Since 2013, the Frenship Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to enhancing education across Frenship ISD, has provided teacher grants to help fund materials, technology, supplies, and innovative projects that engage students and spark a passion for learning.
This year, the 39 teacher grants awarded will directly impact 12 Frenship campuses and nearly 7,000 students and teachers for the 2022-2023 school year alone. During the Prize Patrol celebration, cheerleaders, pom, band drumline, mascots, Foundation members, and donors paraded down the campus hallways to surprise the nearly 70 teachers who helped write the 39 grants.
Donna Branch, a Frenship Gifted and Talented Teacher, was surprised with two grants totaling nearly $6,000. One grant will help fund explorer books for the entire Frenship GT elementary program, and the other will help purchase new robotics kits for the Get Excited About Robotics (GEAR) program.
“The things the Foundation and the donors do to give to our classrooms are huge,” said Branch. “The materials that are purchased for us are used year after year. The robotics kids and books are going to have a huge impact not only this year, but for years to come.”
The grants awarded span across all grade levels and include innovative projects such as a hydroponic tower garden for elementary students to grow food, a topography sand table and projector to help students reconstruct landforms and study Earth sciences, sensory walkways to develop motor skills in young students, a human anatomy and physiology exploration lab with life size models for students to see how the different body systems work, and various other reading, math, science, music, art, and physical education projects.
The Frenship community, local business partners, and donors allow the Frenship Foundation to award these grants and provide supplemental funding to teachers each year.
“We would not be able to do this without our community, and we cannot thank our donors enough for supporting our mission to enhance education,” said Tiffany Taylor, Frenship Foundation Executive Director. “Our donors stepped up in a big way this year, and thanks to their generosity, thousands of our students and teachers will be able to experience hands-on creative projects that make learning fun. It motivates our teachers to think outside the box for their lessons, and it sparks a passion for learning in our students.”
To date, nearly $400,000 has been awarded to Frenship teachers thanks to the generosity of the Frenship community, business partners, and donors.
To learn more about the Frenship Foundation Teacher Grants, CLICK HERE.