Andy Smith, director of giving and volunteering for Texas Instruments (TI) and executive director of the TI Foundation speaks at ceremony. Photo by Kim Leeson.
The Junior League of Dallas and Texas Instruments recently awarded 38 Dallas ISD educators with grants through the yearly Grants for Innovative Teaching (GFIT) program, with rewards of up to $2,500 each.
On September 14, a ceremony was held at the Junior League of Dallas Headquarters to distribute $78,684 to the winning educators projects.
The JLD project has rewarded over $2.2 million to Dallas ISD instructors which directly affects more than 30,000 students.
Its goal is to promote educational excellence by supporting unique initiatives that strengthen reading and literacy, diversity, special education, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and the arts and cultures across many grade levels.
Here are some of the chosen projects:
Eclipses are Totally Awesome:
At least 2,000 science students in sixth through eighth grade will receive safe solar viewing glasses from Eclipses are Totally Awesome in order to see the eclipse on April 8, 2024.
The Heart of Hawthorne- Learning Through the School Garden:
After stages 1 and 2 saw remarkable success on this elementary school campus, the third phase of the Hawthorne garden is intended to strengthen the garden’s sustainability. The mission of Heart of Hawthorne is to promote healthy lifestyle development, social and emotional well-being, and academic success.
Future in Biotechnology:
This project is intended to give first-year students in the Advanced Science Cluster magnet program the chance to develop their biotechnology and innovation abilities by designing a prototype as part of the year’s curriculum for the Toshiba/NSTA Exploravision Competition, including an end-of-year capstone project.
“Teachers mean more to students’ academic success than any other part of the academic experience,” said Andy Smith, TI director of giving and volunteering. “They serve as role models and champions for their students, all while preparing them for future success. This is TI’s 14th year to support the Junior League of Dallas’ Grants for Innovative Teaching awards, and we are proud to be a part of a program that recognizes such outstanding teachers as this year’s recipients.”
