Any teacher would want a little extra cash to spend in their classrooms in order to engage students more effectively in daily learning.  Haywood County Schools offered five mini-grants for the purpose of giving teachers the option to purchase a few hands-on learning tools that will help students synthesize content in different ways.  

The five teachers listed below were the winners of the mini-grants and plan to use the money in innovative ways:

Anderson Elementary Childcare Center – Nicole Henderson (STEAM teacher) – $400.00                                         

 “Two Kindle Fires and a subscription to Generation Genius to assist in the STEAM labs with more hands-on activities for students.”

 

Haywood Elementary School – Jamie Chandler (Art teacher) – $400.00                                                                             

“‘Clay animals’ that allow students to create objects for textile purposes, but also reinforces fine motor skills.”

Haywood Elementary School – Hannah Lilly (STEAM teacher) – $400.00                                                                     

“Interactive Coding – Students will work together to understand the basics of coding and problem solve as a team to figure out  technology coding on an elementary level.”

Sunny Hill – Ebonie Harrell (STEAM teacher) – $400.00                                                                                                             

“Design and fly a kite – engineering: students will learn to calculate wind energy to combat gravity and create lift by creating their own kites with multiple kite designs.”

Haywood Middle School – JoLyn Haynes (Science teacher ) – $400.00                                                                           

“Chemistry in the classroom – These chemistry lab lessons directly support our current curriculum. These lab projects will expose our students to chemistry concepts that will better prepare them for high school chemistry and allow them to be more successful.”

With the mini-grants, educators can continue to provide engaging lessons for their students and take learning to a new level.  Charles Byrum, Director of Accountability and Assessment for Haywood County Schools, understands the value of investing on the local level. 

“Investing in teachers and students is a top priority in Haywood County Schools.  We know that any amount of extra money to help teachers enhance learning for students is worth the investment.  It’s exciting to see teachers take advantage of this opportunity.”