This year, the Education Foundation of Putnam County sponsored “Grants for Great Ideas” and six teachers from Q.I. Roberts had their “Great Ideas” selected for funding.
According to the Education Foundation’s website, the Grants for Great Ideas “seeks to award grants based on projects that are substantive in content and have potential to make the greatest impact. The grant application must demonstrate instruction aligned with school, District, or state goals, a measurable educational impact, and the ability to be duplicated for ongoing and future implementation.”
English Teacher Mary Jacobs’, will be using her grant to implement a program called “Cook the Books.” As part of the program, students will pick a meal directly from a book they are reading or they will research recipes related to the time periods or cultures in the books they read. They will cook the meal in class and journal about the experience. When asked about why she wanted to do this program with her students, Mary Jacobs had this to say, “ I'm doing this for multiple reasons. One, kids love food so what better way to get them interested in reading than cooking food for them. Second, it gives them some basic cooking skills, and three, it gives them something educational to discuss with their family.”
The next recipient is Drama Teacher Kim Dollar. Kim will be using her grant to purchase scripts, props and costumes for their spring production. Stay tuned to the school website for details about the play as they become available.
Another recipient is Math teacher Ian Boze. He will be using his grant to create a podcast studio at QI complete with headphones, microphones, and recording equipment. The equipment will elevate the ongoing “Boze Knows” podcast, but also be something that other students can use for projects.
History teacher Michael Weeks will be using his grant to support his History and Archaeology club. The club is conducting a survey of the Banana Mill site property. They hope to determine where exactly the mill was located and other structures, including a post office and general store from the late 1800s. The grant will allow them to purchase tools and other equipment needed for the project.
History teacher Jerome Rothschild is using his grant to expand the middle school STEM and Robotics program.
The last recipient is Music Director Randy Doo. He plans on using his grant to further grow and develop the music program at Q.I. Roberts. If you would like to hear from our music program, their winter concert is December 15 at 6pm.
When asked about what it means to have teachers receive the grants, Principal Joe Theobold had this to say: “The Education Foundation of Putnam has really done some amazing things for QI recently. Their enthusiasm for our students and teachers is clear, and having the support of the community is so very important to school success. These grants are not only beneficial to the students in making lessons more engaging and learning more fun, they are also clear endorsements of the efforts of our great teachers. This is just another example of community members seeing the value of education and putting their efforts and financial support behind those beliefs”
If you are interested in learning more about the Education Foundation of Putnam County, you can check out their website and stay tuned to their social media.