By Melanie Garrett | Pagosa Springs Rotary Club
If you were offered $400 to enhance your students’ learning opportunities, how would you use it? The Pagosa Springs Rotary Club posed that question to preschool through high school teachers in Pagosa Springs. Teachers who responded with creative, innovative ideas to inspire students were awarded Rotary teacher mini grants.
Of the 15 applications received from five different schools, the selection committee awarded funds to 11 teachers.
Congratulations to Leeann Skoglund at Seeds of Learning; Laura Mijares, Linda Lutomski and Abbie Monroe, at Pagosa Family School; Katrina Thomas (Pagosa Family School) applied with Malinda Burnett (Pagosa Springs Middle School); Leah Holliday, Mariah Neuleib, Shauntel Garcia and Jessica Jennings at Wings; Rue Graham at Pagosa Peak Open School; and Jillian Cram at Valor Academy.
Rotary’s Teacher Mini Grant Program awarded a total of $4,000 to teachers. The mini grants provide funds to innovative teachers who want to develop new programs to enrich the student classroom experience, specifically materials or projects that are not funded through the school district. To stretch Rotary’s $4,000 to serve as many projects as possible, the committee chose to partially fund some requests and suggested other resources.
The interesting and fun projects funded this year include Quoridor Games, an abstract strategy game; drums; building pixel kits; culinary equipment; and specimen and dissection kits. Preschoolers will enjoy tools to learn shapes and culture, sensory and motor skills, as well as creative building projects. Older students also will receive equipment for more advanced science projects.
“It is truly special to be accepted and to know Pagosa Springs Rotary is a strong supporter of early education” noted one grant recipient. “This is wonderful news! We are so grateful for Rotary’s support!”
Another teacher replied, “Wonderful news! Thank you so much Rotary for your continued support.”
The Rotary Club of Pagosa Springs is proud to support our wonderful teachers who work so hard to excite and educate our children. Funding this year allowed us to expand the mini grant program to preschools. In addition to the mini grants, Rotary awards $20,000 in scholarships to Pagosa’s graduating seniors each year. Pagosa Springs Rotary offers these opportunities in education through the support of the community in the form of Rotary sponsorships, participation in Rotary fundraisers and donations.
