The Taylor Educational Enrichment (TEE) Foundation celebrated their 2022 grant recipients on March 25 in true Mallard Mania style with a parade that traveled to classrooms to surprise the winners.
“Receiving a TEE Foundation grant is like Christmas morning,” said first grade teacher Cassidy Walters. “Being able to bring in things like white board tables, soundproof wall dividers and flexible seating to better meet the needs of students and the type of teaching we’re doing is so exciting.”
Complete with noisemakers, pompoms and loud celebratory music, this year’s Mallard Mania event included TEE Foundation board members, school board members, school staff, food Dude sponsors and student Superintendent for the Day Zehcora Rochez. Twenty-six grants
Twenty-six grants totaling $38,933.01 were presented this year to teachers at all six campuses.
“It is so wonderful to know that I have the support of the community and the TEE foundation,” said THS art teacher Nathan Gray. “With this grant, I will be able to expose my students to a whole world of possibilities. I am so humbled and grateful to the TEE Foundation for believing in me and my wonderful students.”
Main Street Intermediate School librarian Vanessa Collier applied for a grant to purchase graphic novels to support reluctant readers.
“Students have to wait weeks sometimes to check out a specific graphic novel,” said Collier. “This TEE Grant will allow my students the opportunity to read a variety of graphic novels that are fiction, biographies and nonfiction historical events. There are many classic novels that students may not be interested in but may now read in the form of a graphic novel.”
This year marks the seventh anniversary of the TEE Foundation’s Mallard Mania event. Thanks to the generous support of the Taylor community, over $410K has been awarded since that first year to fund creative and innovative classroom projects not included in regular campus budgets.
“This community is amazing, even through hard times,” said Moppy Miller, retiring TEE Foundation executive director. “We thank them so much for their support of teachers and students in Taylor ISD. Whenever we ask for help, they always come through.”
The TEE Foundation depends largely on proceeds from their annual Food Dudes and Purse Bingo events to fund grants. To learn more about the TEE Foundation, or to make an online donation, visit http://www.tayloreducationfoundation.com or contact TEE Foundation Executive Director Anita Volek at [email protected]
