Innovative ideas for improving education outcomes can be found in every school in America. To implement their ideas, teachers often need outside financial help from grants like the one recently awarded to four teachers in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana.
The West Monroe-West Ouachita Chamber of Commerce and the Adopt-A-School Committee presented awards to four area teachers at the recent Ouachita Parish School Board meeting. The teachers were the winners of the 2024 Building Bridges Grant.
Adopt a School is a partnership of the West Monroe-West Ouachita Chamber of Commerce, Ouachita Parish School System, and the local business community. The Building Bridges Grant is awarded through a competitive process to teachers who propose winning ideas for educational projects that need funding.
The winning projects illustrate the creativity of their creators. Students across Ouachita will enjoy the special opportunities these new projects will provide. Here’s an overview of the winning proposals:
- Joetta Davis of Central Elementary School plans to turn the school’s existing butterfly habitat and greenhouse into a space for learning about how vegetables grow. Students will study the science of growing plants, from soil quality and nutrients to the environmental conditions that influence growth.
- Alexandra Antwine of Swayze Elementary School has devised a program she calls GAMERS, short for “Gaining Automaticity through Multiple Engaging Reading Skills.” Funding from the grant will allow GAMERS to give extra help to students who face challenges learning to read.
- Russel White of Good Hope Middle School has partnered with the meteorology department at the University of Louisiana in Moroe to develop a program called “Weather in West Monroe.” Students will release a weather balloon and will operate a weather station located on school grounds, giving them a special opportunity to learn about the weather.
- Allison Lovelady of West Monroe High will use her grant funds to purchase supplies that students in the school’s STEM class and MAGNAtech Robotics team will use to create a stop-motion animation about safety practices.
The Adopt-A-School program, fostering collaborations between schools and organizations in the community, has been instrumental in driving educational advancements in Ouachita Parish.
Pattern Energy’s Southern SpiritTransmission is proud to be among the sponsors of this year’s Building Bridges Grant. Please join us in congratulating each of this year’s grant recipients.
