Hoots and hollers, the rattling of noise-makers, a whole lot of laughter and cheers, along with a handful of happy tears are just some of the things you may witness on Prize Parade Days.
The Abilene Education Foundation, accompanied by AEF board members and members of the school board, once again marched through the halls of Abilene ISD campuses on Sept. 18-19, awarding unsuspecting – yet hopeful – teachers with STAR (Supporting Teachers with Academic Resources) Teacher Grants.
AEF awards STAR Teacher Grants (up to $1000) each September to deserving teachers, based on grant proposals submitted during the summer, for a wide array of projects – from I-pads and technology, to flexible seating options, to incentives designed to reward classroom attendance.
Grants are read, evaluated, and ranked (blindly) by a panel of readers. This year was a particularly competitive year, as AEF received an impressive 145 applications. Of those, AEF was able to award 72 grants to 96 teachers across 22 campuses, totaling a little over $55,000 in funds to support curriculum and classroom enrichment.
The awards come with thanks, in large part, to employee participation in AEF’s annual Payroll Deduction Campaign, AEF’s annual fundraiser Cajun Fest, and with matching funds from Greathouse Foundation and Priceless-Literacy.
| Name of Grant | Campus | Teacher Name |
| 2018-2019 STAR Teacher Grant | Abilene High School | Kaplinski, Daniel |
| Access Tech | Abilene High School | Rifenburgh, April |
| Stand and Learn | Abilene High School | Jordan, Jennifer |
| Production in the Millenium | Abilene High School | Martin, Kyle |
| Cosmetology | Abilene High School | Ross, Connie |
| Green Chemistry | Abilene High School | Mayberry, Kathy |
| Abilene High School XY-Zone Program | Abilene High School | Hansley, Erica |
| Abilene High Pregnancy Stimulator | Abilene High School | Roberson, Sheila |
| Poetry, Coffee, and Technology | ATEMS High School | Hope, Margaret |
| Engineering Instant Challenge | ATEMS High School | Stanley, Allison |
| TI-Innovator Rover – STEM Connections Through Robotics | ATEMS High School | Haney, Larry |
| Astronomy Challenge Club | ATEMS High School | Spitler, Jessi |
| Have a Ball Finding your Voice in Class | Austin Elementary | Vandever, Susan |
| Lunch Bunch | Austin Elementary | Dooley, Christina |
| Growing Fourth Grade Leaders | Austin Elementary | McKillip, Madison |
| Bassetti Garden Project | Bassetti Elementary | McRoy, Patricia |
| Excavating Growth in the Past, present, and Future | Bonham Elementary | Corbett, Teri Lyn |
| I can’t do it…YET | Bonham Elementary | Gruenwald, Sheryll |
| Portal to Purposeful Literacy | Bonham Elementary | Chastang, Nicole |
| Social and Emotional Learning | Bonham Elementary | Zamora, Ramon |
| Putting Writing First in First | Bowie Elementary | Tucker, Kathy |
| Scope It! | Bowie Elementary | Walker, Jana |
| Pencil to Pixels | Clack Middle School | Obosky, Jaclyn |
| Clack Middle School Never Been Absent Program | Clack Middle School | Alexander, Lawrence |
| Science Break Out | Clack Middle School | Haney, Mary |
| “Real Life” Mentors Making a Difference | Clack Middle School | Jackson, LaKisha |
| Racing to Success: A high school STEM Project | Cooper High School | Whitlock, Scott |
| Cooper High School XY-Zone Program | Cooper High School | Cunningham, Joe |
| Shaken Baby, Shattered Dreams | Cooper High School | Ward, Keely |
| Lights! Cameria! Teach! | Cooper High School | Barber, Cheryl |
| Art A-Round the Campus: Celebrating Unity Through a Campus-Wide Art Project | Cooper High School | Griffith, Sherry |
| Beautify Cooper High School with a Gardening Project | Cooper High School | Hamilton, Julie |
| Cooper FCS is on the Bus! | Cooper High School | Ward, Keely |
| Abilene Education Foundation STAR Teacher Grant | Cooper High School | McAnally, Laurie |
| What’s My Genotype? – Determining a Student’s Personal Genotype with PCR | Cooper High School | Green, Beth |
| Social Studies Student of the Month | Craig Middle School | Lubin, Marquietta |
| Broadening Horizons: Making Math Digital & Bringing the World of Math to our Students | Craig Middle School | Holloway, William |
| How do you get two oboes to play in tune? | Craig Middle School | Winner, Gary |
| Light me up, Buttercup! | Craig Middle School | Jordan, Amber |
| You want me to sit where??? | Craig Middle School | Wilson, Tina |
| Hey! Are You Listening!?!? | Dyess Elementary | Liddell, Jessica |
| The Marcus Moment | Holland Medical High School | Turnbull, Kim |
| “Manipulating” Math to Make Math-terpieces! | Jackson Elementary | Miles, Tanya |
| But…where’s MY face? | Jackson Elementary | Green, Richard |
| All Ears on Deck! | Johnston Elementary | Frank, Taylor |
| Let the Games Begin! | Lee Elementary | Moser, Mallory |
| Tiggly…meaningful play with technology and manipulatives | Long Early Childhood | Boos, Zyanya |
| Caring Carts For The Long Haul | Long Early Childhood | Jones, Rebecca |
| Uniting Kids The Brain Smart Way | Long Early Childhood | Jones, Rebecca |
| The Hungry Caterpillar Garden | Long Early Childhood | Liggins, Vicki |
| Fill’er up and keep us moving! | Long Early Childhood | Turner, Linda |
| Mann Middle School Never Been Absent Program | Mann Middle School | Tollett, Alana |
| Lunch Bunch Part Deux | Mann Middle School | Smith, Melinda |
| The “Wonder” of Novel Studies | Mann Middle School | Roberts, Lindie |
| Guided Reading Stations | Martinez Elementary | Pittman, Meredith |
| We’ve Got Spirit!! | Martinez Elementary | Morales, Yolanda |
| Readers, Writers and Leaders, Oh My! | Martinez Elementary | Deckman, Dana |
| Ooh, Ooh!! Pick me, pick me!! | Ortiz Elementary | Nelson, Tara |
| Chromebooks: Learning Unplugged! | Ortiz Elementary | Wills, Geraldine |
| DASH Robots for Teaching Kindergarten Concepts, Coding, and Beyond! | Reagan Elementary | Luckenbaugh, Kristi |
| 4th grade is breaking out of routine with Breakout EDU boxes | Reagan Elementary | Hajri, Veronica |
| Oh, The Places We’ll Go! | Reagan Elementary | Hammack, Marsha |
| 21st Century Classroom for Engaging and Healthy Scholars | Taylor Elementary | Kenley, Angelina |
| Technology for the Future Leaders of the World | Taylor Elementary | Mize, McKenzy |
| Exploring the World of STEM | Thomas Elementary | Allred, Chaney |
| Technology: “Our Weapon of Math Instruction” | Thomas Elementary | Arick, Amy |
| Student-Curated Classroom Library | Thomas Elementary | Condra, Katherine |
| Future Farmers of Thomas Elementary | Thomas Elementary | Coffman, Tabitha |
| Building a Listening Center Today, Building a Stronger Reader Tomorrow | Ward Elementary | Hefner, Allison |
| Secret Stories – 1st Grade Phonics | Ward Elementary | Clark, Mindy |
| Young Audiences’ Arts After School at Ward – Movement and Dance | Ward Elementary | Walker, Billie |
| Uke Can Do It! | Ward Elementary | Burns, Elizabeth |
