LOS ANGELES, Dec. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Farmers Insurance announced today the five winners of the Thank A Million Teachers Dream Big Teacher Challenge, rewarding each of these educators with $100,000 grants and providing them the means to transform their schools and communities. Each of the five winners went through a rigorous proposal submission and review process and competed for votes from the American public to be crowned winners of the Dream Big Teacher Challenge. The winners will celebrate at the 126th Rose Parade presented by Honda as they ride atop the insurer's "Dream Big: World of Possibility" float alongside actor Jack Black and his longtime mentor and former teacher, Debbie Devine of 24th Street Theatre.
Each of the five winners will use the $100,000 to transform their communities and help show their students that the limits are endless promoting a world of possibility and opportunity outside the classroom. The winning teachers are:
(Blackfoot, ID) Melissa Hunt, IT Stoddard Elementary: Melissa Hunt's proposal, "Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow" will enhance the learning environment through the implementation of a variety of programs including Discovery Education, PD 360, Schoolnet and other online resources. Hunt along with the other IT Stoddard Elementary teachers will create formative and summative assessments through IFAP, and will deliver those through Schoolnet. All of these programs will support one another in the application phase for student "flipped learning." IT Stoddard Elementary will then serve as a model school of how to integrate all of these programs together.
(Bridgewater, VA) Cindy Ferek, Turner Ashby High School: Cindy Ferek's proposal, "Two Wheels Squared Driving Course Challenge" is a multi-faceted program that will challenge high school students physically, emotionally, and cognitively. The grant money will be used to build a physical course that trains future drivers for the challenges and problem solving situations they will face once they get a license and drive on the roadways in our communities. As vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers, this course will prepare them for the dangers of the road.
(Chicago, IL) Maggie Kendall, Chicago School for Agricultural Sciences: Chicago High School for Agriculture Sciences is home to Chicago's only working farm and hosts an equestrian program for regular and special needs kids and adults. Currently, students can only ride outside and with Chicago winter weather, this limits the time when students can enjoy the equestrian program. Kendall's proposal entitled "Raise the Barn Roof" will fund an indoor arena, allowing the school to extend the program year-round and also offer more opportunities to special needs children and adults throughout the area.
(Henderson, NV) Brenda Moynihan, C.T. Sewell Elementary: Moynihan's proposal, "C.T. Sewell Student and Family Technology Center" features a plan to incorporate technology into the classroom and learning center so the C.T. Sewell students, who rarely have access to computers or tablets at home, can more readily meet today's academic expectations. Moynihan will also use the grant money to create and provide career guidance programs for parents to help promote healthy home environments for the students of C.T. Sewell.
(Springdale, AR) Justin Minkel & Amber Stout, Jones Elementary: Justin Minkel and Amber Stout's proposal, "The Home Library Effect" will transform 1,000 of the world's at-risk readers by creating a statewide literacy initiative that has not only been recognized by Sec. Ducan but President Obama as well. The program initially started on a smaller scale with a 1,000 Books Project for their 2nd graders in 2010, but now they will take the project to a larger scale of 25,000 books for 1,000 children. The program will allow children to create a space in their homes for a library and choose books to fill it.The Thank A Million Teachers program was launched earlier this year, inviting individuals across America to offer heartfelt thanks to teachers, present and past, for their positive impact on students and local communities. Teachers were then invited to participate in the Dream Big Teacher Challenge, in which they submitted detailed proposals for the chance to be considered as one of the five outstanding teachers nationwide.
"Over the past few months, we received hundreds of proposals from teachers across the country with incredible stories, visions and dreams to take their classroom to the next level and help inspire students," said Erin Freeman, Chief Communications Officer for Farmers Insurance. "Today, we are thrilled to make these dreams a reality for five deserving educators. Their stories inspired us and we know that this funding will transform education and promote endless opportunities for current and future students."
On January 1, 2015, actor Jack Black and his longtime mentor and former teacher, Debbie Devine of 24th Street Theatre will join the five Thank a Million Teachers Dream Big Teacher Challenge Winners to say thanks to teachers across the country as they ride the Farmers "Dream Big: World of Possibility" float in the 126th Rose Parade.
Check local listings and tune in on January 1 to see Farmers honor teachers in a big way. Visit
www.thankamillionteachers.com to learn more about the program.
About Farmers Insurance
Farmers Insurance Group of Companies is a leading U.S. insurer group of automobiles, homes and small businesses and also provides a wide range of other insurance and financial services products. Farmers Insurance is proud to serve more than 10 million households with more than 20 million individual policies across all 50 states through the efforts of over 50,000 exclusive and independent agents and approximately 22,000 employees.
For more information about Farmers, visit its Web site at
www.farmers.com or at
www.Facebook.com/FarmersInsurance.
About the Pasadena Tournament of Roses®
The Pasadena Tournament of Roses is a volunteer organization that annually hosts the Rose Parade, the Rose Bowl Game® and a variety of associated events. The Tournament's 935 volunteer members act as ambassadors of the organization within the community and serve on one of 31 committees that ensure the success of the parade and game. Collectively, they contribute upwards of 80,000 hours of manpower each year. The 126th Rose Parade presented by Honda and themed "Inspiring Stories," will take place Thursday, Jan. 1, 2015, followed by the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual. For additional information on the Tournament of Roses please visit the official website at
www.tournamentofroses.com.
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Over the past several years we have been able to send our students home for Christmas break with food, hygiene items and toy. With the orchestration of our wonderful counselor, Mrs. Cartwright, this year was no exception. This effort would not be possible without the continued support of our wonderful partners in education. We sent the below letter describing our endeavor and they definitely answered the call. This is one of our favorite days of the year and hope to continue this tradition of giving for years to come. 
