All 14 teachers who applied received grants and were fully funded for their projects. The teachers are from Clark-Shawnee, Greenon, Northeastern, Northwestern, Springfield City, Tecumseh and the Springfield-Clark Career Technology Center (CTC).
“These grants will assist teachers in enhancing the students’ intellectual, emotional, social, and physical wellness,” according to a release from the Rotary Club.
The funds will be used during the current school year to enrich the students’ learning experience their school or district can’t provide.
A total of 55 faculty of multi-disability, cross-categorial and intense resource elementary, middle and high school classrooms in Springfield City and county school districts were invited to apply for the program, with names provided by their school districts.
Through this annual Grants-to-Teachers’ project, the Springfield Rotary provides therapeutic horseback riding; life-skill learning opportunities; educational field trips; sensory items for sight, hearing, tactile, auditory and proprioception; support for vocational training; small library of decodable books; and materials for entrepreneurial learning and gained experience.
Many teachers who use their grants for therapeutic riding do so at The Riding Centre in Yellow Springs, which has been in business for more than 50 years.
“We are so grateful to The Rotary of Springfield for their years of support of area teachers and students with disabilities, and also for the support of Honey Pepper (one of the horses adopted the Springfield Rotary) — the matriarch of our program,” said Carolyn Bailey, executive director at The Riding Centre.
The faculty receiving grants include:
Jeana Baucant Koon, Project SEARCH, Springfield-Clark CTC
Krista Cahoon, Northwestern Elementary School
Stephanie Fourman, Kenton Ridge High School
Ruthann Hill, Greenon Elementary School
Talia Kalmerton, Shawnee Elementary School
Annika Lehman, New Carlisle Elementary School
Judy Loy, Northwestern Elementary School
Sara Neargarder, Rolling Hills Elementary School
Beth Oder, Springfield-Clark CTC
Beth Patterson, Shawnee Elementary School
Tanya Sanders, Snowhill Elementary School
Krista Sodders, Kenton Ridge Middle School
Tate Thomas, Shawnee Elementary School
Laura Wright, Tecumseh High School
About the Author
