Dearborn Co. Retired Teachers Announce 2023-24 Educator Grant Winners

Winners are selected for their innovative and creative projects which they bring to their classrooms.

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(Dearborn County, Ind.) - The Dearborn County Retired Teachers Foundation has announced its 2023-24 Educator Grant winners. Winners are selected for their innovative and creative projects which they bring to their classrooms.

Karla Patton,, St. John's Evangelical Lutheran School, has been awarded $750 by the Dearborn County Retired Teachers for her Math Extravaganza. Students in grades K-8 will have the opportunity to play several different math games. These games are intended to create interest in math and to improve attitudes towards the subject.

Tammy Hensley, East Central Middle School, has received $500 from Maxwell Enterprises for Flexible Seating to Enhance Their Learning Environment. With flexible seating,  students with special needs will be  freer to move around without distracting their peers. This should help with student focus.

Maureen Brayton, North Dearborn Elementary, will be supporting the needs of kindergarten through second grade students with special needs.  Alphabet sets, ink pads, noise-canceling headphones, wobble stools, sand kits, and more with be used to reinforce learning. Brayton is sponsored by Rural Valley Utilities.

Heather Lunsford will purchase Fractured Fair Tales for all fourth grade students at Sunman Elementary. Sponsored by Kelsey Chevrolet, Fractured Fairy Tales help students to discover the differences in point of view and perspective.

East Central Middle School Teacher Christie Andres will be able to purchase printed sources for use by sixth grade students doing research for their persuasive and expository writing required by state standards.  Andres wants printed materials such as Kids' Britannica Encyclopedias, World Almanacs, Farmer's Almanacs, and an atlas because she knows that today's youth depend too much on Google. They need to learn to use a variety of sources when researching. This grant is made possible by Eric Oatman, Ameriprise.

Kimber Ampt will build a complete STEAM Center (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) for St. John Evangelical School. With the purchase of the Brackitz Complete STEAM Center and the Bristlebot STEM Project Kit students will learn to work cooperatively to increase their thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills though 100 on-line standards-aligned lessons.  Duke Energy is funding this project.

Annalee Cochran, St. John Lutheran School, will be funded by Omni Technologies, Inc. The school will add materials to create a Makerspace Room to be available to all students in Grades K-8 so that they can participate in weekly STEAM activities to complement what is learned in the classroom.   

Catrina Starost, requested funds for North Dearborn Elementary School for her One School/One Book project. Funded by the Betty McLaughlin Endowment, all students will read Because of the Rabbit by Cynthia Lord.  A question will be asked the following morning after a chapter has been read aloud in each of the classroom.  The classroom teacher will choose one student to answer the question.  A school-wide mural will be created by art students upon completion of the book.

Wendy Beck will purchase materials funded by the Sunman-Dearborn Educators Association for first graders at Sunman Elementary students to decode high frequency words through posters, dictionaries, flash cards, and practice activities.  

Cheryl McCann teaches at St. Lawrence School. The Knights of Columbus will purchase hardbound Bibles for middle school students. These Bibles will be used for Bible trivia, Bible Jeopardy, Bible verse memorization, and other activities in an effort to help students with their faith.

Katherine Magalski will purchase a durable loom to use in her second grade art classes with funds provided by CIVISTA to explore hands-on, deep-rooted cultural traditions in weaving.

Any teacher in the Dearborn County schools may apply to the Dearborn County Retired Teachers Foundation when applications are distributed to the schools in January.  For information about the program, contact Director Betty Bourquein at 812-498-2436. Donations to support these projects may be sent to the Superintendent of the Lawrenceburg Community Schools with a notation that this is a donation to the DCRTF Educator Grant program.

The Dearborn County Retired Teacher Foundation is an affiliate of the Indiana Retired Teachers, the Dearborn County Retired Teachers Association, the Dearborn Community Foundation, and the Indiana Association of Public Education Foundations.