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Archer Foundation awards grants for creative teaching

Archer Foundation awards grants for creative teaching

By Julie Rizzo 
with Beth Volpert Johansen

Teachers have great ideas all the time. Great ideas sometimes cost no more than a macaroni box and some glue. This works out great, but more often than not teachers need more than cardboard to improve their classes.

Through the Archer Academic Foundation, these leaders in education are able to support extensions in student learning.   

On Friday night, October 23rd, prior to the Archer vs. Central Gwinnett football game, the Archer Academic Foundation awarded grants to five exceptional teachers from the Archer Cluster. The grants were chosen from among several creative applications. Mrs. Dodd from Lovin Elementary said, “I was so happy when [my principal], Dr B, told me in front of my fifth grade class.” Mrs. Dodd was awarded $850 towards her Chimes for Children Program. Ms. Susan Grayson from Cooper Elementary who received $700 stated, “I am so appreciative of the Archer Academic Foundation Grant.  The Blue-bots purchased will teach students computer programming and expose them to robotics.  I can’t wait to get started!”

archer1.190Left: Mr. Clent Chatham (principal of McConnell Middle School), Dr. Janet Blanchette (principal of Lovin Elementry), and Dr. Donna Bishop (principal of Cooper Elementary).

Additionally, in the category of robotics, grant recipient Ms. Debbie Meadows from McConnell Middle was present to accept $1,500 in funding for their program. The cluster science programs were well represented by Mr. James Meadows from Cooper Elementary who received $370 and Mr. David Nelson from Archer High School who received  $1,580. Mr. Meadows will use his grant money to purchase new microscopes to study cell biology. “I am very grateful to the Archer Academic Foundation for the grant proposal they approved,” says Mr. Meadows. “I love teaching in a cluster that has the resources to support teachers as we strive to raise student achievement.”  Mr. Nelson’s students will benefit from new “hands on” physics lab equipment.archer2190

Right: L to R: AAF Board Member – Kerry Mitchell, Archer High School Principal, Ken Johnson, GCPS School Board Member, Carole Boyce, and AAF Co-President , Angela R. Monetta pictured with a check totaling $5000 in grants. Archer Cluster teachers funding creative teaching projects.

The Archer cluster school principals represented their schools in support of the grant recipients as they accepted a total of $5,000 collectively. Dr. Janet Blanchette, Dr. Donna Bishop, Mr. Clent Chatham, and Mr. Ken Johnson joined local District I School Board Representative, Carole C. Boyce and Archer Academic Foundation co-president Angela Monetta  to celebrate the grant recipients just prior to the football game. “It was a wonderful occasion to celebrate good teaching and innovative opportunities initiated by our teachers,” says Boyce. “It is gratifying that this was done at a football game with lots of people in attendance; seeing the student reactions when they saw their teachers was overwhelming and inspiring proving that good instruction always wins out.” 

To support the Archer Foundation visit http://www.gcps-foundation.org and designate the Archer Cluster Fund.

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