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SCSD Employee Awarded Grant from Mississippi Professional Educators
Stephanie Hubbard, an English Language Arts Instructional Coach for Simpson County School District, was recently selected as a recipient of a competitive grant from the Mississippi Professional Educators (MPE).
Selected among 66 applicants, Hubbard was one of 44 finalists to be chosen for a 2021-2022 MPE Classroom Grant Award, for up to $40,000, to enhance classroom instructional offerings or educational experiences for students.
Hubbard received a $1,000 grant award to implement an innovative writing project, titled “Ignite Your Writing: Developing Young Authors.” Through the project, Hubbard will teach fourth- and sixth-grade students at Simpson Central School (SCS) how to write, edit and publish their own books.
According to Hubbard, the idea for the project sprung from her own aspirations of becoming an author and wanting to share that dream with students.
“So often we get caught up in the conversations of state testing that I felt this would be a way to take a step back and offer a creative way to prepare our students,” said Hubbard. “Plus, it will give them an opportunity to write about whatever they want and not be limited by a structured essay.”
Since informing the students about the project, Hubbard said she has had many students approach her, excited about having the opportunity to write their own book.
“I’ve had students ask me, ‘So, if I want to write about my pet snake, I can write about my pet snake?’, and I say, ‘Yes!’ ”, said Hubbard.
Even more excited about the writing project is SCS principal, Dr. Antionette Woodall, who is looking forward to her students becoming young published authors and having the opportunity to showcase their creative talents to their communities.
“Many students have written formally for assignments in school, but rarely now do students have the opportunity to delve into creative writing or even topics of their own personal interests,” said Woodall. “This grant will afford our students a chance to tap into another side of the writing standards, while helping them achieve proficiency in grade-level standards. Their published works will allow the parents and the community at large to see the talents of our SCS students.”
During the project, the students will participate in a weekly writing process that will include brainstorming, drafting, writing, and making final revisions. Hubbard said the process should take about six weeks.
Once the students complete their books, Studentreasures Publishing, LLC will publish the books and provide the students with their own individual copy. A “Meet the Author” event will also be planned to recognize the students as published authors.
Hubbard is in her fourth year as an English Language Arts Instructional Coach for Simpson County School District. With more than 14 years of teaching experience, she is a member of MPE and is a High Quality Instructional Material (HQIM) Ambassador for the Mississippi Department of Education.
About Mississippi Professional Educators
Founded in 1979, MPE is a statewide professional association with approximately 13,500 teachers, administrators and non-certified staff from kindergarten to graduate school level. Our top priority is the education and achievement of students. MPE awards up to $40,000 in classroom grants to MPE members who wish to enhance instructional offerings or educational experiences for their students. For more information on MPE’s classroom grant program and other benefits, please visit www.mpe.org.
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