By By Sharon White/The Meridian Star
Nov. 29, 2000
Four out of 430 Meridian teachers competing for grant money earned more than high marks Tuesday when BellSouth awarded $2,000 to help them prepare education activities for their students.
Checks totaling $500 each went back to the classroom with Ronnie Shumaker and Christie Rowcliff, teachers at Oakland Heights Elementary School, Susie Sims of St. Patrick Catholic School and Sherry Hatcher of Meridian High School as part of a program designed to make curriculums fun and exciting, said C.D. Smith of BellSouth.
Shumaker said his money is slated for materials his fourth-graders will need to build rabbit hutches.
Rowcliff is taking her kids on the fast-track with the money.
During the NASCAR racing season, Rowcliff's students will select a team to follow and predict winners.
Hatcher, who teaches grades 10-12, plans to buy long-lasting materials that will help students "experience" geometry theories instead of memorizing them.
She said bridge-building kits will help her students study congruent triangles.
BellSouth Mississippi services about 1.3 million access lines in the state.
Sharon White is a staff writer for The Meridian Star. E-mail her at swhite@meridianstar.com.