Educating for Tomorrow

Teacher Grants Recipients

Through the Georgia Teacher Initiative, the Georgia Foundation for Public Education has awarded grants between $500 and $2,500 in Teacher Grants for Innovation to Georgia public school teachers with an innovative project designed to improve learning outcomes and make a measurable impact on your student’s lives.

Round One Grant Recipients

North Clayton Middle School, Clayton County Public Schools

Regina Woods

$1,500.00 Grant

Ms. Woods will launch a virtual business simulation game tailored for her middle school students. This experience will allow students to run their own virtual businesses, including making strategic decisions, managing finances, and solving real-world challenges in a simulated marketplace. Through games, interactive tutorials, and mentorship opportunities, students develop essential business acumen and entrepreneurial skills in a fun and engaging environment. Ms. Woods will use the grant funds to purchase the virtual business simulation game, as well as provide teacher training in using the software. 

“[Innovation in my classroom] will challenge the traditional teaching methods, introducing experiential learning approaches such as simulations, case studies, and entrepreneurial projects.” – Regina Woods

 

 

Miller Grove High School, DeKalb County School District

Tennille Rainey

$2,500.00 Grant

Ms. Rainey will enhance the Health Science Program’s Medical Assistant Pathway by providing students with industry-standard electronic equipment that will give students experience in a realistic medical setting. The equipment will not only provide hands-on opportunities for students, but will also familiarize them with software and programs that closely simulate real-world medical experiences. 

“By embracing innovation, we create an environment that adapts to evolving educational needs and prepares students for the challenges of the future.” – Tennille Rainey

 

 

 

River Eves Elementary School, Fulton County Schools

Deonte Moore

$1,000.00 Grant

Using a Teacher Grant for Innovation, Mr. Moore will create an environment inside his classroom that mimics the environment of the nearby Chattahoochee River. In doing so, he will provide his students with hands-on STEM lessons, including how to sustain a healthy ecosystem and how to keep the environment safe. The River Lab will be made available to all faculty. Mr. Moore will use grant funds to purchase plants and animals common to the Chattahoochee River ecosystem.

“This program will have the potential to disrupt and transform education because students will be afforded with the opportunity to have educational experiences that are driven towards sustainability of their local community.” – Deonte Moore 




Statesboro High School, Bulloch County Schools

Denitrid Pinckney

$1,000.00 Grant

Ms. Pinckney will implement Student Leaders Achieving Excellence – or SLAE – a schoolwide, girls mentoring initiative to provide support to teenage girls who have had previous physical altercations or deficiencies in regulating their emotions. School mentors will hold meetings with girls and provide them with food, resources, motivational speakers, journals, activities, and other supports that will help the girls develop socially and emotionally.  

“This will promote student achievement, create a positive school/classroom climate, and build positive relationships among teachers and students.” – Denitrid Pinckney

 

 

 

 

Scoggins Middle School, Paulding County School District

Salyna Bentley

$650.00 Grant

Ms. Bentley will create a makerspace for her 7th grade English Language Arts classroom with the intent of disrupting and transforming the typical ELA classroom by using projects such as stop-motion animation, fabric collages, small-scale costume design, and many other art and technical media activities to allow students to demonstrate their acquired knowledge. Grant funds will be used to purchase items to create a classroom makerspace including low- and high-tech items.

“The role of innovation in my classroom is to nurture creativity and creative expression, challenge students to use a design process and computational thinking, and to assess students in ways that address standards but do not align with the norm of paper-pencil assessments.” – Salyna Bentley

 

Southeast High School, Whitfield County School District

Kali Tomlinson

$1,835.00 Grant

Ms. Tomlinson will enhance her design and engineering process by incorporating the field of rocketry. Specifically, she will work with students as they create and attempt to launch rockets, as a way to spark interest in space travel, weather monitoring, satellite communication, and scientific observation. Ms. Tomlinson will use the funds for materials to design and develop rockets, launchpads, and starters.

“Innovation in our classroom cultivates an environment where students are encouraged to think creatively, explore new ideas, and solve complex problems.” – Kali Tomlinson



 

 

 

Baconton Community Charter School, State Charter School

Lori Worsham

$2,500.00 Grant

Ms. Worsham will launch the Robot Drone League program at Baconton Community Charter School. Students will engage in designing, building, and programming drones, tackling challenges that simulate real-world scenarios like search and rescue missions. This hands-on approach promotes iterative development, where designs and strategies are continuously refined for better outcomes. Ms. Worsham will use grant funds to purchase robotic and drone equipment, essential for students to learn computational problem-solving skillsets.

“Innovation in robotics and drones transforms the classroom into a vibrant hub of exploration, where students can experiment, iterate, and innovate, preparing them for the challenges of a rapidly evolving world.” – Lori Worsham



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