Oakland Heights teacher awarded BellSouth grant

By By Georgia E. Frye / staff writer
Feb. 5, 2003
For the seventh consecutive year, Oakland Heights Elementary School fifth-grade teacher Ronnie Shumaker received a BellSouth Teacher Grant this time totaling $1,120.
The BellSouth Teacher Grant program is designed to provide teachers assistance to implement innovative projects in their classrooms. About 450 applications were submitted this year.
Since 1989, BellSouth has funded 593 grants totaling more than $266,000. Last year, Shumaker used grant money so students could learn about genetics; they studied the pedigrees of registered show rabbits. This year, students will design and build two hen houses.
They will keep daily records and journals about the amount of feed and water consumed by the hens and will practice stewardship by feeding the chickens. Shumaker said he believes the project will encourage positive behavior because only well-behaved students will be trusted to feed the hens and collect their eggs.