Area responds to program that helps learning process
This is what the Jasper community is known for...taking care of each other.
By GEORGIA PURDY Newsboy Correspondent

Newsboy photo/Georgia Purdy FOURTH GRADERS Samantha Ebarb and Logan Brown work at the paragraph building center while teacher Shannon Stott looks on. Stott is one of several teachers who recently received funding from the Give A Gift program.

Samantha Ebarb and Logan Brown were working at a paragraph learning center in Shannon Stott's fourth grade classroom one morning last week. Logan read the instructions while Samantha did the writing activity. All around the room, children were quietly involved in activities at the various centers.

"This is fun," Samantha said. "We get to do fun stuff and there are a lot of activities."

This fourth grade classroom at Parnell is one of the recipients of the Jasper Public Schools Foundation Give A Gift Program, a vehicle that allows donors to choose where to spend their money on learning projects submitted by teachers.

Stott received funding for two centers and has ordered an instant writing program and a prefix and suffix centers.

"These centers will benefit my classroom by reinforcing skills that I have already taught," Stott said. "This will give the students hands on activities that will help those who learn better by 'doing it'. The students love centers and every day they look forward to going to all of the different areas. I know these centers will benefit all the students."

Newsboy photo/Georgia Purdy JHS THEATRE ARTS students Charlotte O'Brien, Nathan Harrington, Morgann Tabot, Tho Nguyen, Paulette Palmer, Louisha Fowler, and Alexis McBride rehearse one of the public service plays they will present to elementary school children.They are part of Kim Hines' program which also received funding from the Give A Gift program.

Although the Give A Gift program was started three years ago, it hasn't enjoyed much success until now. In fact, Tas McGraw, JISD Media Liaison who solicits donations to help teachers find funds for projects that cannot be funded because of budget constraints, had thought about giving up.

Then came a letter from the president of the alumni association pledging help. McGraw made one more plea this fall. In addition, the association began selling raffle tickets for an 8-GB iPod nano with 2,000 songs and video. The drawing is Monday, Dec. 3.

To date two teacher's projects have been fully funded and several others have received enough to pay for a portion of their needs.

" Jasper Public Schools Foundation board members are very appreciative of the support the Give AGift program has received," McGraw said. "Donations have come from class reunions, students, former students, parents of former students, JISD teachers and administrators, parents and grandparents."

Reading teacher Renesha Chambers is one of two teachers whose request has been fully funded. Her students will now receive a newsletter called Time for Kids, that contains high interest news items about current events from around the world.

"I was pleased to find out that my project was funded so quickly,' Chambers said. " My students will benefit from reading this colorful newsletter. It is so important for my students to read nonfiction texts and learn about current events taking place all over the world. The Time For Kids newsletter is written on a high readability level and includes informative diagrams and illustrations."

Junior High language arts teacher Becky Wilson received partial funding for her unique way of getting students to read for pleasure. She uses colorful book bags that contain book, tape and CD for listening. Students check these out to take home and read. At $60 a bag, adding new material has been slow. This year, she received funds to add two new sets to her reading program.

"The students just love the audio books in the book bags they can check out," Wilson said. " For many students, reading the book and listening at the same time really helps them to comprehend the novels so much better. Also, students who are generally not fast readers can make more progress when using an audio book, and they don't get as frustrated with reading as they might normally."

Theatre Arts teacher Kim Hines has her students write and perform public service plays for younger students. These are plays with positive messages and are performed at local elementary schools. But paying for a production means money.

Her request to put together four shows has received donations for one, and her students are already in rehearsal for a play about the true meaning of Christmas.

Jasper High School math teacher Kenneth Simmons got lucky. His request for earphones and splitters for pairs of students learning how musical notes are converted to numbers via a computer program has been fully funded.

"I was very surprised that my Give a Gift application was fully funded as soon as it was," Simmons said. "The engineering class is broken down into two parts using the text book plus digital images, movies and audio. In the audio section, students are using canned labs to investigate how music is converted for the computer. With students working in pairs, noise becomes a problem. The purchase of head phones and splitters will allow each pair of students to listen to only their lab and not others. After running the canned labs, the students will attempt to create music, using only their computer. It is a fun activity that the students really enjoy."

Teachers who have submitted grant requests plus a description of their needs can be found on the Jasper Independent School District web site at www.jasperisd.net.

Tickets are still available for the iPod drawing and can be purchased until noon on December 3 from Renee Garcia at the Career and Technology building, JISD Administration building from Chris Coleman, or by calling Tas McGraw at 382-1329. Tickets will also be on sale during the lunch hour at Jasper High School and Jasper Junior High. The tickets are $1 each or six for $5.

Christmas and Thanksgiving are traditionally times when gifting goes beyond immediate family for those seeking to make a difference in the lives of others. Perhaps this renewed effort to help local students succeed will become a tradition. It is certainly an option for giving a gift that lasts.