McKinney, Texas – The excitement on Peggy Perret’s face was enough to drive away the gloomy weather last Friday when five construction students from McKinney High School wheeled into the Wolford library two mobile wooden cabinets for Perret’s MakerSpace supplies.
The students who hand-built the cabinets—Josue Alejos, Amon Banerjee, Caden Daley, Juan Nino and Tyler Smith—were accompanied by a contingent of McKinney Education Foundation (MEF) representatives, administrators and members of the MISD Board of Trustees who were making their annual December rounds delivering MEF teacher grants.
Members of the McKinney High School construction class built two MakerSpace storage cabinets for Wolford Media Resource Specialist Peggy Perret (center, in white) in response to her grant request and presented them to her on Friday, Dec. 9.
The grants are funded by voluntary teacher paycheck donations as well as donations from the Sewell Automotive Company and five endowments: Froese Family, Sunrise Rotary Club, CoServ, David Freeman Memorial and Tom Crowe Honorarium.
As they zipped around MISD, popping into classrooms to surprise teachers, the group delivered more than $125,000 in grants designated for innovative instructional resources and tools and professional development. The award amounts varied widely depending on the request, from $224 for a lighting setup for broadcast announcements to more than $11,000 for robotics software and equipment.
When Perret saw the cabinets rolling into the Wolford library she was moved by the work and craftsmanship the students had put into the cabinets. “This is wonderful!” she said. “And, it’s great because I don’t have to order them. They’re ready to use right now.”
McKinney Boyd High School teacher Katie Abel reacts to the news that she had been awarded a grant from the McKinney Education Foundation on Dec. 9, 2022.
Other grant recipients included teachers Katie Abel and Tiffany Scott at McKinney Boyd High School who received nearly $6,000 for professional development opportunities and a student-led Bronco Brew Coffee Cart project that will provide students with experience in running a business. At Reuben Johnson Elementary, media resource specialist Amy Allen received a grant for $4,995, and Amy Pedersen at Evans Middle School received a grant for $1,233 for digital microscope imagers.
There were grants awarded for speech therapy resources, S.T.E.A.M. equipment, graphing calculators, gardening supplies, math instructional resources and more—all of them representing teachers’ continual drive to engage in innovative ways that enhance learning.
“We are so grateful to partner with our community to award McKinney ISD teachers with these impactful grants,” said MEF Executive Director Ashley Sine. “MEF Grants enrich our already strong schools with more opportunities for students and teachers.”
More Photos!
McKinney Boyd High School teacher Tiffany Scott with her grant award that was funded through the Froese family foundation.
Reuben Johnson Elementary teacher Zachary Odle received a grant for motor/sensory resources for his classroom.
Wolford Elementary Media Resource Specialist Peggy Perret reacts to seeing the cabinets that MHS students built for her MakerSpace storage.
RJE Media Resource Specialist Amy Allen receives her grant award.
Evans Middle School science teacher Amy Pedersen and students with her grant award for digital microscope imagers.