Communities in Schools held a ceremony celebrating four Rome City Schools for being selected as mini-grant award winners last week.
Gregory Wooten, Executive Director for Communities in Schools, handed out the grants to school representatives and talked about how much he enjoys the process.
“It is so much fun, and it’s really appropriate that we do it at the end of the year. It’s also appropriate that we do it during Teacher Appreciation Week. A couple of years ago, I decided to do it during this time of year because it really kind of ties the whole year together, working with the teachers, working with the students, and just seeing all the great things and great ideas they have,” he said. “Even the grants that didn’t get approved were great ideas as well, but these four rose to the top. I’m looking forward to what they’re going to be doing next year.”
Receiving grants for Rome City Schools were:
Anna K. Davie Elementary School for the submission of Reading Advancement: Revolutionizing Virtual Reality for Enhanced Comprehension, Vocabulary, and Writing, contributed by Sheryl Garvey.
Elm Street Elementary School for the submission of The Kindness Connection: 3rd-5th Grade Lunch & Welcome Kits, contributed by Nathalie Lizin.
West End Elementary School for the submission of The Amazing Shake, contributed by Kaylan McClure.
Rome High School for the submission of Future Forward Career Lab, contributed by Farrah McDonald.
Wooten said he believes the mini-grants are a very important part of what Communities in Schools does.
“It’s so important because money is such an integral part of an idea. Sometimes you can have the idea, you can have the people to do it, but maybe you don’t have the money to do it,” he said. “What I decided to do was put a little bit of money away in my budget, set aside to help teachers and counselors do some of the things they’re doing in their schools. I recognize that’s a vital part of the process, and so that’s why we do it.”