South kindergarten teacher Janet Cantrell received some good news last week.
Cantrell, who is in her third year of teaching in the Neosho R-5 School District and 21st year in education overall, was awarded a $500 grant from the Missouri Retired Teachers Foundation.
On Jan. 13, Vicki Orr, a retired teacher from Monett and an officer with the foundation, made the presentation to Cantrell at South Elementary School.
Cantrell received one of only five grants awarded throughout the state of Missouri.
“To be receiving one of five grants, wow, I am so honored that I could receive this grant for our students here in Neosho,” said Cantrell, with her principal, Sandy Davidson, Neosho R-5 assistant superintendent Alma Stipp and Neosho R-5 School Board president Cindy Norman in attendance at the presentation. “This grant will help me teach and meet our students’ needs.”
The grant will help Cantrell fund her Brown Bag Book project, which is a response to intervention program for kindergarten students that are identified through the district kindergarten assessment.
The project is targeted toward phonemic awareness and reading comprehension in the academic area of reading.
