Congress Park School Teacher Awarded Excellence in Education Grant

This fall, the Illinois Retired Teachers Association Foundation (IRTAF) will award $36,500 in grant money to several public school educators from across the state. IRTAF is affiliated with the Illinois Retired Teachers Association (IRTA), a lobbying group for retired educators, with a current membership of over 37,000. This grant money will allow these educators to enrich their instruction with materials not otherwise available to them.

Susan Forcash of Congress Park School in Brookfield was recently awarded a $375 grant check from the IRTAF to fund Breakout EDU Kits for the sixth grade. This program is an innovative way to allow students to use problem solving skills and collaboration while actively learning.

This year the IRTA received 324 teacher grant applications and Forcash's was one of the few selected for funding. Applicants were required to meet the proper criteria and to submit their proposals by early June. The IRTAF Board of Directors selected the grant recipients and awards are currently being presented. The Illinois Principals Association played a vital role in assisting IRTAF with the promotion of this program.

Photo Caption: IRTA representative Marge Sucansky, Susan Forcash, and IRTA representative Jan Bryant at Congress Park School on Sept. 27th during the check presentation.