Minooka Teachers Win Grant from National Education Association

MINOOKA, IL — Minooka Community High School English teachers Christine O’Brien and social studies teacher David Belden received a $2,000 Student Achievement Grant from the National Education Association (NEA) Foundation. The award was one of 40 grants worth approximately $140,000 that have been presented to educators across the nation.

“This is a grant that focuses on students reading young adult literature, which is part of the English II curriculum,” O’Brien said. “I do believe that reading young adult literature empowers students to become lifelong readers, and students love the contemporary fiction they read in English.”

“I wrote this grant to help facilitate the purchase of numerous young adult novels and materials needed for students to read, and there are various projects throughout the year that are associated with these novels,” she added. “I think it is important to have books within the classroom for students to see -- they get excited to see they have so many choices. Also, having a variety of authors, titles, and subjects for students to choose from increases their engagement. Using these books I purchased through the grant allows students to connect their personal lives with the stories, characters, and topics while providing me with a motivational tool in the classroom.”

Belden indicated that his portion of the grant funding will be used in the area of local history.

“I will use grant monies to purchase some select local history source materials that will be helpful in going forward with the research we are doing on the history of MCHS and the local communities around the area,” he said.

At the conclusion of the grant, grant recipients must submit a summary report, complete with examples of student work associated with the grant award, to the NEA for possible inclusion on the NEA web site.

Submitted by Minooka Community School District 111