Sara Hill - Terra Vista Middle School
The Texas Council for the Social Studies (TCSS) awards four Stalwart mini grants each year for college graduates continuing education in social studies. The TCSS website says the funds are intended to purchase curriculum materials to be used in the classroom or to cover training and conference expenses not covered by other sources.
Hill graduated from Lubbock Christian University this past May. She said she was told of the grant opportunity from her clinical teaching supervisor back in February. She applied and received the grant in July.
Hill said she did her clinical teaching at Frenship Middle School under the leadership of Katrina Smith. She said her goal as a new educator is to encourage her students to do their best and by doing that, they will be successful in all that they do.
“I hope that students leave my classroom feeling that they have accomplished something great and that they can take what we learn and apply it to their daily lives,” Hill said. “I am so excited to be at Terra Vista Middle School. There are so many wonderful things happening on this campus and I am thrilled that I get to be a part of this community.”
Kayle Lindsey - Oak Ridge Elementary
The Texas Association of Certification Officers (TACO) is an organization that works under the umbrella of the Consortium of State Organizations for Texas Teacher Education (CSOTTE). The CSOTTE website explains that it is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the continual support and refinement of preparation and development programs for certificated school personnel in Texas.
Each year TACO awards twelve new graduate grants to educators for the purpose of setting up their new classrooms. This year, Kayle Lindsey was a grant recipient, representing Lubbock Christian University.
Lindsey graduated from Lubbock Christian University this past May and is a first-year teacher. She learned of the TACO grant through her certification officer at LCU. She said she received the grant in August, just in time for the new school year.
“I have used my grant on furthering my class library for my students. I plan on using the rest of the grant on supplies for labs and more books for my students,” Lindsey said. “They love to read and always need more books.”
Lindsey said this grant has been beneficial to her since she is a first-time teacher. She said she was able to provide things for her students that otherwise she would have had to pay for out of pocket.
“This grant helped me jumpstart my teaching career in so many ways,” Lindsey said. “Without it I wouldn’t have things like chapter books and extra supplies for my classroom. This money did not just bless me but has blessed my sweet students.”