Christmas Arrives Early For McGregor ISD Teachers Awarded Grant Money – KWTX

McGREGOR, Texas (KWTX) – It was Christmas in March for some teachers at the McGregor Independent School District as a prize patrol from the McGregor Education Foundation went classroom to classroom surprising educators with more than $64,000 in grants.

“Today is such a fun day,” said Kristen Koch, the foundation’s executive director. “It’s like Christmas.”

Christmas couldn’t have come sooner for the staff and those who support them after years of dealing with the stresses related to COVID-19.

Members of the Education Foundation rode buses campus to campus and made their grand entrances with cowbells and cheers Thursday morning.

“Due to COVID, we’ve had to do it at another location so, this year, we actually got to go into the classrooms and present the teachers with the money,” Koch said.

“They have gone through a lengthy process to write these grants and get innovative ideas going for the children of McGregor ISD.”

Tery Arp, the president of the board of directors, led the charge through the schools, walking to the front of the classrooms of each award winner with a plaque and the good news to share.

“We are happy to present Mrs. Hering with this grant which will purchase Clevertouch TVs,” Arp said as he surprised high school English teacher Lorna Hering.

The Clevertouch monitors provide much more interactive learning on a large screen for students. As Arp presented the award to Hering, he also talked to her students about the importance of grants.

“The school gets a whole lot of money from the state and the federal government, but that money has a lot of earmarks to it and they’re not able to always buy the things you need for your education,” Arp said. “We are able to spend money for you based on needs and grant applications.”

Jennifer Millsap, an instructional technologist at the junior high and high school who has worked with the district since 1999, was also awarded grants to purchase the smart monitors.

“With the Clevertouch TVs – it adds an interactive piece to the classroom where the teachers are up teaching and students can get up and interact with the board,” Millsap said. “I’m very honored to get this. It makes a huge difference in our classrooms, and I think that’s why it’s important.”

The excitement was shared by Media Center Specialist Colleen Henson, who received a $1,000 grant to support her book club “Project LIT.”

“This grant means that we can have another year of a reading culture that supports reading and readers on all different campuses of our district,” Henson said. “It also just kind of ignites the excitement for our book club members to continue reading and continue learning and understanding each other, their culture and just getting everyone excited about reading.”

The grants were made possible through donations by Howmet Aerospace, SpaceX, TFNB Your Bank for Life, Rocket Federal Credit Union, Jim Turner Chevrolet, Stanely Ford of McGregor and Tom and Mary Kirk.

Copyright 2022 KWTX. All rights reserved.