For the second year in a row, Southeastern Credit Union awarded five Valdosta and Lowndes County schools with $1,000 grants, totaling $5,000, as part of their Community Partners in Education program. 

Teachers and administrators from Southeastern’s five CPIE schools submitted grant applications for special classroom, grade level, and school-wide projects.  Depending on project budgets, one $1,000 grant, two $500 grants, or four $250 grants were awarded to each of the five schools.  Projects were chosen based on student impact, with some projects, such as Dr. Lauren Whittaker’s “JL Lomax Newscast” project, impacting the entire student body.

Brenda Gaddy, a third grade teacher at WG Nunn Elementary, used her $500 grant to purchase two iPad minis for her classroom.  "I (recently) read an educational article from an independent study that showed students do indeed learn better using the iPads in the classroom.  Until (Southeastern’s) gift, I never had enough of my own classroom technology that I could use them in a center during our rotations, but because of (this) gift, every student now uses a mini every day as a significant part of their learning," said Ms. Gaddy.

Grants went to the following:  JL Lomax Elementary:  $1,000 to Dr. Lauren Whittaker; Moulton Branch Elementary:  $500 to Amy Ruffo, $500 to Christine Causey; JL Newbern Middle:  $1,000 to Jennifer Williams; WG Nunn Elementary:  $500 to Brenda Gaddy, $500 to Principal Cisco Diaz; Pine Grove Middle:  $250 to Zach Hurley, $250 to Winnie Angelillo, $250 to Amy Broad, $250 to Gina Tindall.

Local businesses that are interested in getting involved with the Community Partners in Education program may contact Valdosta City Schools Coordinator Jennifer Steedley at [email protected], or Lowndes County Schools Coordinator LaVerne Rome at [email protected].