Our Community Foundation has announced that four educators at Barr Reeve Junior/Senior High School have been named Foundation Teaching Innovators and grants for their first-semester classroom projects have been awarded.
A $250 grant will be used in Jessica McConnell’s classroom to purchase needed supplies and equipment to allow students to experience storytelling through mini-documentary projects. “Through the use of documentaries, students will gain insight into topics they are not familiar with and will develop analysis and critique skills as they write and respond to the documentaries, as well as plan, create, and edit their own,” says McConnell.
A $250 grant will be used in Jessica Guinn’s classroom to purchase graphic novels. “Some students inherently love to read, and some do not,” says Guinn. “My goal as an educator is to help every student love reading. A graphic novel is a type of book that combines words and images, similar to a comic, but with more words. While at first glance this might seem too elementary for my high schoolers, they have all enjoyed the format of graphic novels – even my reluctant readers.”
A $250 grant will be used in Jordan Guinn’s classroom to also purchase graphic novels. “In my current Spanish classes, we do a lot of individual reading, and a large portion of this reading comes in the form of daily reading of novels. Engaging reading experiences for students would help provide more language input for students who would otherwise not get it.”
Finally, a $239 grant was awarded for 6 construction calculators in Stephen Bullock’s classroom. “These construction calculators will be used by the students to assist them in rafter and truss construction, stairway construction, and other various aspects of construction. This type of calculator is essential for all construction workers,” says Bullock.
“Our Community Foundation’s grant program is a boost for our educators,” says Jeff Doyle, Barr Reeve Middle/High School Principal. “It helps them get the resources they need to create a dynamic environment for our students, and we are very thankful.”
The Foundation conducted the competitive grant program during May and June, inviting Daviess County teachers to apply for resources for 1st semester 2024-25 projects. Funding was provided by donations to three different funds held by the Foundation – the Jim and L Jane Norton Endowment, the Ken and Paula Jones Family Endowment, and the Administrative Support Fund.
