For immediate release

Six Chesterfield teachers win R.E.B. Awards and grants

Africa, Europe and national parks are among the sites Chesterfield County teachers will explore, thanks to grants accompanying their R.E.B. Awards for Teaching Excellence.

Last night, six teachers from Chesterfield County Public Schools won R.E.B. Awards for Teaching Excellence, receiving grants to travel the world and pursue professional development. A partnership between the Community Foundation and the R.E.B. Foundation, the awards recognize excellence in public education in Chesterfield, Richmond, Henrico, Hanover and the Virginia Department of Correctional Education.

R.E.B. Award winners were selected from 107 outstanding teachers in the Richmond region who were nominated by students, parents and colleagues, with 17 winners and 15 finalists receiving a total of $165,450. Chesterfield won more R.E.B. Awards than any other school division this year:

· Suzanne Beck, who creates an innovative, high-energy environment for first-grade students at Spring Run Elementary, will use her $6,500 grant to explore eight national parks in the Southwestern United States, researching ways to connect children with nature. She will also attend the National Conference on Differentiated Instruction.

· In addition to creating hands-on opportunities in class, Cosby High teacher Anne Canipe takes history out of the classroom, leading students to every presidential inauguration since 1980. She will use the $10,300 grant to explore her own history, visiting places ancestors lived and sites where her grandfather and father served in World Wars I and II.

· Victoria Hugate uses music, art, dance and games to provide hands-on learning opportunities for her fifth-grade class at Grange Hall Elementary. Using an $8,100 grant, she will follow a journey in the novel “Walk Two Moons” through South Dakota, the Badlands and Yellowstone National Park. She will also participate in the Ron Clark Academy for teachers who want to foster an environment of educational leadership, collaboration and community.

· Cindy Jones infuses academics into her P.E. classes at Clover Hill Elementary by having students count to 30 in Spanish while stretching and by incorporating gears and pulleys into physical activities. She will use her $10,300 grant to train at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, learn about computer-assisted design and rapid protocol system at Langley Research Center and attend the International Technology Education Association conference.

· Monarch butterflies reign in Alice Potts’ science classroom at Manchester Middle, where students raise them from eggs to caterpillars to butterflies. She will use her $10,300 grant to investigate animals and habitats during a safari in Botswana. To better share her explorations with students, she will first take a photography class in Maine.

· James Wilson wants his history students at Midlothian High to expand their world view and see through new eyes. He will use his $10,300 grant to travel throughout central Europe, visiting centuries-old cities pivotal in Western civilization.

In addition to Chesterfield’s six R.E.B. winners, three Chesterfield teachers were R.E.B. finalists, winning $750 each: Debra Baker of Bettie Weaver Elementary, Edward Blackwell III of Manchester Middle and Wanda Kline of Clover Hill High.

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Information for the accompanying photo from the Nov. 9 R.E.B. ceremony: Superintendent Marcus Newsome (on right) congratulates Chesterfield ’s R.E.B. winners (left to right) James Wilson, Suzanne Beck, Victoria Hugate, Alice Potts, Anne Canipe and Cindy Jones.