Our Children, Our Future: 10 Years of Education Grants

oct-14-chamberby Chris Comer

Every year teachers come back to the class room, like old times just months ago.  They anticipate a new group of children, what the curriculum will look like, and the future leaders they will meet and help shape in the year to come.

What projects and lessons they do are already planned, but what about those opportunities that each teacher thinks of after meeting their children?  Those opportunities that just cannot be missed for the students this year.

Teachers turn to alternative measures to cover the expense for these opportunities.  One of those is the Education Grants program the Kernersville Chamber of Commerce started 10 years ago.

In 2004 there were three grants given.  This year the goal is fifty grants.  Teachers are so creative and talented, they just have the knack to seize the opportunity of learning.  We all believe in supporting them and our children.

The grants program has grown in support.  Individuals, businesses, and restaurants (through the Eating for Education program) donate, with 100% of proceeds going to the teachers and the grants for projects they develop.

With over $93,000 invested in our schools and over 200 projects to date, the Kernersville Chamber of Commerce Education Grants program continues to thrive because of the support from the community and teacher involvement.

The list of funded programs are just a few projects and opportunities the children in Kernersville have had in the past 10 years.  We are so grateful that the community continues to work together to offer the children and teachers in our Kernersville schools the chance to continue to grow.

The Surprise Patrol is how the grants are given to those receiving them.  Volunteers read and award the grants each year and have the opportunity to meet the teachers with a “big fat check”.  This is just another way to support our teachers and make their day a very big deal.  The students get into the celebration as well, high fiving and hugging their teachers.  The kids are so proud that someone they look up to has done something great to support their learning.

Watch out for the Surprise Patrol this month.  It just might come to your child’s classroom!

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Funded 2004 to Date:

Some programs that teachers have successfully facilitated:

• Cooking programs to build reading and math skills.

• Class sets of books to accompany books on tape from

celebrity readers.

• DNA model kits and protein synthesis manipulatives.

• Reading Robs Phonics Intervention Program

• Indoor Herb Garden

• Phonological Awareness Assessment & Therapy

• Scooter Town

• Peer Mediation Training

• Virtual Field Trip to National Zoological Park

• Audio Book Library

• Community Website for Kernersville Veterans

• Handwriting without Tears Program

• I Love to Read incentives for exceptional children.

• Esperanza Rising for Hispanic

• GPS, Digital Camera & Audio for Geocaching

• Family Financial Fitness Forum

• Rocketry Project

• Interactive Outdoor Playground

• Novels for the classroom.

• Leap Pad Explorer

• Music – West African Unit

• Reading Garden

• Poetry Songwriting Unit

• Balanced Equations

• K’NEX Roller Coaster Kits

• iPad Mini

 

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