Grants Awarded for Imaginative Teaching

To purchase a trumpet, create a mural, patch a quilt and piece together a book, four teachers at Isbell Middle School each received $250 grants to apply toward their projects.

Santa Paula Foundation for Youth, a nonprofit group which awarded grants for the third consecutive year, encourages and rewards district employees for using imaginative approaches to education, Pat Untiedt, spokeswoman for the Santa Paula Elementary School district, said Tuesday.

The purpose of the grants is “to entice people, to urge people to get into programs that are a little different from normal school programs, to enhance the children’s all-around curriculum because everyone needs something besides math or reading,” Untiedt said.

Isbell Middle School teacher Karalee S. Johnson received grant money to apply toward her history project. After taking a trip to the Medieval Times restaurant, her students will return with photographs to create a booklet, summarizing what they know about the Middle Ages.

Lou Lingo, the district’s music teacher, will use his money to purchase a trumpet for the students, while Denis O’Leary plans to use his money to buy materials needed to create a mural. Lisa Darling plans to conduct two classes to complete a quilt, reflecting the history, language and arts of the ancient cultures.

“Most of the projects that these teachers come up with incorporate math, and literature, but kids don’t really realize they’re doing it,” Untiedt said.