Dougherty School System hands out $340,000-plus in charter school grant money
Fifteen students graduate from GCAPS Program
Dougherty County School System Charter System Coordinator Jewel Faison and DCSS Superintendent Butch Mosely handed out more that $340,000 in charter system grant money this week to seven different system schools for creative innovations in education. (File Photo)
By Terry Lewis
ALBANY — The Dougherty County School System earlier this week handed out more than $344,000 in grant checks to seven different DCSS schools for creativity and innovation in their curriculum.
By virtue of being a charter system, the county school system has funds available to foster innovation in the schools and classrooms across the district. Schools were encouraged to come up with creative and innovative approaches to tackle some of the challenges that they see.
The system ceremony celebrated those schools that, according to an independent and objective set of judges, presented the best grant proposals.
The winning proposals ranged from the creation of a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) Center at Robert Harvey Elementary to a renewed and visionary approach to “writing right,” at Morningside Elementary.
The grants, handed out by DCSS Superintendent Butch Mosley and charter system consultant Jewel Faison, ranged from $40,000 to $70,653. They went to:
— Albany Middle School, $50,700 for Middle 2.0 Hybrid Curriculum
— Morningside Elementary, $53,200 for Writes Right innovation
— Robert Harvey Elementary, $52,267 for STEAM integration project
— West Town Elementary, $62,000 for STEM Innovation project
— International Studies Charter, $40,000 for Baccalaureate innovation project
— Northside Elementary, $70,653 Reading innovation project
— Sherwood Acres, $67,798 for Author in Residence project
In other system news, 15 students recently completed the Georgia Civic Awareness Program for Students (GCAPS), which provides students opportunities to learn how local governments work through on-site visits and learning days. The students also meet with state and federal officials during trips to both the General Assembly and the U.S. Capitol and also participate in youth leadership development with similar groups throughout Georgia.
Despite being disrupted by January’s devastating storms, the group managed to visit and tour the Dougherty County Judicial Center, Dougherty Jail, county EMS headquarters and landfill, and participate in visits to Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Macon and Savannah.
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