Photo Gallery

On Wednesday, March 4, the Longview ISD Foundation, Inc. announced the recipients of the Foundation’s 2015 Campus Initiative Grants. Working with campus educators, principals from Johnston-McQueen Elementary School, Ware Elementary School, and Longview Early Graduation High School applied for and received funding for initiatives unique to their individual campuses. The initiatives funded complement and align with each school’s Campus Improvement Plan and the District Improvement Plan.

The Foundation’s Grants Giveaway Group, members of the Foundation’s Grants and Scholarships Committee, announced that Cheri L. Lee, student support services specialist of the Longview Early Graduation High School Academy, received funding of $3,770.00 for her grant titled “A Train Ride to a Historical Event.” On October 23, 2015, forty-five students and five staff members from Longview Early Graduation high School will ride Amtrak to Dallas, Texas, and take the JKF Assassination Historical Tour. Longview Early Graduation High School teachers will incorporate science and social studies into this trip as well as writing after the trip is completed. Cheri Lee noted in her grant that according to the Wagner Group, a recent study of four hundred adults found that adults who took educational trips between the ages of 12 and 28 had both better grades and higher incomes of about $5,000 more per year than those who didn’t travel. According to Robert Dow, the CEO and President of the US Travel Association stated, “It doesn’t have to be a trip to Paris. It can be a trip to a national park to learn about the environment. It’s that you get out there at a young age and see a part of the world that’s different from you own. It expands you.” The U. S. Department of Drop Out Prevention Guide recommendation number 5 recommends utilizing field trips to personalize the learning environment and the instructional process for at-risk students like that of the Longview Early Graduation High School.

Next, the Foundation awarded funding of $1,500.00 for “Zoned for 21st Century Learning” to Denise Frederick, principal of Johnston-McQueen Elementary School, representing partial of funding of the requested $4,821.00. This funding will be used to create learning zones based on Thornburg’s Primordial learning Metaphors for 21st Century Learners in an ongoing effort to transform a traditional library into one that is a relevant, vibrant hub for 21st century learning. Mrs. Frederick believes that the zones will generate excitement for learning, make learning more accessible for a diverse population of learners, and ultimately improve the reading achievement of students. The lounge seating will provide opportunities for students to collaborate in a multitude of ways: share books with one another informally, brainstorm with peers for a project, hold book club discussions, or mentor other students. This project is specifically named in the Johnston-McQueen Elementary School Campus Plan.

Finally, the Foundation awarded $2,510.00 of the requested $3,647.00 to Ware Elementary School principal, Sarah Sheppard, to bring summer camps focusing on art, science, music, karate, and gymnastics to the campus so that its at-risk low-socio economic students can be exposed to fine arts, community safety programs, and continued student achievement. While summer camps for student enrichment are offered in Longview at an average cost of $150 for a week of half-day session, many of Ware Elementary School’s students are unable to afford that cost. Ware Elementary School’s camp initiative provides student access to a variety of free fine arts programs. Through partial funding, Ware Elementary School can offer a one week camp. The Longview ISD Foundation, Inc. is proud to provide $7,780.00 in additional funding through this Campus Initiative Grant to maximize educational opportunity in Longview ISD.

Since 2008, the Longview ISD Foundation, Inc. has funded twenty campus grants for a total of $56,020.67.
On Wednesday, March 4, the Longview ISD Foundation, Inc. and Longview ISD hosted a breakfast for the 2015 Great Rewards for Great Ideas recipients. At the breakfast, the Foundation announced funding for this year's grant cycle. Grant winners received funding from the Longview ISD Foundation ranging from $100 to $2000 for innovative classroom projects and programs that will enhance the quality of education for all students in Longview ISD. This year, the twentieth anniversary of the Great Rewards for Great Ideas Program, $99,842.67 was requested through 65 grant applications. The Foundation funded 24 grants totaling $38,082.06. The Foundation funded 24 elementary grants for a total of $31,723.90 and 5 secondary grants for a total of $6,358.16. Since the beginning of the Great Rewards for Great Ideas Program in 1996, the Foundation has funded 602 grants totaling $583. These grants have enhanced Longview ISD’s academic programs as well as music, art, technology, counseling and guidance, health and physical education, and character education programs.