MARENGO — Kelley Hutchins, a fourth-grade teacher at Highland Elementary School, has received a $500 statewide competitive grant from the Daughters of the American Revolution, an organization that seeks to educate people about American history (specifically history surrounding ancestors that served in or were associated with the American Revolution).
“The grant is called the Helen Pouch Memorial Fund Classroom Grant and was only awarded to two teachers in the entire state of Ohio,” said Suzy Davidson, the Chapter Regent for the Lucy Knox Chapter of DAR.
“The grant is for teachers to use in their classroom any way they want,” said Hutchins.
In order to receive the grant, Hutchins had to write a grant proposal as part of an application process. She had to explain in great detail how she was going to use the money if she were fortunate enough to receive the DAR grant. Hutchins also had to state what educational standards would be met and how her students would benefit from the grant.
There was a state committee that reviewed applications and grant proposals. The state committee was looking for a teacher who would use the funds in a way that would have a significant impact on student achievement. They were looking for a teacher who would use the money to benefit the learning of their students and maximize the potential of their students. The committee also was looking for a teacher who would come up with an idea for teaching students effectively that could be used by other teachers. The committee certainly found what it was looking for in Hutchins’ proposal.
“Part of what I wrote in the grant proposal was that I’m going to use the lesson plans that I create and post them on the DAR National Lesson Repository that they have online so that teachers through-out the United States can use the lessons that I create,” she said.
Hutchins is going to specifically use the money to help with the literacy and Ohio historical content knowledge of her students. She is going to combine Ohio history with literacy in the form of buying children’s books for her students and integrating them into lesson plans.
“I’m going to use the grant money to buy quality historical fiction picture books because that’s a genre that most kids don’t choose on their own,” said Hutchins. “I want to use those books in small guided reading groups to focus on explicit comprehension and vocabulary instruction with my students. It’s something that they need.”