Texas Retired Teachers Foundation

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Scholarships & Grants

The Texas Retired Teachers Foundation is now in its fourth year of awarding scholarships to students pursuing degrees in education and grants to public school teachers for innovative classroom projects. To date, TRTF has awarded $22,500 in scholarships and $18,000 in classroom assistance grants.

Applications are not available at this time.

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Announcing the 2013-2014 Student Scholarship and Classroom Assistance Grant Winners

 

2013-2014 Student Scholarship Recipients

Jonathan Taylor Williamson is in his third year at Baylor University majoring in music education.  He is a member of the Baylor University Educators Association and the Golden Wave Band.  He is related to Sherry and Charles Bradberry, members of the Nacogdoches County RTA.

 

Rhonda Caldwell is pursuing a master’s degree in English from Texas A&M Commerce.  She plans to teach writing to students at the college level.  Ronald Barnett of Paris, member of the  Lamar-Delta RTSEA, is related to Rhonda.

 

Leah Doughty is in her third year at McMurry University, where she is working on her EC-6 certification to be an elementary teacher and is on the University track team.  Leah’s TRTA relative is John Doughty of Gainesville.

 

Elise Harris studies at the University of San Antonio where she is completing her graduate work in School Psychology.  She is related to Joe and Deloris Bertino of Whitesboro, members of the West Grayson RSPA.

 

Tara Warren is a junior at Angelo State University where she has been on the Dean’s List every semester and is actively involved in the university’s honors program. She is related to Betty Forrest of Odessa, member of the Odessa RT/SPA.

 

Cydney Graves will be attending Northwest Vista College where she plans to pursue a degree in special education.   Della Hicks of Three Rivers, member of the Live Oak County RSPA, is related to Cydney.

 

Ashley Metzler is a freshman at Texas A&M College Station and volunteers weekly at a local elementary school where she tutors kindergartners and first graders.  She is related to Mary Peek of Houston, member of the Houston ART.

 

Stephanie Moreno is pursuing a graduate degree in education at the University of Incarnate Word.  Stephanie’s TRTA relative is Anna Montemayor of San Antonio, member of the Harlandale-South Bexar County ERA.

 

Samuel Moseley is in his second year at Texas Christian University and intends to teach English at a high school in the DFW area. He is related to Joyce Baker of the Denton Area RSPA.

 

Alyssa Thornton attends Stephen F. Austin University, where she is majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies with a Generalist EC-6 concentration. Cynthia Thornton of Palestine, member of Anderson County RTA, is related to Alyssa. 

 

Tracie Christian is an educator in Dallas ISD and in January of 2012, she was declared a doctoral candidate by Texas A&M Commerce in Higher Education-Supervision, Curriculum and Instruction.  Her TRTA relative is Stacie Hervey of Mesquite, member of the Mesquite ARSE.

 

Brianna Bonnette attends Sam Houston State University, where she is studying to be a choral music educator.  She feels that music is a universal language for expression and can increase a child’s communication, creativity, social and intellectual skills.  She is related to Billy Hall of Tyler, member of the Smith County RTSPA. 

 

Meredith Jones attends University of Mary Hardin-Baylor where she was nominated “Exceptional Teacher Candidate” for the Quest for Quality and CREATE Foundation.  She is related to Linda Renfro of Ft. Worth, member of the Eagle Mt.-Saginaw RSE.

 

Kyla Reeves will be attending McMurry University. She hopes to be a government teacher and make a difference in someone’s life.  Her TRTA relative is Annie Ruth Mitchell of Saint Jo, member of the Montague County RTA.

 

Audrey McCambridge plans to complete a Bachelor of Arts in English at the University of Mary Hardin Baylor and then pursue a Master and Doctorate degree in English.  She is related to Don and Carolyn Vardeman of Hewitt, members of the Waco-McLennan County RTA.

 

2013-2014 Classroom Assistance Grant Recipients

Alicia Ngala is a science teacher at Null Elementary in Houston, and will use her grant funds to purchase LEGO robotics kits. The kits will be used to build and program robots that perform various tasks.  She hopes these fun learning activities will encourage students to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).

 

Jackie Reily teaches business courses at the KEYS Learning Center in Euless.  Her grant will fund a field trip to Ft. Worth for a group of Economics, Money Matters and Personal Finance students to tour the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.

 

Lewis Johnson is a science teacher at Haas Middle School in Corpus Christi.  He will utilize the grant funds to purchase an aquarium, plants and animals necessary to start and maintain an aquatic river ecosystem.

 

Amy Baker-Kireev, a biology teacher at Texas High School in Texarkana, will use her grant funds to purchase adjustable micropipets to expand and extend her Bilogy II AP and Dual Credit Biology agarose gel electropheoresis/biotechnology labs. 

 

Jeffrey Brooks is a special education teacher at Anderson High School in Austin whose students will be contributing to the community by doing a landscaping project in the Mueller Development.  Grants funds will be used to purchase gloves, rakes, hand tools and other gardening items.

 

Amanda Stevenson, music teacher at Georgetown High School in Georgetown, will use her grant funds to expand the music library and hire professional musicians to work with the students in the Georgetown Jazz Program. 

 

Kathy Pittinger is a gifted and talented facilitator at Lakeland Elementary in Lewisville.  Since many of her students do not have internet access at home, she will use her grant funds to purchase flash drives so that work may be easily transferred to school.

 

Rachel Esquibel, a science lab teacher at John Paul Stevens High School in San Antonio, will enhance her lab by purchasing a Vernier Labquest, an easy-to-use sensor interface for computer-based data collections.

 

Roxanne Hammonds is a Robotics facilitator at Frances Scobee Middle School in San Antonio.  She will use her grant funds to purchase Lego Mindstorm NXT kits to spark an interest in STEM careers in the future.

 

John Martinez is a fourth grade teacher at Elrod Elementary School in San Antonio.  Funds from his grant will be used to purchase a wireless headset and camera.  His students will perform music shows with songs based on chapter books read during the year.

 

Kathy Massey, a fine arts teacher at McLeod High School in McLeod, will purchase a video camera and accessories to be used in her creative technology application courses.  This equipment will be used to produce a school news segment.

 

Angela Marshall is a Kindergarten teacher at Cross Oaks Elementary in Crossroads.  Funds from her grant will be used to expand her classroom library, so that books will be available on different reading levels for her students.

 

Kara Saldana is a music teacher at Cross Oak Elementary in Crossroads, and will use her grant funds to purchase books for her classroom.  She would like to see students “stretch their imaginations in a musical manner, while making real connections to the classroom and world.”

 

Martin Lenard and Ashley Crowder are music teachers at Hal Peterson Middle School in Kerrville.  Grant money will be used to fund the “Aural Image” project, including the purchase of a CD-DVD copier, CD sleeves and blank CD-Rs.

 

Rachel Dearinger, a broadcast teacher at Legacy High School in Mansfield, will use her grant funds to purchase a Canon Rebel T3i camera for the broadcast program.