Top Oxford Teachers Take Home Innovation Awards

Meet the winners of the 2015 OSDF Awards for Teacher Innovation. Back row, from left, Jackie Mulkey, Sarah Robinson, Nikki Logan, Nancy McCurdy, Lana Parrish, Erica Oliver, Summer Anderson and Ann Stanton. Front row, Kesha Atkinson, Elisabeth Turner, Stephanie Roy, and Sarah Rowlett.
Photo courtesy Oxford School District

Take some inspiration, a few dedicated teachers and add some cash from a caring community, and you get this year’s winners of the Oxford School District Foundation (OSDF) Awards for Teacher Innovation.

“We had proposals from all of the schools, and they covered several different subjects, including reading, science, history and physical education,” said Whitney Byars who supervised the grant program for OSDF.

Monday, the school board formally recognized teachers involved in 14 projects at six schools, who will be receiving the OSDF grants. More than $34,000 will flow back into Oxford School District (OSD) classrooms to pay for these teachers’ creative ideas.

“This is one of the highest amounts ever awarded and it’s entirely due to our membership. Fourteen grants into six schools is a remarkable statement about our donors’ commitment to our teachers and students,” said Allyson Best, who is president-elect for OSDF.

The money pays for tools and resources that the school district couldn’t otherwise afford and allows teachers to experiment with new ways to promote learning.

All of the money comes from member donations, so the more members OSDF can sign on, the more money the group can dedicate to helping OSD teachers make their classrooms as interactive and interesting as possible.

“We have had a record number of memberships this year,” said OSDF President Camie Bianco. “We are extremely proud of these accomplishments. We will continue to grow our membership, which will allow us to grant more money. We encourage you to join OSDF and to help make a difference in the classroom.”