Two SCV teachers receive grants for classrooms

Two teachers in the Santa Clarita Valley each received a $500 grant to benefit their

students, promote classroom learning and support community outreach.

Both Tiffany Bernier, a teacher at Valencia High School, and Karen Gagnon, a teacher at Castaic Middle School, were awarded the Fall 2017 Teacher Grants from the California Credit Union Tuesday.

Since its creation in 2012, the biannual Teacher Grant program has distributed approximately $65,000 in grants to teachers throughout Los Angeles County and San Diego County.

Grants are awarded to teachers who create programs that display creativity in education, define learning objectives tied to students’ academic needs and target a significant number of students.

“California Credit Union was founded to support the education community, and our grant

program is one way we are continuing to support teachers as they work to engage and inspire their students,” said California Credit Union CEO Steve O’Connell in a statement. “We hope these grants will help our teachers bring learning to life for their students in creative and innovative ways.”

This fall, 20 teachers received grants to support innovative learning opportunities that

include STEM skills related to biology and engineering, planning and cultivating year-round vegetables, speech therapy for special education students, robots for kindergarteners and outreach programs to support local animal shelters.

The grants are expected to fund a variety of programs that illustrate the creativity teachers bring to their classrooms and communities.