COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The College Station ISD Education Foundation held its grant showcase at two area schools today A&M Consolidated High School and Spring Creek Elementary.
$337,965 was awarded to College Station ISD teachers to use for their classrooms and they say these grants are enriching the minds of the district.
From high school seniors getting ready for college to elementary students finding the fun in learning – College Station ISD superintendent Mike Martindale says it’s never too early to invest in young minds.
“Our education foundation gave out a record dollar amount to various programs and campuses in the district – today the Grant Showcase is just a glimpse into the end product of those grants for our students,” Martindale said.
Officials say grant programs help high schoolers get the skills needed for college and the workforce.
Texas A&M student-teacher Anna Fedewa says grants help special needs students too.
“Getting to graduate with functional skills means everything to our students being able to be employed to have the social skills and work experience and [to] get them to that next stage is really the whole goal of what we do here – how can we equip them with skills to get them prepared for the rest of their life,” said Fedewa.
Decker says most of her students will graduate from A&M Consolidated with a certification in EMT and EKG placement. One senior there says the grants are helping him get a jump start on a career.
“For me personally, it is important because it's a step," said Aymen Ibn EiFarouk.” My end goal is trauma surgery and I wanted to know every level of health care so being an EMT gives me a better understanding of every level when they are coming in when one day I get to that level.”
There's still something for everyone. Elementary students looked at exploring character diversity in literature. One fourth-grade teacher says it's giving kids a bigger perspective.
“Writing this grant, I knew I wanted these kids to see characters from different walks of life and interact with the books, but we got more than that,” said Cassie Reynolds, a fourth-grade teacher at Spring Creek Elementary. “Our kids got to interact with kids they don’t normally interact with [and] developed so much empathy for people in general.”