2019 Zach Smith Teacher Grants Awarded

The Zach Smith Fund of The Winston-Salem Foundation is pleased to announce the following recipients of the 2019 Zach Smith Teacher Grants to improve the quality of education in Mount Airy, NC. A total of $16,473.72 was granted to 12 teachers in the Mount Airy City Schools on the advice of the fund’s Advisory Committee.

The Zach Smith Fund was created in 2009 with gifts made in memory of Zach Smith from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation, and his family and friends. It provides grant awards annually to educators and/or administrators employed by the Mount Airy City Schools or local charter schools.

Sara Mayes, Mt. Airy High School - $948.00 for wire free exceptional children's classroom‍
Deborah Welborn, Mt. Airy Middle School - $1,349.85 for Kindles in middle school language arts classroom
Melissa Simmons, Tharrington Primary - $1,050.00 for Kindles in elementary school classroom
Kasey Martin, Mt. Airy Middle School - $850.00 to attend a professional development seminar hosted by NC association for Career and Technical Education
Juan Diaz, Jones Intermediate - $2,500.00 for a school garden for third and fourth grade science and social studies students to create and manage
Katie LeVan, Tharrington Primary - $300.00 for a Lego wall to help elementary students reach goals in reading, math, and science
Alex Tedder, Mt. Airy Middle School - $297.84 for kits and videos to engage middle school students with science
Gina Tompkins, Jones Intermediate - $2,000.00 to make audio books available for student check out and classroom use
Heather Stafford, Mt. Airy Middle School - $1,539.95 for middle school students to create interactive presentations using headphones, microphones, and web-based software around vocational interests and social justice issues
Ginnie Deaton, Jones Intermediate - $1,438.08 for iPads for third grade classroom
Jennifer Riska, Mt. Airy Middle School - $2,400.00 for digital piano for middle school music classroom
‍Olivia Sikes, Mt. Airy Middle School - $1,800.00 for development of student business enterprise program at middle school