DEF 2022 Spring Grants exceed $7,300 mark

Two days prior to Spring Break turned out to be an exceptionally great day for four Denison ISD teachers and the hundreds of students whose lives they touch on a daily basis. The occasion: this year’s 2022 DEF Spring Grant Awards, presented by the Denison Education Foundation and made possible by the continued generosity of DEF donors, sponsors, underwriters and loyal supporters.

Kylee Graham, Kindergarten teacher at Lamar, received a $2,000 grant for “Believe in YourSHELF Reading Library Take Home Reading Program; Michelle Valentine, 1st grade teacher at Hyde Park, received a $1,602.84 grant for a “Flexible Seating” program; Kari Uber, Scott Middle School Librarian, was awarded $1,804.04 for an enrichment program entitled “Getting Books into Students’ Homes”; and Patti Lee, B. McDaniel’s 5th and 6th grade Structured Learning teacher, received $1,940.77 for an innovative and interactive program entitled “Free to be Me – Learning in Motion.”

“The excitement on the faces of the teachers was only surpassed by the smiles and cheers of the students who will ultimately benefit from the innovative enrichment programs funded by the DEF grants,” said DISD Superintendent Dr. Henry Scott. “To date, DEF has invested close to $1.5 million in innovative classroom grants and scholarships that are vital to the immediate and long-term success of our students. Our visionary community members, including our ever generous local foundations, businesses, industries and Denison citizens, provide the resources to fund these grants, and we’re just extremely grateful for their continued support.”

Hyde Park first grade teacher Michelle Valentine recently received a DEF 2022 Spring Grant from the Denison Education Foundation in the amount of $1,602.84 for a project entitled “Flexible Seating”.

Denison ISD Education Foundation Board members recently awarded a DEF Spring Grant to B. McDaniel teacher Patti Lee in the amount of $1,940.77 for an educational enrichment program entitled “Free to Be Me – Learning in Motion.”

Denison Education Foundation board members joined Scott Middle School Librarian Kari Uber and several of her students in the school library to celebrate a DEF Spring Grant award in the amount of $1,804.04 for a reading enrichment program entitled “Getting Books into Students’ Homes.”

Lamar teacher Kylee Graham’s kindergarten students proudly displayed their teacher’s recent DEF grant award in the amount of $2,000 for a reading enrichment program entitled “Believe in YourSHELF Reading Library - Take Home Reading Program.” The goal: to improve reading and comprehension skills while also fostering a lifelong love for reading.