Evergreen teacher wins $500 state grant
Ross Darner, a teacher at Evergreen Junior High School, has been awarded a $500 grant for the school’s Fitness Team.
Darner was one of five Montana teachers awarded the 2009 Karen Cox Memorial Grant Award by the Montana Professional Teaching Foundation.
The award was created in 2004 to honor the late Karen Cox, a longtime Billings teacher and statewide activist for quality public schools.
The grant program is intended to help educators who use their own money to help pay for classroom supplies.
“At a time when school budgets are extremely tight, these small grants can make a big difference,” foundation chairman Eric Feaver said.
Darner knows the importance of grants.
Since founding the Evergreen Fitness Team in 2004, he and the students who participate have relied on grants and fundraisers to keep the program running.
Students pay nothing to participate.
“This program receives no funds from the school district. All funds are raised via grants, pizza card sales, car washes and a school carnival,” Darner said.
The Fitness Team is an after-school and summer program for Evergreen students.
Children who participate get a health risk evaluation and a personal workout and nutrition program designed to fit their specific needs.
The team is in the middle of a two-week No School Fitness Camp.
Students participated three days last week, the first week of Christmas vacation, and will work out at camp through Thursday this week.
Other 2009 Karen Cox Memorial Grant recipients include:
n Patty Muir of Laurel Middle School, who plans to use her $500 grant to purchase four Flip camcorders to record projects, plays, presentations and more to share with parents and the community.
n Emily Palmer, a teacher at Elysian School in Billings, will use her $500 grant to buy Inspiration, research-based software that helps students plan and organize their thoughts for verbal and written projects.
n Rebecca King, a first-grade teacher at Broadwater Elementary in Billings, who will use her $300 grant to buy products to help make her math lessons more interactive and fun.
n Geoffry Habel, a teacher at Great Falls High School, who will buy art supplies with his $350 grant.