The BCEF Board of Directors recently awarded $5,000 to BCSC teachers during its fall grant cycle. Congratulations to the following award recipients:

A new 12′ by 12′ greenhouse will be coming to Batesville Primary School, thanks to a $2,400 donation from BCEF. Teacher Vickie Heil, who has been instrumental in developing the cross-curricular garden program at the school, donated the original greenhouse and it needed to be replaced. Utilizing the greenhouse, Heil can teach students the importance of starting the planting process from seeds they have harvested in the fall. Planning, organization, responsibility, and teamwork are important skills learned through this project. BCEF is happy to donate to this worthwhile program.

Working with materials which students might think are from a previous century, the two BMS seventh grade language arts teachers, Sheryl McCreary and Lisa Barnett, have been awarded $2,000 to purchase gator boards, high quality display boards, for their annual Century Fair project. This popular annual project will impact approximately 170 students every year and should last about ten years.

BPS music teacher Lori Spears was awarded a grant of $600 to establish a singing library in her classroom. The library will be accessible during stations, for partner work, and for students who finish their work early. These singable books will be used for vocal exploration, for development of higher levels of thinking in music, and for students to explore their singing voices.  Wordless books can be used for the littler students with markings for pitch. This is another amazing way to integrate music into the world of the littlest learners.