Teachers and students in the Harrisonville School District recently received over $1,400 in grants from the Harrisonville Public School Foundation.</p><p>Throughout the eight years of the teacher grant program, nearly $50,000 has been presented to teachers. The goal of the program is to enhance the education of Harrisonville students by encouraging and recognizing new educational approaches and concepts that are not currently funded by the district.</p><p>The grants were awarded in a surprise squad format with Foundation trustees surprising the teachers in their classrooms and presenting them with a check.</p><p>Teacher grants were awarded to the following:</p><p>&bull;&nbsp; Harrisonville High School science teacher Audrey Gibbs for white boards to provide an interactive tool for use in small groups and with individual students. </p><p>&bull;&nbsp; Harrisonville High School Communication Arts department for a document projector to model active reading and writing skills.</p><p>&bull;&nbsp; Cass Career Center instructors Nichole Tews and Greta Riffle for online assessment software to increase opportunity to practice for post-secondary assessments. This online software will allow the teachers to reach students outside the classroom.</p><p>&bull;&nbsp; McEowen library media specialist Tonya Ours to purchase e-readers for student check-out.</p><p> The Harrisonville Public School Foundation is a not-for-profit organization established to support the educational activities and programs of the Harrisonville School District. To learn more about the Foundation, contact Executive Director Jill Filer at 816-380-2727, ext. 1224.