The Junior League of Dallas celebrated the 25th anniversary of its Grants for Innovative Teaching program Sept. 7 by awarding 54 grants totaling $93,000 to Dallas ISD educators. The grant program funds innovative school and classroom projects proposed by district teachers and administrators.
This year, four librarians received funding for literacy-related activities, which is a great advantage to students said Gay Patrick, director of Library and Media Services. “The library is a bigger classroom,” Patrick said. “Junior League grants awarded to librarians allow students across grade levels and cultures to learn and share together, bringing a wealth of experiences and wonder to a larger project.”
Dr. Rosenid Badia of Benjamin Franklin Middle School will use her $2,000 grant to create the “Cervantes Literary Walk,” a project that will build students’ Spanish, science and library skills. Badia’s students will read, study, research and create plays based on the novels of author Miguel de Cervantes.
Dallas Environmental Science Academy librarian Tabitha Sustaita-Robb received $2,000 to create a maker club. The “Can We Build It? Yes We Can,” club will involve students who want to tinker, invent, build things, and discover new skills.
At Sam Tasby Middle School, librarian Adriana Marroquin will invest her $2,000 grant to encourage English language learners to develop their reading, writing and speaking skills through reading and book discussions.
Librarian Diana O’Connor at Irma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School will use her grant to promote awareness and understanding of the impact of bias and discrimination in society. O’Connor will engage students in discussion, study and writing essays on the topic, culminating in the creation of an anthology of their work.
Superintendent Hinojosa joined officials of Junior League of Dallas for the grant presentations to the librarians and 50 district teachers whose grants will fund a rich variety of learning experiences for students. Go here to view a full list of the newly funded projects.
Since 1992, Junior League has donated approximately $1.66 million to fund innovative projects for Dallas classrooms.
