The details
Principal Stacy Blevins said the school received grant money at the end of the 2022-23 school year. Teachers were divided up into teams Aug. 1 according to subject matter and grade level to come up with ideas about how to spend the money for the upcoming school year.
Quote of note
“We decided rather than one of us or just a couple of us deciding how to spend the money, it was better to let our teachers collaborate with each other to help determine the best use of it,” Blevins said.
Similar to ABC’s popular “Shark Tank” show, in which would-be entrepreneurs pitch business ideas to a panel of celebrity investors, or “sharks,” each team could pitch their ideas to five Eagle Ridge Elementary sharks that included Blevins, Assistant Principal Beth Fountain, Counselor Jenn Cowen, and two parent-teacher association members: President Amber Hash and Jamie Reville. The sharks then voted to see which projects would get funded.
The action taken
After the presentations were made and the votes were counted, Blevins announced the winning projects Aug. 4. They included:
- Media refresh for co-curricular media lab/morning announcements: $3,700
- Fourth-grade playground sports cart: $300
- Outdoor sidewalk painting: $1,700
- Game time baskets: $600
- LCD boards for 122 third-graders: $400
