Enhance the Classroom

INNOVATING education

FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE GRANTS HELPS TEACHERS ENHANCE THE CLASSROOM

BY HEATHER QUINN

Grant writing is not something Jennifer Friend-Kerr was trained to do.

As a beloved Hilton Head Island tennis instructor turned innovative Beaufort County teacher, Friend-Kerr values hands-on, integrative teaching practices.

Because of the demands placed on the educational system, resources can be limited. Many teachers like Friend-Kerr are forced to get creative to bring project-based ideas to the classroom.

“I remember my first grant. It made my day,” Friend-Kerr said. She’s been teaching for Beaufort County Schools since 2011 and applied for her first grant with the Foundation of Educational Excellence in 2015 and has subsequently become a talented grant writer by default.

Since 2007 the Foundation for Educational Excellence has been awarding Innovative Teacher Grants (up to $750 for individuals and $1,500 for a group) and School Resource Grants to help fund innovative learning opportunities that go beyond the yearly Beaufort County school budget.

The Foundation awarded 24 grants for the 2022-2023 school year for more than $29,000. Grants are awarded every November but according to Lisa Carroll, Foundation of Educational Excellence Board Chair, many of the grants fund school resources that can be utilized by students for years and years to come. Carroll noted a grant awarded to Friend-Kerr in 2021 that involves a permanent pickleball court at Hilton Head Island School for the Creative Arts.

While watching her students at recess, Friend-Kerr noticed an underutilized rectangular patch of cement. Her experience as a tennis instructor helped her envision the perfect use for the wasted space: a pickleball court.

She named her project, “In a Pickle” and involved all her classes in the grant-writing process. Using multi-age education practices, Friend-Kerr enlisted younger students to utilize Legos to create models for the court while older elementary students were challenged to employ engineering skills to convert the standard dimensions of a pickleball court, which is 44-by-20 feet, to the size of the available parcel which was only 30-by-20.

The grant was complete by the summer of 2021 and the pickleball court was fully functional by April 2022.

Grant-winner subjects in 2022 ranged from Mindfulness and Meditation to STEM driven projects. Jill Brickley, a teacher at Hilton Head Island Middle School, credits the Foundation with providing the means to teach content more efficiently. Her project “Up Close and Educational” was awarded a grant. A projection microscope is available for her sixthgrade students to compare specimens found in local ponds. Hands-on learning at this educational stage is critical to master science skills.

The future of the Foundation lies in two new initiatives. The first focuses on adding a personal-finance course into local high school curriculum. Preparing high school students for financial freedom using the Dave Ramsey Foundations in Personal Finance Course is an important endeavor for the Foundation’s Board of Directors.

During the past year the program was rolled out at Beaufort High School and the goal is to add personal finance courses at every Beaufort County High School in the coming years.

Secondly, the Foundation would like to focus on educational newcomers. Teachers that are in their first to second year in education can apply for a $500 grant to use in the classroom.

According to Carroll, the board feels it is important to help lessen the financial burden that many new teachers endure during their first years in education.

Past grant recipients encourage new teachers to take advantage of the resources that the Foundation has to offer. Colleagues often assist each other through the grant-writing process.

“The grant process was simple, and I highly encourage other educators to apply. It is an excellent opportunity to enhance instruction,” says Kendra Coffey Batson, a 2022 Grant recipient for her project, “Mindfulness and Meditation with Yoga Mats.” “My students were aware that I applied for the grant and were very excited when I told them about the opportunity,” she said.

As a result, Batson has decided to surprise her class in the new year when the mats arrive —“They will be thrilled!”

To learn more, visit foundationedexcellence.com Applications for new teacher grants are due Jan. 31.

A LEGACY OF Learning

TEACHER OF THE YEAR LAVERNE A. STEWART CARRIES ON TRADITION OF EDUCATION

BY NINA GREENPLATE | PHOTO SUPPLIED

Dr. LaVerne A. Stewart was recently named the 2022-23 District Teacher of the Year for Beaufort County.

Born and raised in the Lowcountry, she has 22 years in education with the last seven in service to Hilton Head Middle School’s seventh grade English and Language Arts Department.

“I was so honored when they called my name,” Stewart said.

By a majority vote from fellow staff and educators, Stewart first earned her individual school title for teacher of the year, which in turn afforded her the opportunity to be considered for the district’s top honor.

“There were some great candidates, as we have awesome educators in Beaufort County,” she says. “This award is a humbling accomplishment for me and I must live up to that title and represent my district well.”

She feels strongly that this county’s educators are unmatched in their devotion to building a stronger society through their dedication and hard work.

Consistency creates a safe environment for her students, and Stewart believes that a solid foundation is key to learning.

“I have a great group of kids who are energetic, and opinionated,” Stewart said. “They need someone who is always the same, and is going to be fair at all times.”

Middle school years can be tough. It’s her belief that it takes love to get the students through.

“I treat everyone the same, and I’m going to be impartial,” says Stewart. “I see them as individuals and try to connect with the kids and the family. It’s a partnership.”

Stewart knew from a young age that teaching would be her vocation. She most connected with children and older adults, and ultimately made the choice to work with youth.

“I love watching them learn and seeing how they work through things,” she says. “I try to pass along my appreciation for education and learning, and I just love what I do.”

She enjoys keeping up with former graduates, seeing them mature and how their lives have progressed. Her recognition would have been all the sweeter had her mother, and mentor, Dr. Vernell Speaks-Stewart, been there to celebrate. An educator for 43 years before her passing in 2013, Stewart’s mother’s influence continues to move through her daughter. “She really is the reason I am an educator, and was 100% my greatest inspiration,” she says. Her mother’s picture hangs proudly in the classroom, among other influential educators, in honor and remembrance of their contributions. In 2004, SpeaksStewart and her sisters opened the Mary Speaks Christian Academy in Port Royal. Her mother and her two sisters had a calling to honor their mother and educate children in a Christian environment.

This homage to Stewart’s grandmother was a vision come to life, a community haven where students K-12 could learn in a private, Christian setting. A Christian college extension program out of Myrtle Beach was also available during that time.

This legacy of learning continues through Stewart today.

Stewart holds two master’s degrees, and she earned an educational specialist degree in educational leadership from South Carolina State University. She also earned a dual doctorate from Cathedral Bible College in theology in ministry, and in Christian education. This affords Stewart the honor of serving as an ordained minister with New Church of Christ Holiness Unto the Lord of the Apostolic Faith, Inc.

Her dedication to the future generations, whether in the classroom or the pulpit, is clear.

“If we don’t raise this and future generations well, there will be no society,” says Stewart. “At end of the day, it’s about touching lives.”