Teacher Testimonials

Grant Project: Langston Chapel Middle School Family STEAM Night

Teacher:  Tammy Davis

"Thank you for providing funds for LCMS to reach more than 215 students and their families through a fun and exciting event. STEAM Night allows students to get involved with content standards and various community organizations. These funds enabled us to bridge the gap between our school and the community. STEAM Night is impossible without your financial assistance with an innovation grant because it provided our materials and supplies for the activities and a hot dog supper for families. We greatly appreciate your generosity." 

"During Family STEAM Night we extend our traditional walls of learning into the real world of everyday living by inviting numerous groups from the local community, neighboring areas, and various parts of Georgia into our school. They implement numerous booths and educational activities for our current students and families, rising sixth-grade students and families from our feeder elementary schools, and community members.In addition, the Science and Math teachers of Langston Chapel Middle School implement their best hands-on learning experiences as an extension of our classrooms." 

Grant Project: Stilson Elementary Stingers After School Garden Club

Teacher:  Jenny Hendrix

Thanks to a $1,000 Innovation Grant from the Foundation,  we built and outdoor classroom and container gardens to establish an After School Garden Club. It was so successful we expanded it to our entire school  through our STEM lab. Now all of our students participate in gardening and growing vegetables and herbs and learn about the science behind it.

We have harvested lettuce, radishes, and dill.  All of the vegetables and herbs harvested have been served in our cafeteria for school lunches. Just this week, my first graders were able to cut fresh Basil to be used in the spaghetti sauce for lunch at school.  I have been amazed at the number of children that have never planted a garden or even seen vegetables grow.

View pictures of our progress here (PDF)

Grant Project: Reggie Dawson Memorial Math Tournament

Teachers: Estella Newkirt and Julia P. Bryant Elementary School Math Department

Thanks to an annual Innovation Grant of $1,000, the Foundation has made the Reggie Dawson Memorial Math Tournament possible for third and fourth-grade children in Bulloch County for the past four years.  In May 2017, six elementary schools participated with 66 third graders and 76 fourth graders competing.  The tournament is open to any public, private, charter or homeschool association in Bulloch County.

Students compete in individual computation and team ciphering skills and the experience helps provide a STEM learning experience and prepare them to compete in the Penny Sikes Math Tournament and GA Southern  Math Tournament in grades 5-12.  

This grant allows children to participate for free without a registration fee. The grant covers trophies, supplemental practice materials for math coaches, an event test writer, and after-hours custodial support

The competition was named for a former Statesboro High School math teacher, Reggie Dawson, whose life and career were cut tragically short when he lost his battle with cancer in 2010.  Local math teachers wanted to honor his memory and the excellent example he set for team work and academic excellence by naming the tournament in his memory.

Grant Project:  Forensics in the Classroom

Teacher:  Anna Spence, Portal Middle High School

Thanks to a $663 Innovation Grant from, I was able to set up a forensic crime lab in my classroom for grades 6-8 to use scientific methods to solve crimes by performing hands-on experiments.