Teachers Awarded $5,000 for Innovation Helping Local Children
San Antonio, Texas (PRWEB) May 25, 2016 -- For over 83 years, Firstmark Credit Union has modeled its philosophy around supporting the needs of its founders, educators. Nathanael Tarwasokono, President/CEO of Firstmark, has announced the winners of the credit union’s annual Educator Award program. Ten Bexar County teachers will receive a total of $5,000.00 along with a certificate of recognition.
The 2016 Firstmark Credit Union Educator Award winners are:
Analisa Spicer
Ruiz Elementary, San Antonio ISD
Saleta Gomez
Price Elementary, Southside ISD
Natalie Stuart
Colby Glass Elementary, Northside ISD
Carl Dickerson
Sky Harbour Elementary, Southwest ISD
Ruby Salazar
Boone Elementary, NISD
Lisa Brand-Avila
Lamar Elementary, SAISD
Yvette Engstrom
Camelot Elementary, North East ISD
Roxanne Gutierrez
Nimitz Middle School, NEISD
Donna Walker
Elrod Elementary, NISD
Grace Jabonsky
Colby Glass Elementary, NISD
The Educator Award program was designed with full-time, K-12 grade teachers in mind. It is intended to support educators who have innovative ideas they want introduced in their classroom, but lack the necessary funds to implement them. During the application process, educators are asked to outline their project, and explain how it would benefit their students and be supported by the school principal.
“Reaching a child’s full potential in today’s age of techonology can require outside the box thinking,” said Tarwasokono. “It is important that we continue to embrace inventive thinking in an effort to educate our future.”
This year, project ideas include the creation of a book club, the launch of an interdisciplinary “Kitchen Cooks” program that incorporates fun lessons in reading, math and science, and the construction of a butterfly garden to support studies in biology and evolving ecosystems.
To be eligible for an Educator Award, applicants must be a credit union member and an educator for grades K through 12 within Bexar County or any of the 12 surrounding counties.
Lisa Brand-Avila, Kindergarten teacher, and Brian Sparks, Principal at Lamar Elementary
Ms. Avila’s idea is to introduce an interdisciplinary program called “Kitchen Cooks.” This program brings children’s literature (Stone Soup, Runaway Latke, Strega Nona, etc.), math (measurements), social studies (cultural and celebration) and science (cake batter to cake) to life by providing a mobile mini-kitchen and book series.
Saleta Gomez, K-5 teacher, and Florinda Castillo, Principal at Price Elementary
Ms. Gomez plans to create an outdoor laboratory in the school courtyard that can be used to support authentic student research on the interactions that occur between organisms within an ever-evolving ecosystem. The first phase will be a caterpillar/butterfly garden.
About Firstmark Credit Union
Firstmark Credit Union is committed to giving back to our community and making a difference in the lives of others. Founded in 1932 by educators, Firstmark is San Antonio’s oldest state-chartered credit union, managing over $1 billion in assets and serving members throughout Bexar County and many surrounding counties in southwest Texas with sixteen locations. Firstmark is a not-for-profit, member-owned financial institution, dedicated to meeting the needs of our members with innovative products, competitive rates and personal service. For more information, visit https://www.firstmarkcu.org or call (210) 342-8484.
Mark Leita, Firstmark Credit Union, +1 (210) 308-7899, [email protected]
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