St. Amant Primary teachers implement ideas with Ascension Fund grants

St. Amant Primary School had four teachers receive Ascension Fund grants for the 2023-2024 school year.

Lindsey Kelley, Tara Darnell, Kerry Ezell and Crystal Debate wrote grants to impact their students’ academic success. The awards were $2,500 and $1,000.

The grant for Darnell, Ezell and DeBate titled "No Mess Math" was funded by BASF Corporation.

The project focused on students using boogie boards to learn. This project has helped students use technology to make learning more fun and less messy. It has also helped the school and parents save money.

Parents and the school no longer need to buy dry erase markers and cleaning products for students to keep their dry erase boards clean. The project has increased math success by having students learn using new technology and having a clean board every day increased time in the classroom.

Kelley's grant, "FUNdamental Phonics," was funded by Pujol Irwin LLC.

The project awarded students multisensory manipulatives, decodable books, Elkonin boxes, phonics phones and other kinesthetic materials that allow students to actively participate and take ownership in their learning. This grant allows for reading gaps to be targeted and closed by using alternative teaching methods.

The hands-on engaging manipulatives keep the students actively engaged during small group reading instruction and students are able to learn during play. The decodable books are aligned to the curriculum and also appeal to the students’ interests.

Carroll’s grant, "Motivating and Moving Minds through Flexible Seating" is funded by M. Paul and Janice LeBlanc Memorial.

The project awards students with flexible seating. The nontraditional seating options allow students to move with wobble seats, wobble cushions, and/or bouncy bands. Students can release kinesthetic energy while learning. These active movements help foster creativity and keep students engaged in learning.

Regarding the implementation of both of these projects, St. Amant Primary’s assistant principal, Amy Keller, said, "The Ascension Fund is an amazing organization that supports student learning within the classroom. Our teachers are so fortunate to have this organization in our community."

The Ascension Fund is a non-profit organization established in 1991 by the Gonzales Rotary Club as an instrument for private sector leaders to invest directly in the work of individual teachers and schools through grants for innovative ideas and programs in Ascension Parish public schools. Teacher Grants of $500 or $1,000 and School Impact Grants of $2,500 are awarded on an annual competitive basis.

To date, the Ascension Fund has awarded approximately 1,400 grants representing over $1.7 million dollars in the school system. For more information, visit www.ascensionfund.com.