Aldine Education Foundation awards $31,755 in grants to Aldine ISD teachers

Last Friday

The Aldine Education Foundation (AEF) “Surprize Grant Posse” descended on eight Aldine ISD schools on Friday, Dec. 13 to deliver $31,755 in innovative teacher grants to a number of teachers across the district.

This marked the second year AEF awarded grants to teachers to assist them in funding a number of innovative classroom programs.

A year ago, AEF awarded five grants, and this year it awarded nine. Last year’s grants totaled $6,555.

AEF Board member and former Superintendent Nadine Kujawa said Foundation members were thrilled to be able to increase the number of grants and the dollar amount in just a year’s time.

“The Aldine Education Foundation is very pleased, excited and honored to be able to give a number of our teachers grants to institute innovative programs in their classrooms,” Mrs. Kujawa said. “These unique grants go directly to Aldine teachers, their classrooms and their students. We are so thankful and appreciative to the donors who have supported the Foundation. Their generous donations have played a huge role in providing our teachers with the ability to implement their innovative programs.”

The first stop of the morning was at Hinojosa EC/Pre-K Center, where teachers Maria Gonzales, Jeanetta Denman and Diana Morales received a $5,000 grant to fund their program, “Pre-K Scientists.” The grant will provide materials and resources to offer actual science lab experiences for their Pre-K students.

Then it was on to Nimitz Ninth Grade School where teachers Candace Langenbuck, Kristal Ortegon and Ramona Hudnall received a $3,600 grant to fund their program, “Making Vocabulary Relevant.” Their class will create a biology visual dictionary that will be used throughout the biology department. The grant will fund the purchase of digital cameras that will be used in the program.

AEF members then arrived at Wilson Intermediate School, where two grants were awarded. The first went to math teachers Treye Beinke, Angela Burnham, Alvin Ardley, Pamisha Reese, Glenn Ryan, German Carmona and Juana Hernandez to fund their program, “Pick It and Click It-Classroom Response System.” The $5,000 grant will fund five sets of classroom response systems that will allow for enhanced formative assessments as teachers endeavor to evaluate progress and ensure success for their students.

The second grant at Wilson went to math teachers Thurdette Brooks, Susie Brown, Elizabeth Hart, Hernandez, Tamika Terry and Carmona. Their program, “Integrating Literacy in the Mathematics Classroom,” will provide each fifth-grade math classroom with highly rated, engaging math reading books, problem-solving tools and vocabulary building manipulatives that cover the focused objectives in fifth-grade math. The grant totaled $4,800.

Then it was on to Stovall Academy, where math teacher Chamelia Robinson was awarded a $1,000 grant to fund her program, “Math in Motion.” The target of her program is to utilize the whole-brain philosophy along with kinesthetic movement to create stronger connections in number sense and fact fluency.

The AEF Posse then headed to Kujawa EC/Pre-K Center where teacher Neley Haynes was awarded a $5,000 grant to fund her program, “Painted Peaceful Playground.” Her project will allow students to learn and grow physically, emotionally, socially and cognitively through the use of a newly constructed concrete playground. Houston teachers will be trained on how to effectively teach children rules and routines for the use of the playground as well as how to play a variety of games.

The next stop was at Houston Academy, where teacher Pameolin Nelson was awarded a $1,355 grant to fund her programs, “When I Grow Up, I Want to Be…A Pathway to College/Careers.” The grant will be used to enable a group of her students to incorporate 21st Century skills by researching, designing and creating a series of Public Service Announcements (PSAs) on college and career choices. The students will produce the PSAs in order to inform their peers about what it takes to prepare for college and careers.

AEF members then arrived at Carver High School where they awarded Kamilah Warren a $1,000 grant to fund her program, “Making Science Relevant Through Field Trips.” Warren will use the grant to take her students to the Health Science Museum so they can gain meaningful hands-on experiences through differentiated instruction, directly linked to course objectives and content standards.

The Posse’s final stop of the day was at Eisenhower High School, where teachers Michaelann Kelley, Bobby Mansour, Sandra Capps and Joey Martin received a $5,000 grant to fund their program, “Phoenix Courtyard: A Project Based on building a Cross-Curricular Professional Learning Community.” The project will use hands-on applications in science, history, English, math, visual arts and come career and technical education courses to bring a previously beautiful courtyard that has fallen into disrepair back from the ashes, just as the Phoenix.

Joining Mrs. Kujawa on the “Surprise Grant Posse” were AEF Board members Patty Acosta, Shane Clouteaux, Rose Avalos, Marine Jones, Sydney Brewer, and Jeff Hartman, AEF Director Judy Hoya and Stacey Smith, AISD’s program director of resource development.

For more information on AEF, or to make a donation, call (281) 985-6078 or visit www.aldineeducationfoundation.org.