16 Jan 2016 Conway Regional Women’s Council selects teacher grant recipients

by Sonja J. Keith

Educators in the Conway and Greenbrier school districts are getting a helping hand in their efforts to promote student fitness and nutrition.

The Conway Regional Women’s Council recently awarded six $500 grants for a variety of wellness initiatives — from a cooking program for kindergarteners to physical fitness equipment.

The grant program stems from the council’s emphasis in 2015 on childhood obesity awareness and prevention. Committee members wanted to encourage and support schoolteachers who develop creative and fun ways to promote healthy eating and fitness in local schools. The grant program provides financial support while shining a light on these educational opportunities.

“I am very proud to see the impact the Conway Regional Women’s Council is making on the health of our children through our new Teacher’s Grant,” said Dot Welch, associate director of the Conway Regional Health Foundation. “The leadership and dedication shown by this group of women is awesome. They truly care about our community.”

The recipients and the projects:

Adaptive Physical Education Program – Pam Shirley-Williamson, a special education/English/adaptive PE teacher at Greenbrier Middle School, plans to use the grant to purchase physical education equipment, materials and supplies for special education students for the new program. She is assisted by paraprofessionals Kendall Leding, Will Beneight, Kristy Palmer, Andrea McNeese, Julia Thompson and Jennifer Verkler.

The program promotes physical activity and good nutrition to special education students and their families. “The overall objective is to have students in the habit of exercising daily and eating right,” Williamson said.

African Dance Infusion – Ruth Doyle Middle School music teacher Patty Oeste will use the grant to incorporate African dance into her classes with the help of a Ngoma drum. Citing a reduction of physical education in the schools, Oeste said the program will fight the inactivity of daily classes. “Students coming to my class will be able to experience making their own music by adding traditional African dances to the process,” she wrote in the grant application. 

“Cooking with Kinders” – Randi House, a kindergarten teacher at Theodore Jones Elementary School in Conway, will use the grant to expand an existing cooking program for the five kindergarten classes at the school. “Students will be able to make healthy food choices, prepare healthy snacks and explain why some foods are ‘go or whoa’ foods,” she wrote.

Disk Golf Program – Jenni Lea, a physical education teacher and coach at Carl Stuart Middle School, and guidance counselor Lena Priest will implement a disk golf program. “We want to combat the sedentary lifestyles seen in adolescents today, which correlates to rising obesity rates,” Lea wrote, adding that this will be the first project of its kind in Conway middle schools.

“Serving Size Matters!” – Chuck German, a math and physical education teacher at Carl Stuart Middle School, plans to use the grant to purchase materials to promote appropriate serving size and basic nutrition while encouraging students to lead long, healthy lives. The program will involve math and physical education classes, with a different focus each month. 

Wooster Elementary Health Club – Physical education teacher Leslie VanPelt plans to use the grant to help fund the new health club, which promotes healthy snacks and fun physical fitness.

The grants were recently presented to each educator at his/her school.  

“It is fun to see the excitement on the faces of the teachers as they talk about their classroom programs and the impact they hope to make on our kids,” Welch said. “This is the first year for this grant. We look forward to hearing the success stories.” 

For more information on the Conway Regional Women’s Council, visit conwayregional.org/womenscouncil, call 501.513.5771 or email [email protected].