Twelve LT Teachers Receive Lilly Endowment Grants for Special Interests

Come this summer, 129 Indiana educators who have been selected to receive Teacher Creativity Fellowships will take off for at least 30 states and 45 countries. They will head for Alaska and Nebraska, Kentucky and California, Croatia and Costa Rica, Greece and Guatemala, Montana and Morocco, Austria and Zambia.

Funded by Lilly Endowment Inc., the program enables teachers, principals, guidance counselors and school librarians from all over Indiana to take time to pursue their personal interests, explore subjects that intrigue them and just “get away.”

They‘ve been at it for 22 years. Some have benefited more than once; this year‘s group includes 19 former fellows in the $8,000 program and five former fellows in the $25,000 program.

The class of 2009 includes nine recipients from public schools in Avon, Bloomington, Carmel, Centerville, Hanover, Indianapolis, Poneto, Warsaw and West Lafayette who were selected as distinguished fellows and received up to $25,000. The remaining 120 each received $8,000 for their activities, which typically take place during the summer months.

The distinguished fellows feature of the program was introduced in 2006. A limited number of these grants was available for creative renewal projects that would require additional financial support and the possibility of time away from the classroom. For this feature, each individual teacher received up to $25,000, and a separate grant of up to $25,000 was available to the teacher‘s school district to cover the costs of a replacement teacher if necessary.

“We never cease to be delighted at the response to this popular program,” said Sara B. Cobb, Endowment vice president for education. “Among other things, good teaching also requires a high degree of energy and motivation. We regularly hear that these renewal experiences have helped hard-working Indiana educators regain their enthusiasm for their profession.”

Out-of-state judges make recommendations for these awards from a very competitive pool of applicants. Nearly 70 applied for the distinguished fellows awards; about 640 applied for the traditional $8,000 awards. Since the Teacher Creativity Fellowship Program began in 1987, more than 1,900 Indiana educators have received grants. This class brings that total to 2,067.

TEACHER CREATIVITY FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM 2009
$25,000 recipients – Distinguished Fellows
Note: Year(s) in parentheses denotes year(s) of previous Teacher Creativity grant.

Craig Middle School – Jeffrey E. Mann
Broken Bodies/Active Minds: create online radio station for hospitalized children; study the therapeutic role of young adult literature and reading; research and write a novel set in a children‘s hospital; engage middle school students in creating programming and operating the radio station

TEACHER CREATIVITY FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM 2009
$8,000 fellowship recipients
Note: Year in parentheses denotes year of previous Teacher Creativity grant.

Craig Middle School – Concepción Marin
The Saint James Way – Pilgrim Route walk the Camino de Santiago with two fellow teachers; learn about medieval architecture, history, music, literature and culture

Craig Middle School – Wayne D. Naylor Jr. (1996)
Cross-Culture Service Project – conduct service work in the village of Calnali, Mexico; build a compost bin, install a water filtration system, teach the value of milkweed and introduce solar cooking

Early Learning Center at Winding Ridge  – Maria O. Collins
A Ride for My Father – fulfill father‘s dream of watching the Tour de France and riding a bicycle he built for her through southern France

Fall Creek Valley Middle School – Andrew C. Brinkman
A Mighty Fortress – explore political, social and theological reasons for the Protestant Reformation; compose a musical work based on the Reformation for middle school band

Forest Glen Elementary School – Solange I. Cortés
The Saint James Way Pilgrim Route – walk the Camino de Santiago with two fellow teachers; learn about medieval architecture, history, music, literature and culture

Indian Creek Elementary School – D. Bruce Nelson (2000)
My Geek Odyssey – create a Web-based animation chronicling the history of the Mini Cooper; celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Mini Cooper in England

Lawrence Central High School – Elizabeth J. Granger (1996)
In Search of My Croatia – discover and share the story of her Croatian heritage

Lawrence North High School – Kelly J. Ploch
Ultreya: Go Forward with Courage – ride on horseback the Camino de Santiago (Spain)

Lawrence North High School – Manuel Vega-Hernández
The Saint James Way Pilgrim Route -walk the Camino de Santiago with two fellow teachers; learn about medieval architecture, history, music, literature and culture

McKenzie Career Center – Claudia C. Heck
Unmasking My Past: Beauty Inside and Out – visit Sicily to explore her mother‘s heritage (she emigrated to the United States after World War II)

McKenzie Career Center – Paul D. Legge (1998)
My Science Fantasy Camp – complete a research experiment in a world-class developmental biology lab and shadow a geneticist