Eight groups of Oxford teachers received financial funding to better help them improve education efforts and methods, courtesy of a combined $7,286.59 grant.
The Link to Assistance Grant, given from the Rochester Hills-based Assistance League of Southeastern Michigan, comes from neither state nor federal dollars: the monies are generated from private donations. They generate most of thier funds from Resale Connection, a Rochester Hills-based resale shop.
Oxford is one of four districts receiving the grant. The three others are those in Mt. Clemens, Pontiac and Hamtramck.
The teachers are:
* Molly Darnell and Ray Sutherland, $1,000 for Oxford High School’s Oxford Adventure Club;
* Catherine Colagross, Oxford Middle School, $1,000 for the Right on Reading program;
* Jeannie Crampton and Jan Matsumoto, Crossroads for Youth, $533.40 for the Empowering Girls Through Mathematics program;
* Kai-Lynn Perrin, Beth Worton, Mary Guzik and John Moody, $1,000 for OHS’s Study Skills for Success program;
* Kim Kreilach, Rita Upshur, Tammy Dasbach, $1,000 for Daniel Axford Elementary School’s School-Wide Character Education program;
* Mary Kraniak, $1,000 for an Elmo Projector at Oxford Elementary School;
* Julie McDonough, Carrie Klimowicz and Debbie Morse, $1,000 for Lakeville Elementary School’s Read to Succeed program;
* Michelle Mumbrue, Marcie Bensman, Helen Andreou, Lisa Schneider, $753.19 for Leonard Elementary School’s Technology to Support Phonemic Awareness program for grades K-3.
‘This helps give teachers the extra funds to support their programs that they’d otherwise not be able to do,? said Linda Tull, co-chairperson of ALSM’s Creative Teaching Grant program.
Kraniak, who previously received an $800 grant from the organization, described this grant as ‘pretty exciting?. The Elmo Projector allows a teacher to project anything placed under it onto a screen.
For Lakeville’s Read to Succeed program, they will purchase ‘leveled? books for the classroom libraries.
Schneider said Lakeville’s phonemic program grant would be used for ‘Aerobics? software, an additional literacy support program. Phonemic awareness is being able to hear and manipulate sounds in words.
Colagross plans to use the grant funds to acquire more books for ‘Right on Reading,? a program that helps to reach out to ‘reluctant readers? to improve their reading skills and instill in them an interest in reading.
For the OHS study skills program, the grant will acquire and use the skills program for ‘at risk? students who aren’t passing academic coursework and are in danger of not graduating on time or at all. For this pilot program, about 25 students will be involved in the course during this year.
For the Adventure Club, which takes students on trips to places like the Les Cheneaux Islands, Ohiopyle, Penn. (for river rafting) and Camp Hayo-Went-Ha (for outdoor activities), the grant will cover the cost of students who want to go but can’t afford the full price.
Matsumoto and Crampton plan to use their funds to purchase classroom sets of Danica McKellar’s books Math Doesn’t Suck and Kiss My Math. These books are written for girls to help them see how useful math is and how to increase their self-confidence in math and in life.