Polk County Public Schools
See What's Happening at the Polk Education Foundation!
Pictured from left to right:
30 members “graduated” from AmeriCorps after fulfilling one year of service. Congratulations to: Michelle Bell, Adele Bell, Ashley Borders, Kathy Clemens, Natalie Day, Roberta Dionne, Holly Finley, Janelle Giroux, Jolene Harthun, Petra Hils, Constance Jimenez, Brenda Johnson, Katie Kearns, Amanda Lake, Lindsay McConnell, Mary Ellen McDonald, Genrri Navarro, Jason Parsley, Ebony Pelemon, Amber Pollock, Jane Renner, Felicia Riedeman, Karen Smith-Addison, Christian Soriano, Linda Stephens, Bertie Ticknor, Amy Lynn Tucker, David Williams, Kristy Williams, Sidney Williams.
AmeriCorps Polk Reads provides one-on-one tutoring for kindergarten through third grade students who read below grade level in selected Polk schools. The program is funded by federal grants from the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Governor’s Commission on Volunteerism, and local dollars. The program is administered by the Polk Education Foundation.
In the 08-09 school year, 638 Kindergarten through 3rd grade students received one-on-one reading tutoring in the AmeriCorps program. Tutors service totaled over 50,000 hours!
In addition to tutoring, members participated in 28 community service events including Family Fundamentals Children’s Festivals and Back to School Bash, Keep Polk County Beautiful, Eloise and Ft. Meade’s Back to School Bashes and the Read Polk Annual Spelling Bee.
The program also received the Volunteer Florida’s “National Service Includes Everyone” Award in recognition of exemplary inclusion of persons with disabilities in AmeriCorps.
Gavin Wade, Lake Wales High School graduate and recipient of the 4 year Maxcy Foundation Inc. Scholarship is pictured with Cindy Henry, one of the award sponsors.
State Representative John Wood presents PEF Executive Director Susan Copeland with his $8,400 scholarship contribution to start a scholarship in his name for students who attended high school in the district he serves.
The Polk Education Foundation (PEF) in partnership with local individuals, civic organization and businesses, awarded 337 scholarships to Polk County seniors in the class of 2009. These awards totaled $551,250! Donors are able to work with the PEF to design criteria to offer a scholarship that fits their wants and needs. The PEF acts not only as the fiscal agent of the scholarship funds, but also administers the process of application submission, judging, awarding, and dissemination of funds. The Foundation was established in 1988 for the purpose of creating a scholarship vehicle for Polk County public schools, and although the PEF has grown to offer many more programs and services, our scholarship program remains the largest. Donors interested in starting a scholarship should call 863-534-0434. Congratulations to all PEF scholarship recipients and thank you to the donors who make these awards possible!
Please here for a list of all 2009 PEF Scholarship recipients.
From left to right: Connie Harris, Bartow Middle Teacher and Susan Copeland, Executive Director of PEF
Winter Haven, FL – Tri-county K-8th grade educators were honored at the 2009 Developer Grant Meeting held by the Teacher to Teacher/School to School Connection Program, in conjunction with the Polk Education Foundation and local business sponsors.
This year, 34 teachers were awarded Developer Grants totaling up to $1,000 for a classroom or school-wide program he/she developed and implemented at his/her respective schools. These educators will be receiving a monetary gift as well as money to purchase classroom materials to better enhance their teaching methods and opportunities for students. These teachers exemplify the good works being produced in Polk, Hardee and Highlands County school districts. To date, the Teacher to Teacher Connection has awarded over 720 grants worth more than $265,000 and the School to School Connection has awarded 16 grants worth $16,000, benefiting numerous teachers and countless students.
The following teachers were honored:
For more information regarding the 2009 Developer Grant Meeting or to become a business sponsor of the Teacher to Teacher/School to School Connection Program, please contact Miranda Collins at the Polk Education Foundation 863.534.0803
A $25,000 grant from AT&T will provide enhanced services to high school students around Polk County to help ensure students are prepared to graduate from high school and ready them for college or the workforce. The focus of the services will be for underserved students who might not otherwise qualify for college or who may need direction when deciding on a career path that differs from a vocation his/her family has traditionally explored. High Schools will have latitude in determining the greatest need at their particular site, and in which area their services will focus. High schools receiving AT&T Success Grants of $2,500 are: Mulberry, Ridge Community, Frostproof, Fort Meade, George Jenkins, Lake Region Career Academy, Lake Gibson Career Academy, Tenoroc, Winter Haven and Life Skills Center East.
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