The Kelly Gene Cook Sr. Charitable Foundation recently announced the winners of the 2011-2012 Deborah Rochelle Teacher Grants. The grant program is designed to provide direct support to school site personnel in the East Baton Rouge Parish School System and to bring greater recognition to the teaching profession.  Winning teachers from the district included:

Corie Buras, a Southeast Middle School Social Studies teacher, will use her $3,500 award to increase student engagement in her classes while building literacy and technology skills. The funds will be used to purchase five Apple iPADs and educational applications (Apps) for her eighth-grade Louisiana history classes. Buras plans to use the iPADs as an integral part of small group instruction, tutoring and pull-out programs, as well as to provide students with the opportunity to contribute to blogs, access newspapers, take online quizzes and listen to podcasts and audio textbook files.

Patricia McBride, a Delmont Elementary School Instructional specialist, was awarded $3,436 for her project entitled, Kindleing a Love of Reading. Grant funds will be used to purchase 10 digital reading devices or e-books, protective covers, a gift card to purchase downloadable books and four beanbag chairs. The project is designed to harness the power of this new technology to improve the reading performance of fourth-grade students. Participating students will have the opportunity to read self-selected and teacher-approved books via the use of the e-books. The digital readers offer many features that make reading more engaging and instructionally relevant while providing the format of text and reading guidance that will allow reluctant readers to improve their literacy skills.

Michele Whitehouse, a Northeast Elementary School third-grade teacher, will use her $3,069 award to improve her students’ mathematical and problem-solving skills through the use of hands-on interactive learning. Grant funds will be used to purchase 32 student response systems and two interactive tablets for use with an existing interactive White Board. This technology will enhance classroom instruction by encouraging personalized learning and promoting the inclusion of every student in the classroom.

The Kelly Gene Cook Sr. Charitable Foundation has been awarding grants of up to $3,500 to the district’s school site personnel through their Teacher Grant Program since 1991.  In 2009, the program was renamed in honor of Cook’s niece, Deborah Rochelle, the original founder of the program. Rochelle, a retired English teacher, taught for one year at Scotlandville Magnet High School. She currently resides in Folsom, La., and is a member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors.