Belmont Rotary Club Awards $500 Grants to Teachers

Twelve Belmont teachers received $500 grants from the Belmont Rotary Club this week as part of the organization's commitment to education.

Former Central Elementary School Principal Gretchen Ross kicked off the program in 1996, initially awarding $300 to teachers. This year is the first that teachers received $500, said Fred West of the Belmont Rotary Club.

The grants help teachers provide materials or other educational aids not given to them by the schools. Teachers often use their personal resources to obtain those items, West said, and the Rotary Club wanted to help supply teachers with those materials.

In order to receive the grant, the teachers apply by describing the particular item or items they would need as well as a brief description of the program they would use the grant for and what impact or results they would expect, West said.

Teacher Mini Grant Awardees:
Vanessa Sues of
Melissa Hero of
John DeBaldo of Carlmont High School
Erin Hanau of
Lindsay Ballard of
Kelly Andreano of
Breanne Melconian of Immaculate Heart of Mary School
David Pekari of Immaculate Heart of Mary School
Linda Satowski of
Ellen Paisley of
Ron Quian of Ralston Middle School
Jennifer Lo of Sandpiper Elementary School

This year, Belmont Rotary Community Service Chair Joanna Reams headed up the program and more than 20 applications were received, West said.

Central Elementary teacher Erin Hanau said she used democracy by allowing her students to decide what they would use the grant for, which in her case was “technology” in the classroom and producing a newsletter, West said.

Similarly, David Pekari at Immaculate Heart of Mary brought along examples of “very professional-looking” quarterly newsletter produced by his students with the latest Adobe software, according to West.

Teacher Mini Grants will be an ongoing program by the Belmont Rotary Club, and incoming 2011-12 President Sirinee Tippakorn already has plans for the grants in her year.

To complete this year’s commitment to education in Belmont, the club scholarship committee is currently selecting Belmont students for $500 grants. The grants are awarded each year to graduating seniors.

For more information, visit the Belmont Rotary Club's website.