Dorothy Stout Grant Recipients for 2016

Shannon Shurko, Pine Forest High School, Fayetteville, NC

Shannon is a teacher at Pine Forest High School, where her students are usually military-connected due to the proximity of Fort Bragg. She structures her class on collaboration and Project/Problem Based Learning by incorporating field work and digital components in the classroom. The Stout grant will allow her to purchase classroom supplies and more in order to engage her students in field work components for her Earth Science Class. Shannon believes that while students' mastery of content is important, developing their relationships with each other and with the environment is more important.

Merralee Lightle, Bridge Academy West, Detroit, MI

Merralee Lightle teaches 6th and 7th grade students at Bridge Academy West in Detroit, MI. With the help of the Stout Grant, she will enroll in a class (Weather for Elementary Teachers) at Washtenaw Community College that will assist her in teaching the new and improved Michigan Science Standards to her students. She is excited to learn about weather and design fun, informative, and innovative learning experiences for her students. Marralee is confident that improving her knowledge in weather will assist her students for many years to come.

Argy Leyton, Montclair High School, Montclair, CA

Argy teaches at a Title 1 school with a significant number of under-represented minority students, many of which are second language learners, in foster care, or both. In conjunction with California State University at Bakersfield, she is creating a dual credit honors geology course to help promote the geosciences as a career option for her students. The students enrolled will receive credit for a high school honors course as well as credit for a college geology course. The Stout grant will allow her to purchase approved laboratory manuals from the American Geological Institute and National Associate of Geoscience Teachers for the new course.