Lawton Public Schools principals had 10,000 reasons to be thankful two weeks before Thanksgiving.
On Thursday, the Lawton Public School Foundation gave the principal of each of LPS’s 26 schools a check for $10,000. Called the Leave a Legacy Grant, the funds may be used for beautification, for outdoor learning areas, furniture or classroom resources, said Lisa Carson, executive director of the Lawton Public School Foundation.
“My board has worked extremely hard. We've had tons of sponsors at our events, and then we have very generous donors that give us money every year. So we decided we would give $10,000 to every building. So it's $260,000 we're putting back into the schools today,” Carson said.
The LPS Foundation holds three major fundraisers a year — a golf tournament, Ladies Night Out Bingo and a breakfast — which funds grants to teachers. This is the first time the Foundation has given grants to the schools as a whole.
Foundation board member Laura Hatch said the Foundation came up with extra funds this year and decided to provide the grants to the schools.
Katie Caughron, principal of Brockland Learning Center, said she already had part of her $10,000 spent. She said Brockland needs new stage curtains, but she received a quote too late to apply for a grant from the LPS Foundation. She said half the money will be spent on new curtains, then she will meet with her team to see what else the school needs.
“This is such a blessing,” she said. “This will benefit students in their first year of school. We are the foundation of their learning. We have to go above and beyond to get them excited about their education.”
Other principals, such as Ella Snavely at Pat Henry Elementary School and Andrea Tracy at MacArthur High School, said they would meet with their staff to decide how best to spend the funds.
“I want something inside the building,” Tracy said. “I’m surprised, pleasantly surprised. We can change a space with 10 grand.”
Tracy said she was a recipient of LPS Foundation grants when she was a classroom teacher.
“They are there,” she said of the Foundation. “We don’t see that very often. In the United States, you don’t see this. In going to national conferences, only a handful ever say they have a foundation.”
Snavely said she also plans to meet with her staff to decide how best to use the funds.
“Stage curtains are just one of the many ideas. I want something that will affect the entire school,” Snavely said. “It’s an amazing gift. I’m very grateful. I can’t wait to brainstorm with the team.”
Snavely said her staff is trying to instill the spirit of Thanksgiving into their students, and the $10,000 grant exemplifies that spirit.
Once a school decides on a project, it must be approved by the LPS Foundation to ensure it aligns with the Foundation’s mission. After receiving approval, the school must follow LPS purchasing guidelines.
The Lawton Public Schools Foundation will award grants to teachers next week. In all, the Foundation will provide more than $466,000 to Lawton Public Schools this year.