Teachers awarded classroom grants

A dozen local teachers, including 10 in the Nespelem School District recently received grants from the North Central Education Foundation.

The grants were awarded at the 2019 Teacher Classroom Grant Award reception held at Confluence Technology Center in Wenatchee.

Each teacher applied for a Teacher Grant based on the needs of his or her classrooms and each received $300, the maximum amount awarded to purchase items for the classrooms.

The teachers who received awards are: Kim Iverson, for classroom Body Core Seating; Madisyn Byam, for a classroom Technology Center; Lisa Vaughan, for classroom Building Simple Machines; Ron Frescas, for Kinesthetic Kids Classroom Seating; Katrina Reeder, for Social Emotional Games; Paige Patrick, for Library STEM Creation Station; Valerie Quintasket, for Salishian History: A Local Perspective Project; Deb Bays, White Board Table Tops for math; Barbara Quitnasket, Cordless Microscopes for Nespelem Creek Project; and Desirae BearEagle, Nespelem Eagles Social and Emotional Learning Project.

Dr. Mary Hall, superintendent of the district, said she is pleased that teachers took the initiative to write the grants and had great ideas to support their students in the classroom.

Two Lake Roosevelt Schools teachers will also get the grant: Jessica Tufts at the elementary school for Keeping Drama in the Play, and Susan Duclos at the high school for National Financial Education Council Literacy Curriculum.

In all 145 teachers received the grants this year, the foundation said, “due to the generosity of the North Cascades Bank, Woods Family Music & Arts Fund, Confluence Health, Community Foundation of NCW, Chelan-Douglas Land Trust, Wenatchee Rotary, LASER Science/Pacific Science Center, Clear Risk Solutions, Young Adult Consumer Education Trust (YACET), PlanMember Services, Clear Risk Solutions, Friends of Lower Grand Coulee, and generous board members, ESD staff and community members who also donated to the fund.”