When Carmen Santos walked into the Johnson High School cafeteria for this year’s New Teacher Orientation luncheon, she burst into tears. She was one of the 143 lucky new educators who won a $200 supply grant from North East Educational Foundation (NEEF).
After going through two tough years, she felt like luck was finally on her side.
“I survived Hurricane Maria, I lost my home and everything that was in there, all of my school supplies and materials,” Santos explained amid tears. “I just moved here from Puerto Rico in June. I really did not have anything. Yesterday I went and bought $50 worth of school supplies for my classroom and this is just another blessing.”
As a new Spanish teacher at Eisenhower Middle School, Santos plans to use the funds on materials that will help keep her students engaged and motivated.
“Students are everything,” Santos said. “The students are what motivate us to get up in the morning.”
Similarly, Wilshire Elementary fifth grade science teacher Solmaz Moghtader-Aydin expressed her excitement and is eager to ask her team what the students need the most before she goes on a shopping spree.
NEEF board directors Kimberly Prater and David Beyer were on hand to give out the grants.
“We understand the importance of teachers,” Prater said. “They are shaping the minds of our future leaders, they do a very important job and we just want to give back to them.”
She hopes the grants motivate new teachers to start the year off with enthusiasm.
Supply grants are an addition to the Foundation’s main mission, which is funding innovative grants for NEISD teachers. Innovative grants will be awarded in the Fall.
NEEF is a private non-profit charitable corporation that works to raise money to expand educational opportunities for the students of North East ISD. NEEF funds a wide range of innovative classroom projects, including cutting-edge technology, community gardens, special education resources and STEAM programs.
If you would like to support NEEF through this year’s Team NEISD annual giving campaign, please visit one of the following to make your gift.
Employees: bit.ly/TeamNEISD
Parent or Community Member: weblink.donorperfect.com/NEISDcommunity
Business Partner: weblink.donorperfect.com/giveto_northeastfoundation
