BEEF is honored to award over $90,000 in Teacher Grants for the 2021-2022 school year to over sixty of Bixby Public Schools' awesome teachers - from PreK to high school!!
Every year Bixby teachers are encouraged to apply for BEEF teacher grant funds aimed at emphasizing new approaches to teaching and developing innovative programs to stimulate thought and expand the existing curriculum. Grant proposals are evaluated and prioritized by BEEF's teacher grant readers based on each grant's impact on curriculum expansion and the total number of students affected.
This year's 36 teacher grants range from a drone to assist JROTC in perfecting their drills to a book vending machine to recognize Central Intermediate students' accomplishments while encouraging a love of books - to drums, mellophones, and ukuleles for music classes, gym equipment, and ceramic supplies for art classes!
Central Elementary:
Alison Beach plus Trish Beavers, Rachel Eccles, Larissa Ivey, Lauren Leete, Elaina Martin (Pre-K) - "Tiny Hands, Big Futures"
Julie Lacy, Katie Gallamore, Mandi Kachelmeyer, Emily Long (Kindergarten) - "Captivating Creativity Through Workstations"
Earline Moore (2nd Grade Title 1) - "Phonics and Phonemic Awareness"
Jenaan Suleiman (Title 1) - "AMAZING Alphabet"
Jamie Copenhaver (PE) - "PE for a Lifetime"
Martha Highland (Art) - "Digital Kiln for Ceramic Art"
East Elementary:
Jenny Mason (2nd Grade) - "Let's Boogie Together" (Funded by Jim Brown, Doc's Country Mart)
Pam Stevenson (Music) - "Let's Grow a Musical Garden"
Daniel Zehder (PE) - "Variety of Motor Skills"
West Elementary:
Breanne Cooper plus Tess Henderson, Wendye Coupe, Neely Scully, Shelly Sumler (Kindergarten) - "Literacy Listening"
Neely Scully plus Tess Henderson, Wendye Coupe, Breanne Cooper, Shelly Sumler (Kindergarten) - "Word Work Enrichment"
Jody Hamilton (2nd) - "Hands on Learning and Practice"
Chelsea George (2nd) - "Learning With the Senses"
Linda Hay, Kim Cornelison, Meghan Glasscock, Courtney Snapp, Jessica West, Mary Poston (3rd) - "Expanded Genre Book Study"
Melody Lavender (SPED K-3) - "The Little Room for Little Learners"
Barbara Nuetzmann (Art) - "Ceramics"
Jazmen Jones (Music) - "Orff Instruments"
Miki Bray (PE) - "PE Parachute" (Funded by Kim King)
Jessica Thornton (Speech) - "Can You Hear Me Now?"
Bixby North Elementary:
Erin Lovitt and Shelly Musser, plus Stephanie Parker, Leann Leu, Sharla Dibiase, Lacy Novoa (1st Grade) - "Listening Centers for Daily 5 Use"
Sara Mitchell plus Cindy Dyson, Tricia Gruenwald, Shannon Burns, Dana Watson, Marcy Gaines (2nd Grade) - "2nd Grade Spartans are Rooted in Reading"
Central Intermediate:
Toni Peterson (4th-6th) - "Exciting Recognition for Students"
Rebecca Jones (Music) - "Growing Musicians and Global Citizens through Drumming"
East Intermediate:
Rachel Horton (Music) - "Drumming Exploration"
North Intermediate:
Melissa Lytle (SPED) - "Let's Play, Spartans"
West Intermediate:
Katherine Robinson (SPED) - "Motor Lab and Sensory Equipment"
Sarah Carr (Music) - "Piano for WI Music"
Sarah Carr (Music) - "Ukuleles for WI Music"
Erin Bergeret (PE) - "Physical Education Equipment"
Bixby Middle School:
Sarah England (7th-8th STEAM) - "Forging a Culture of Innovation and Discovery"
Bixby High School:
Connor Myers (7th-12th) - "Bixby High School Weight Room Technology Initiative"
William Tinney (8th-12th) - "A Bird's Eye View of JROTC"
Julie Jankowski (Art) - "Using Technology to Create Success in the Art Classroom"
Karla Coulson (English IV) - "English IV Memoirs and Banned Books"
All Elementary Sites:
Heather Bowman (Science/STEAM) - "Bee Bot Robots"
Kathy Gilliam plus Rachel Chinsethagid, Rudi James, Trish Waller (Reading) - "Literacy Resources at each Elementary Site"
BEEF Teacher Grants are made possible each year by our community's supportive people and businesses. Since its beginning in 1969, BEEF has awarded over $2,183,000 in teacher grants and scholarships!
If you would like to support Bixby schools, teachers, and students through future grants, please consider donating to BEEF's annual Century Club campaign. Mabrey Bank matches Century Club donations up to $15,000 every year - a goal BEEF has reached for the last 35 years. Century Club donations may be made online at https://tinyurl.com/bixbyBEEF, or for information on how to mail a donation, please visit https://www.bixbyps.org/page/beef-foundation.
To learn more about this year's honorees and how grants are used in the classroom throughout the school year, follow us on Facebook and Instagram!