Paris ISD students swept the annual Lamar County Soil and Water Conservation District (LSWCD) Poster and Essay Contest for the fourth year in a row.  LSWCD Vice-President Mike Parsons presented checks to the contest winners.  This year’s theme was Life in Soil: Dig Deeper. In the essay contest, Paris High School seniors Grace Hamm and Marjorie Calderon won 1st and 2nd place respectively (ages 14-18 division) and received $150 and $80. Paris Junior High School 7th grader Luke De la Garza won 1st place (13 and under division) and received $80. view article

A school district in northeast Texas is making math fun. Atlanta ISD was awarded the Math Innovation Zone grant to put in place new blended learning strategies to teach students. view article

High school teacher gets $1,000 grant. Melinda Buchanan, an English teacher at Krum High School, has been awarded a $1,000 grant, which will be used to buy books for her classroom and other classrooms at the school. view article

Texas Tech’s College of Education recently received grant funding from the Texas Education Agency that will be used to expand efforts to increase the quality and diversity of teachers in rural school districts.  The $484,000 that Tech received through TEA’s “Grow Your Own” grant program will go toward growing the TechTeach Across Rural Texas, a program dedicated to recruiting and preparing teachers for rural schools. The program launched last year after Tech received $411,000 from the same grant opportunity. view article

The McAllen ISD Board of Trustees was chosen as an outstanding school board in the 2019 H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards Program. The recognition was announced Friday. McAllen is one of only five finalists in the state. Other finalists include the Del Valle, Socorro, Corsicana and Grapevine-Colleyville school districts. According to the H-E-B website, this honor is designed to recognize school boards that have demonstrated real leadership in the community based on three basic criteria: Academic/student progress within the district; identification of community needs and specific actions taken based on those needs; and new and creative methods for community engagement. This is the second consecutive year McAllen ISD has been nominated for an award through H-E-B. Last year, the school district was a state finalist for the Best Large District in Texas award. view article

The C-FB ISD Education Foundation recently awarded two teachers grants. Established in 1997, the C-FB ISD Educational Foundation is a non-profit organization that supports CFBISD campuses, teachers, and students with dollars not otherwise available through state and federal funding. McCoy Elementary teacher, Nicole Bonilla, was awarded two grants for her project to get secondary materials and tools for students with autism and social and attention differences. She was awarded $1000 from the Kacie Brekhus Memorial Teacher Grant and $1000 from the Frank Shor Impact Now! Fund.  The Kacie Brekhus Memorial Grant is awarded each year to a C-FB ISD teacher who has a vision and a plan to best support education opportunities for their students.  view article

The Aledo Education Foundation awarded 47 grants to Aledo ISD teachers for the 2018-19 school year for an amount more than $127,000. “Applications were down a little bit — we didn’t have quite as many as we have had in the past — but the overall requests were far more. I think one of the really neat things in the evolution of the process is that the teachers are looking for more sustainable ways to change their classroom,” Aledo Education Foundation Executive Director Shawn Callaway said. “In the beginning they were looking for a cool, creative activity for a one-time group, but now they’re thinking about long-term ways they can change the way their kids learn and make a difference and I think that has a lot to do with the district leadership coming into play and making some changes there. I’m really excited about the quality of the grants.” view article

The following is a news release from Texas Tech University: After a new round of grant funding from the Texas Education Agency (TEA), Texas Tech University’s College of Education is expanding efforts to increase the quality and diversity of teachers in rural school districts. Texas Tech received $484,000 through TEA’s “Grow Your Own” grant program, which will go toward growing TechTeach Across Rural Texas, an innovative program in the College of Education that recruits and prepares teachers specifically for rural school districts. view article

Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15) recently announced that the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in partnership with Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD and Harlingen CISD have been awarded a $99,991 grant by the National Endowment of the Humanities to design and organize culturally relevant Social Studies curriculum in English and Spanish for Kinder through 5th grade students. Project SSTARC (Social Studies Through Authentic and Relevant Content) is a two-year collaborative project between the Center for Bilingual Studies and the Center for Mexican American Studies at UTRGV and the local school districts. view article

The Katy Independent School District Education Foundation recently launched its sixth “Inspiring Imagination” teacher grant application process, which will fund Katy ISD teacher grants for the 2019-20 school year. Community support for the grants is led by the Foundation’s Cornerstone Investor, BP America Inc., which has headlined the foundation’s corps of investors every year for the past five years. view article

Time is fast running out to take part in North Lamar ISD’s Texas State Teachers Association Auction to support student scholarships. The silent auction, taking place during school hours at North Lamar High School’s library, runs until 4 p.m. Thursday, North Lamar TSTA President Wendy Bozarth said. view article

Christmas came early for 10 teachers in the Robstown Independent School District. The Robstown ISD Education Foundation gave out 10 grants Tuesday morning to teachers in the district. The teachers were asked earlier in 2018 to submit a proposal for what they would use the money for. Second-grade teacher Priscilla Ann Garcia at Robert Driscoll Middle School was one of the 10 winners. She said she submitted her idea for "wobble chairs" to allow students to get out some of that everlasting energy without disrupting class time. view article

The city of Mission has contributed a significant amount to MCISD’s subscription to an online learning tool for students. During this week’s board meeting, Dr. Carol Perez, the Superintendent for the Mission Consolidated Independent School District, announced the city’s contribution to the district’s subscription to myON. The city has given $57,311.32 to MCISD for this service so far. view article

Students in the welding program at Brazosport High School gathered Friday morning in the gym to be presented with a check from Fluor Corp. for $20,000 to update their equipment. Their instructor, Jimmy Crainer, was perhaps even more excited as he crowded in with his students for a photo. view article

Coppell ISD Education Foundation (CEF) delivered 28 classroom grants, totaling over $48,854 which is expected to impact 16 campuses in CISD. Of the 28 grants given out, CEF funded 25. Three additional grants were funded by CEF donors and sponsors. This year CEF opened their classroom grant application window in early August to give CISD staff time before school started to work on their application.  view article

On Friday, Nov. 30, the Pleasanton ISD Education Foundation made their way through the PISD campuses surprising teachers who had been awarded with Teacher Grant funds of $14,000. “The energy was electrifying as we walked through the hallways of the campuses. The drum line was playing, the cheerleaders were cheering, the students were dancing, I just loved being part of it, said Stephanie Brown of The Larry Brown Memorial Scholarship Fund. Over $5,000 was awarded in honor of Larry Brown that Friday. view article

That’s one lesson students, families and educators at Tarver-Rendon Elementary School learned firsthand. In October, the word was out that people needed to help support the campus, a school that sits in a rural stretch between Mansfield and Burleson, because teacher Shaye Atwood was one of 15 finalists nationwide vying for a $100,000 grant from Farmers Insurance. Well, Atwood won, and on Wednesday, the students and campus staff were surprised with the news. The check was revealed when Atwood opened a box in front of students. view article

Thanks to a grant from engineering company Arconic, City View ISD was able to introduce 7th grade students to robotics, and high school students to forensic science. It is a grant that Superintendent Tony Bushong feels is opening a path for students to learn valuable skills. Bushong said, “We're creating classes that if it just moves one student in a direction of doing something they love, that's served its purpose.” Seventh graders are able to take the robotics class as an elective. they even get to compete at different colleges around the state of Texas. view article

One local company partnered with a Lewisville ISD school to help better prepare students for the future. Sam Pack Five Star Ford of Lewisville donated a Ford vehicle to students of LISD’s automotive program at Career Center East. The donation will allow students to get hands-on training under the hood. “Sam Pack Five Star Ford of Lewisville partnered with Ford Motor Company’s Central Market Division to donate the vehicle to career center students as a way to help train them to be future technicians, working successful careers within in a dealership or service center,” said Rob Beaird, Ford communications. view article

About 200 Hudson PEP Elementary School fourth- and fifth-graders will experience science in a new way after the Longview ISD Foundation awarded a $7,000 field trip grant to teachers Monday afternoon. The Hudson PEP teachers ultimately were chosen for the first-ever John W. Harrison Jr. Academic Field Trip Grant because their plans covered 21 Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, Executive Director Kay Ray said. “(Grant committee members) were really impressed with the kinds of assignments that were going to go into the teaching, as well as what kids were going to do when they came back,” Ray said. “We wanted to offer an experience. ... It just had to be academic (and) related to what they’re doing in school. It had to be related to the TEKS. We’re not just going somewhere for a good time.” view article

ROSCOE, Texas (KTAB) - Roscoe Collegiate Independent School District is more than $400,000 richer after receiving a multi-year grant from Greater Texas Foundation. It's awarded to Roscoe CISD because of their innovative education program.  "We're a P-TECH school which stands for Pathways and Technology Early College High School and what that is a blended model of early college high school and STEM academy," Roscoe CISD Provost Andy Wilson said.  Now the district will pave the way for districts across the state and the country.  "We've had more than 60 schools come and tour our school district," Wilson said. With two pathways of biomedical or engineering training, high school students get extensive hands on experience through drone, welding, robotics and veterinary programs. view article

Temple schools are getting $150,000 from the state to boost math instruction for grades pre-kindergarten through eighth. Temple Independent School District was one of only 14 districts and open-enrollment charter schools to receive a Math Innovation Zone grant. District administrators had a conference call with the Texas Education Agency Thursday to discuss the next steps. view article

On Nov. 27, the Bullard Education Foundation handed out their annual Grants for Education throughout the district. Bullard ISD Educators were able to apply for innovative, engaging grants for their students. These grants will benefit students with tools or experiences that normally would not be accessible to purchase from state or local funding. The Bullard Education Foundation traveled to all 6 of Bullard ISD campuses awarding almost $30,000 throughout the district. Below you will see how the Bullard Education view article

The Killeen Independent School District announced on Facebook that it was awarded a $1 million grant, which it plans to use to expand science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs at 26 elementary schools. view article

The Stockdale Independent School District (ISD) Education Foundation awarded $7,240 on Nov. 15 in Fall 2018 innovative education grants. The following grants were selected for funding: view article

The 2018-19 district and campus improvement plans were presented to the Terrell Independent School District board of trustees to review on Monday, Nov. 12 at the Terrell ISD Administrative Building. The district’s student enrollment surpassed 4,700 students this year. Terrell ISD’s Hispanic population is at 49.7 percent, 22.08 percent African American and 23.48 percent Caucasian. view article

The Alvin ISD Education Foundation Winners Wagon visited campuses in Alvin ISD to surprise teachers with Innovative Teaching Grants. The grants were funded through generous donations at the annual Foundation Fall Gala. Through Adopt a Grant, gala attendees were able to donate toward the grants in the silent and live auctions. With these donations five grants were fully funded.  view article

The Brownsville Independent School District is taking measures to improve school safety. view article

Blaring music announced the entrance of Navasota ISD Education Foundation board members, school district administrators and community members as they roamed campus hallways Monday to deliver more than $65,000 in classroom grants. Half of the money was awarded as campus-wide grants while the other half went toward individual teachers or small groups. Among other things, the grants will fund a community reading program and pay for drama students to attend theatrical performances. view article

The Brownsville Independent School District and Cameron County have won a nearly $500,000 federal grant that will be used to improve school safety. The Justice Department awarded them $480,400 through the Cops Stop School Violence Grant, which the department said was created to “bolster school security, educate and train students and faculty, and support law enforcement officers and first responders who arrive on the scene of a school violence incident.” Superintendent Esperanza Zendejas said their application was one of five in Texas to be selected for funding. The district and county partnered on the grant proposal. view article

Gladewater ISD and Kilgore College teamed up again to apply for grant funding that will help jump-start the high school’s new certified nursing assistant program. During the 2019-20 school year, Superintendent Sedric Clark said high school students will be able to obtain college credit and a nursing assistant certification without leaving campus. Gladewater High School Principal Cathy Bedair identified a classroom that district staff is converting into the CNA lab, Clark said last month. view article

Trustees for Union Grove ISD accepted a donation for its softball scoreboard Monday night. view article

Waskom ISD Education Foundation is set to host its semi-annual “Shop Til You Drop” event just in time for the Christmas season. The shopping event, set from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Dec. 1 at the Waskom High School cafeteria, serves as a fundraiser for the foundation, which provides grants to Waskom ISD teachers to help supplement learning tools in their classroom, as well as provide scholarships for graduating Waskom High School seniors. “We are looking at having about 20 or so vendors at this event,” Foundation President Terry Slone said on Friday. “We will also have a raffle for a four-seat bar height table made by the Waskom FFA. They have donated the table and chairs to us for our fundraiser and we will sell raffle tickets, one for $5 or five tickets for $20. Last year the Waskom FFA made us a swing to raffle off and that raffle was very successful.” view article

A total of 27 employees across eight different schools in Copperas Cove Independent School District were given the surprise of a lifetime on Wednesday. "As soon as I heard it I was like 'Ahhh,' it might be me and I think turned red," first-grade teacher Hillary Newton said. The Copperas Cove Education Foundation awarded a total of $24,583. view article

The Alvin ISD Education Foundation Winners Wagon visited campuses in Alvin ISD to surprise teachers with Innovative Teaching Grants. The grants were funded through generous donations at the annual Foundation Fall Gala. Through Adopt a Grant, gala attendees were able to donate toward the grants in the silent and live auctions. view article