Springfield Rotary awards grants to 13 special education teachers

The Springfield Rotary has awarded grants to 13 special education teachers who were selected as the recipients of the 2020-21 Grants-To-Teachers Award, according to a release.

“The current school year has been a challenging year, and the Springfield Rotary is very proud of the work of city and county special education faculty as they navigate teaching and engaging their students through the ever-changing pandemic landscape,” the release stated.

The awards totaled over $5,000 and a total of 96 students with disabilities are impacted by the grants.

“The stipends are used during the current school year to enrich the students’ learning experience that their school or school district cannot provide,” the release stated.

The faculty that received grants are:

Natalie Koukis - Clark-Shawnee Middle School

Laura Brown - Lincoln Elementary

Shonda Rittenhouse - Northeastern High School

Alicia Ayers and Krista Cahoon - Northwestern Elementary

Emily Baker - Northwestern Jr./Sr. High School

Kate Johnson - Possum Elementary

Katy Ferrell - Possum Middle School

Katie Locke - South Vienna Middle School

Beth Oder - Springfield-Clark CTC

Annette Black, Brian Shipman and Tim Sullivan - Springfield High School

Through the project, the Rotary provides resources, tools for student learning, critical thinking games and educational tools for classrooms, increased virtual-based lessons, sensory and hands-on activities, math curriculum to actively engage students, educational programs, opportunity to practice daily living skills, and Getting Ready to Drive hands-on curriculum for high schoolers, according to the release.

About the Author