Richland One awards Educational Ingenuity Grants to five teachers

Five Richland One teachers have been awarded $1,000 grants through the district’s 2024- 2025 Educational Ingenuity Grants Program.

All Richland One teachers are eligible to apply for grant awards of up to $1,000 each. The grants support teachers in implementing context-specific, inquiry-driven projects that enhance learning experiences and outcomes for students.

Five Richland One teachers have been awarded $1,000 grants through the district’s 2024-2025 Educational Ingenuity Grants Program. The grant presentations were made at the August 13 Richland One Board of School Commissioners meeting. Pictured are (from left) Commissioner Tamika Myers; grant recipients Kristyn Ortiz, Karen Wedderburn, Micah Jenkins, Terry Hufstetler and Robyn Jackson; Superintendent Dr. Craig Witherspoon; and Grants Coordinator La Shanda Keels.

The newest Educational Ingenuity Grant recipients are:

• Terry Hufstetler, a mission commander at the Challenger Learning Center – Mr. Hufstetler’s plate tectonics project will serve 25 or more elementary students. The students will be engaged in hands-on science activities, gaining a wealth of knowledge as they observe rock layer and fault models, create a map of the major plates of the Earth’s crust, and model tectonic plate movement using these models.
• Robyn Jackson, a mission commander at the Challenger Learning Center – Ms. Jackson’s project will serve up to 48 high school students. Students will build and launch a model rocket. The hands-on experience not only will fulfill the requirements of NARTREK (National Association of Rocketry Training Rocketeers for Experience and Knowledge) Cadet certification (Mercury level) from the National Association of Rocketry, but it will also immerse them in math and science standards, ensuring they gain valuable knowledge and skills.
• Micah Jenkins, an art teacher at W.G. Sanders Middle School – Mr. Jenkins will implement a collaborative project called Fostering Artistic Expression, Mobilizing Display Systems. This initiative, involving the collective efforts of the school administrators, teachers and stakeholders, will nurture the creative spirit and amplify the voices of 120 art students. The students, along with the entire school community, will utilize art to strengthen their individuality and enhance their ability to communicate effectively through visual expression.
• Kristyn Ortiz, an art teacher at Southeast Middle School – Ms. Ortiz will implement a project called Art and Commerce: Textile and Surface Design, which will be a blend of studio art and studies that explore different career fields in visual arts. The project, which is designed to serve up to 100 students per semester, will deepen students’ understanding and awareness of art and commerce, and inspire them to see beyond art’s aesthetic value.
• Karen Wedderburn, a science teacher at W.G. Sanders Middle School – Ms. Wedderburn’s Beyond the Books project will engage 80 students (grade 8) in concepts related to force and motion. Project Up, Up and Away will immerse students in hands-on simulations that help science concepts come alive and be applicable to real life.