The Reid Family Foundation has selected three Avondale School District teachers to receive the 2008-2009 grants totaling nearly $9,000. "The caliber of the applications we received was excellent and it made it very difficult to make the selections", said Sharon Grant, a representative of the Reid Family Foundation. "All of the teachers should be commended for their initiative and passion for their students".

Teachers recognized include:

• Laura Amatulli for Future City: City of Ember. This project forces students to address an energy crisis in Ember City where there is only enough power to last for a limited time Ð and kids must search for a way to "keep on the lights". Students also participate in a competition with other schools to share best practices and ideas.
• Jill Alonso, for Smart Kids on Smart Board. The Smart Board is an interactive learning tool that allows teachers and students to interact with visual/computerized white board technology. Students use the technology to interact with learning as they use their fingers to drag words to body parts in science, edit paragraphs on the board for all to see, presort thoughts/ideas into visual groups, and demonstrate math problems using color and visual queues.
• Carolyn Jones and Serena Stock for: Fine motor FUNdamentals. Aimed at students grades kindergarten Ð second, FUNdamentals will help students to develop their fine motor schools which are needed for writing, cutting, typing, and hand development skills. This project will develop a plan to ensure a teaching emphasis on fine motor skill development.

The Reid Family Foundation is a partner donor supporting the Avondale Education Foundation (AEF). The AEF is a 501 c3 charitable organization supported by community, civic and business community volunteers. The mission is to support student development and promote creative teaching that expands and enriches school programs and projects. To learn more about how you can support the AEF contact (248) 537-6000 or www.avondalefoundation.org.