The Junior League of Dallas (JLD), along with presenting sponsor Texas Instruments (TI),awarded 54 Dallas Independent School District (Dallas ISD) educators with grants of up to $2,000 each through the Grants for Innovative Teaching (GFIT) program. Now in its 25th year, the Signature Project encourages excellence in education by providing funding for special projects that otherwise would not be possible within school budgets. Sponsors include: Texas Instruments,The Hillcrest Foundation, The MoneyGram Foundation and The Agnes Cluthe Oliver Foundation.
This year,more than $93,000 was distributed tofund deserving educators’ winning projects that address reading and literacy enrichment; diversity; special education; science, technology, engineering and math (STEM); or arts and culture enrichment across one or more grade levels.Since 1992, JLD has distributed more than $1.6 million to Dallas ISD educators, impacting students district-wide.
Some of the grants selected include: Bangkok to Hanoi: A Journey Through Southeast Asia; Kids Helping Kids; Structural Modeling, Over-Expression, Purification and Crystallization;andGirls Love Science.
Bangkok to Hanoi: A Journey Through Southeast Asia is designed to build four important global competencies that include: a desire to investigate the world, ability to identify alternative perspectives, skills to communicate across cultures and readiness to take action locally and globally. Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy teacher William Adkins will engage students by having them blend technology and traditional art to express their own “great adventure” through a video documentary and a ceramic mural.
Teacher Terry Stotts’ Kids Helping Kids is a project carried out by special needs students in the Construction Trades Cluster at Multiple Careers Magnet High School. Students will construct wooden toy rocking horses to be donated to kids staying at Ronald McDonald House while they are receiving medical treatment during the Christmas Holidays, as well as students at Maya Angelou High School who are mothers-to-be. By taking part in this innovative project, students are prepared to be productive, responsible citizens with good work habits, attitudesand career skills.
Students at Hillcrest High School participating in Structural Modeling, Over-Expression, Purification and Crystallization of the PTF1 Heterotrimeric Complex will perform biotechnology experiments at Hillcrest High School during the school year. On selected weekends junior and senior students will work in conjunction with Dr. Raymond MacDonald at UT Southwestern Medical Center to perform biochemical analyses and to obtain crystals for X-ray crystallographic analysis of the novel transcription factor complex, PTF1, which is a key regulator of embryonic pancreatic development.
By exposing pregnant teens and mothers atMaya Angelou High School to different ways they can learn science, teacher PhoumyKeonine hopes to help students improve academicallyand explore careers in science. Through theGirls Love Science project, students will interact with professionals from the Perot Museum of Nature and Science and the Dallas Zoo during hands-on activities and experiments, igniting a passion for science.
“For 25 years, the Junior League of Dallas has been promoting excellence in education through the Grants for Innovative Teaching program,” said Beth Boyd, the 2016-2017 GFIT chair. “Through this Signature Project, JLD has been able to award grants to Dallas ISD teachers who wish to provide students with new opportunities for learning, and it is exciting to see the impact it has had over the years.”
ABOUT JUNIOR LEAGUE OF DALLAS:
The Junior League of Dallas cultivates leaders who collectively address thecritical needs of the community. Founded in 1922 and now in its 95th year, the JLD is the largest Junior League in the world, as well as the largest and oldest training organization for women in Dallas. Active members range in age from 22 to 49 with nearly 75 percent of women employed outside of the home. The JLD provides leadership opportunities to over 5,000 women each year through more than 26,000 cumulative hours of experiential and formal training. Uniquely member-run, the JLD provides over 100,000 hours in volunteer service and $1 million in funding to area nonprofits each year. For more information, please visit www.jld.net or Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.
ABOUT TEXAS INSTRUMENTS:
Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) is a global semiconductor design and manufacturing company that develops analog ICs and embedded processors. By employing the world's brightest minds, TI creates innovations that shape the future of technology. TI is helping more than 100,000 customers transform the future, today. Learn more at www.ti.com.
ABOUT DALLAS ISD:
The Dallas Independent School District is continually preparing its more than 158,000 students for college or a career. The district offers a competitive mix of innovative programs, choice programs and instructional initiatives that support the increased academic achievement and socio-emotional development of its students. To learn more, visit www.dallasisd.org.
