Cedar Ridge HS, $2,500 for Rockin’ Rockets = Physics “Phfun”! (Len Bryan)
- Cedar Valley MS, $1,031 for Bringing World Languages to Life in the Classroom (Anne Macharia)
- Chisholm Trail MS, $2,000 for Designing Sustainable Native Environments 2 (Christina Villarreal)
- Chisholm Trail MS, $3,114 for Putting the ‘Contemporary’ in Contemporary World Cultures with National Geographic (Elizabeth De La Garza)
- England ES, $1,551 for Literature Circle Collaboration (Melinda Schermerhorn)
- Great Oaks ES, $1,850 for “Making the Pieces Fit” (Karen Lentz)
- Grisham MS, $4,840 for Listen Up! Building a Community of Readers with Audio Books (Diane Hance)
- Herrington ES, $1,600 for Improving Mathematical Attitude and Aptitude using “First in Math” (Donna Wise)
- Jollyville ES, $3,570 for Read Away with Playaways (Christine Carter)
- Live Oak ES, $988 for Literacy Lab (Carol Bryan)
- Old Town ES, $2,000 for “Quality for Our Community” (Kelly Schafer)
- Old Town ES, $2,794 for The Breakfast Club (Keri Thrift)
- Pond Springs ES, $493 for Wiggly Worms Work on Waste (Linda Steidel)
- Round Rock HS, $2,425 for Lighting up the Arts (Charles Hobby)
- Round Rock HS, $3,000 for Disaster Exercise Planning and Implementation for Cross CTE Academies (Lynne Albright)
- Round Rock Opportunity Center, $1,045 for Gardening Gone Wild (David Baceski)
- Various Campuses, $5,000 for RRISD Medical School (Amy Prescott)
- Voigt ES, $2,078 for The T.I.K.I. Bookstore (Trade It Keep It) (Christine Jackson)
- Voigt ES, $719 for Why Try Curriculum (Chrissy Epperson)
- Voigt ES, $840 for Kindergarten is getting W.E.T. (Water Exploration Together) (Tiel McKee)
- Westwood HS, $2,000 for Where Are You Going? Higher Education Thinking and Planning (Mark Kylar)
Members of the Foundation’s Board and a representative from administration traveled to the schools to present checks to the grant recipients and announce the achievement via pep rally, over the morning announcements, or during staff meetings.
Funding for the grants and other programs that enhance student learning and recognize teaching excellence is made possible by donations to the Round Rock ISD Partners in Education Foundation. Individuals interested in supporting Excellence in Education Grants or other Foundation programs are encouraged to call 464-5602 or visit to the Foundation’s website.