Rural Trust Announces the 2014 Rural Leonore Annenberg School Fund Grantees


Last Updated: April 27, 2014
 

This article appeared in the April 2014 Rural Policy Matters.

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The Rural School and Community Trust is pleased to announce that Stewart Street Elementary in Quincy, Florida and Greenville Elementary in Greenville, Florida will receive grants through the Leonore Annenberg School Fund for Children.

The Rural Trust, in partnership with the School Fund, makes the award to rural elementary schools that are doing excellent work and experiencing high need. “We are pleased that we were able to direct this award to Stewart Street and Greenville elementary schools,” says Doris Terry Williams, Ed.D., Executive Director of the Rural Trust. “The schools have demonstrated capacity to make inspired and wise use of limited resources. The funds from these grants will enable the schools to continue their good work and serve students with programs that would not otherwise be available.”

Stewart Street Elementary will use its grant to restructure the media center and transform traditional classrooms into multimodal classrooms. Greenville will use its award to purchase electronic tablets and applications that will enable the school to expand its visual arts and music curricula.

Principals of both schools expressed appreciation for the recognition and additional funding the grant brings to their schools. “Receiving an award of such prestigious honor sends a message to our community and surrounding counties that our students are academically capable of exceeding expectations and accomplishing even higher educational goals,” says Stewart Street principal Lisa Robinson.

Valencia Barnes, principal at Greenville Elementary, says her school was surprised and excited to learn they had received the award. “We are grateful for the opportunity this grant provides us to bring more art and music to our students. The arts provide students new and different perspectives that facilitate the learning process. With this grant we will be able to put a tablet in the hands of every student and build on approaches that we know are helping our students succeed.”

Robinson adds that the technology upgrades at Stewart Street will make much more information available in every classroom. “Teachers’ use of media instruction in subjects such as science and math will allow students to expand their understanding of complex concepts. We are excited that our students will be afforded opportunities to access technological devices in a manner that encourages and stimulates learning and enjoyment.”

The Rural School and Community Trust is a national non-profit organization that addresses the crucial relationship between good schools and thriving communities. Its work addresses both the school-based practices and the policy contexts that support rural schools, their communities, and their students.

The School Fund is one of three programs — the Leonore Annenberg Scholarship, Fellowship, and School Funds — administered by the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. The School Fund resources must be of immediate and direct value to, and use by, students.

Both schools will also participate in a place-based learning workshop provided by the Rural School and Community Trust. The workshop will support school staff to integrate their School Fund projects with ongoing efforts to identify community-based learning resources and connect students’ academic work to meaningful outcomes in the community.

Read More:

Leonore Annenberg Scholarship, Fellowship, and School Funds

http://www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org/lasfsf/

Visit the schools’ websites:

 

Read more from the April 2014 Rural Policy Matters.