Foundation awards teacher grants
Published 10:17 am Wednesday, November 14, 2018
By Ken Stickney
The Port Arthur Education Foundation awarded $14,063 in grants Tuesday to innovative teachers for special projects.
The awards, gained through competitive applications, were presented at the Port Arthur Independent School District’s Administration Office to two dozen applicants working on 20 projects. Forty-nine teachers made applications for grants.
“We were thrilled with the applications,” said Barbara Phillips, foundation president. “It was our honor and privilege to present them.”
“The Port Arthur Education Foundation has been phenomenal over the years,” said PAISD Superintendent Mark Porterie, listing, in addition to the grants, the myriad ways the foundation has benefited Port Arthur schools over the years.
Now operating under the umbrella of the Greater Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce, the Education Foundation has over the years awarded more than $800,000 to support PAISD, Sabine Pass ISD and Lamar State College Port Arthur.
Awards distributed Tuesday were made through the Innovative Teacher Grant Committee. Carlita Zummo, daughter of Candice Zummo, a longtime member of the Education Foundation, awarded the Carlita Zummo Memorial Teacher Grant to Lakisha Phillips-Brown of Sam Houston Elementary.
Money will help individual teaching projects or innovative methods. For example, Azineth M. Buan, who teaches algebra and statistics at Port Arthur Memorial High, said the funding she received will help her teach students about calculator base ranges, and ID’ing the effects of time and rate of distance.
Awards made Tuesday included:
- Maryann LeBlanc, William B. Travis Elementary School
- Azineth M. Buan, Port Arthur Memorial High School
- Bolatito Fatoki, Lincoln Middle School
- Michelle Snodgrass, Thomas Jefferson Middle School
- Angela Allen, Terry Hadley, LaShae Antoine, Sonja Rahim, Michelle Rodriguez, Alanna Davis, Booker T. Washington Elementary School
- Beth Cluck, Wheatley School of Early Childhood
- Maryann Luck, Port Acres Elementary School
- Alfredo M. Jimenez, Tyrrell Elementary School
- Marisa Phillips, Port Acres Elementary School
- Rebecca Martinez, Lucian Adams Elementary School
- Kristin Kilian-Due, Lucian Adams Elementary School
- Tabitha Heimer, Lucian Adams Elementary School
- Angela Franks, Lucian Adams Elementary School
- Catie Whitehead, Administration
- Ella Williams, Department of Special Education
