The Darlington County Education Foundation presented eight teachers with grants to support their projects for the 2019-2020 school year. In total, the foundation awarded 10,000 dollars.
Andrea Pulling, Executive Director for the Darlington County Education Foundation, visited six schools in the district on Wednesday to give the awards.
“We realize that budgets are very limited in our district. Sometimes teachers wish for more things than they’re able to get through the normal funding. We award these grants, so that we can enhance those experiences that the students have in the classroom,” Pulling said.
Teachers submitted grant applications early in the school year. According to Pulling, it was an opportunity for them to talk about ways they wanted to improve learning at the schools.
Pulling gave awards at West Hartsville Elementary, North Hartsville Elementary, Brunson-Dargan, Mayo High School for Math, Science and Technology, Darlington High School and Spaulding Middle School.
The first teacher awarded was Sarah Kelley at North Hartsville Elementary. She applied for a grant to help pay for field trip expenses and received $952.
“I want them to experience things that maybe they can’t because of transportation or whatever reason it might be. Things that I may have had the opportunity to go and see. I want to introduce them to that,” Kelley said.
With the money, Kelley’s students will have major expenses covered for four field trips.
“They are the reason I get up every day. The reason I do what I do. They are the reason I try to make learning fun because if you’re not interested in learning then you’re not going to be interested in expanding you future,” Kelley said.
The foundation gives out grants at the end of each school year. Next year, they hope to have a fundraiser to award even more grants.
