WGU Missouri Awards $1,700 in Grants to Four Teachers in Southeast Missouri

Four K-12 teachers from the Southeast Missouri area have received grants totaling $1,700 through WGU Missouri’s “Fund My Classroom” initiative. The grants will be used to fund innovative classroom projects that foster learning in new, unique ways. The four teachers who received the funding include:

• Shelly Houston, a newly appointed gifted teacher in the Scott County R-IV School District in Benton, who received a $400 grant to add a variety of flexible seating options to her classroom.

• Pat Nelson, a K-8 librarian at Nell Holcomb School in Cape Girardeau, who received a $1,000 grant to add more large print books to the school library in an effort to improve word recognition and reading comprehension among students.

• Kristi Ann Kirkpatrick, a first-grade teacher at Kelly Elementary School in the Scott County R-IV School District in Benton, who received a $150 grant to obtain a variety of hands-on supplies that will allow her to introduce new STEM activities to her students.

Mackenzie Thompson, an English Language Arts teacher at Thomas W. Kelly High School in the Scott County R-IV School District in Benton, poses with WGU Missouri Strategic Partnerships Manager Jim Chandler after learning she had been selected to receive a $150 grant for her classroom project.

• Mackenzie Thompson, a 9th and 10th grade English Language Arts teacher at Thomas W. Kelly High School in the Scott County R-IV School District in Benton, who received a $150 grant that was used to purchase a shoe “party” kit through the Sole Hope organization. The shoe kit will provide her students with materials they need to work together to trace, cut and pin together multiple pairs of shoes for individuals living in Uganda.

The innovative classroom projects were among 50 across Missouri chosen by WGU Missouri to receive funding. The nonprofit, fully online university issued a call in March for K-12 teachers across the state to nominate proposed classroom projects by April 17 for the opportunity to receive full or partial funding through its “Fund My Classroom” initiative. Nearly 200 nominations were received statewide. Most grants were awarded during Teacher Appreciation Week, which ran from May 2-6.

“We received nominations for some amazing classroom projects, and we are happy to bring so many to life through this year’s ‘Fund My Classroom’ initiative,” said Dr. Terrance Hopson, Regional Director of WGU Missouri. “When it comes to expanding classroom curriculum and employing innovative techniques to engage and challenge students, teachers are often limited by costs. This initiative is an opportunity for WGU to give back to teachers, who go above and beyond to educate our students, by providing them with funding they can use to further enhance learning both in and out of the classroom.”

To learn more about the “Fund My Classroom” initiative and the work WGU Missouri is doing to help teachers advance their careers, visit missouri.wgu.edu.

WGU Missouri Strategic Partnerships Manager Jim Chandler surprised Pat Nelson, K-8 librarian at Nell Holcomb School in Cape Girardeau, with a "Fund My Classroom" grant for $1,000 in early May.