The Association for Excellence in Education [AEE], is an organization most known for funding ideas that allow Tupelo teachers to teach their students in unique and creative ways.

The program hosted its annual luncheon at Carver Elementary School to announce the funding of 32 approved grants, totaling $112,154.16 to be used by TPSD teachers.

Tupelo High School teachers had five approved grants, three of which were dedicated to special equipment for projects in the school’s broadcast and print journalism programs. 

Classes that require or often use special equipment can be funded by AEE-approved grants. Journalism students use cameras, voice recorders, microphones, and various other equipment that’s funded by the AEE. 

These grants can also be used to fund field trips that give students a more extensive learning experience, one of the five grants THS teachers had approved was to fund a field trip to the Civil Rights Museum in Jackson for the school’s US history students.

“Being able to see real artifacts and see primary sources in a museum-type setting makes [learning] instill memories into the student and hopefully encourages the learning of history,” history teacher Beth Blanton said.

The financial support provided by AEE also allows teachers to implement ideas that allow students to learn in a unique fashion, something that’s especially important for elementary students who are learning what a future career path may entail.

“We want our students to be ready to be productive as adults. So we want to start them out as kindergarteners and first graders and get them excited about being chefs or being engineers or architects, and so we got things that would help motivate students to do that,” Carver Elementary teacher Carole Elliott said.

As schools have become more reliant on technology, foundations like the AEE have tried to find ways to take advantage of the tech advancements that now drive classrooms.

AEE board member Takiva Bell says that with how technology has become an integral part of many students’ school experience, it becomes important to try and find ways to utilize those same technologies in the classroom to help students learn in a fashion that may be more cohesive to them.

These grants have let Parkway Elementary students use various kinds of digital tools that allow students to learn in ways unique to them, including the use of special lights, speakers, and various computer pieces.

“They have all these different things that they’re utilizing within the classroom, that if not by this grant, they wouldn’t have access to those type of technologies to bring in to use hands-on with the learning experience.” Bell said.

A more specific example includes the installment of a makerspace at Carver Elementary, a place where students can experiment and build using a variety of tools and materials made with the intention of teaching students through their own hands-on experiences. 

“We have every year, at Carver, been so fortunate to get grant money from [the AEE]. A previous grant we just got this past year was for a makerspace, and so we got all sorts of engineering tools, architectural tools,” Elliott said.

As a bonus, hosting the luncheon allowed Carver teachers and students to show out with their decorations and overall planning of the event

“It’s very exciting, especially since I work at the host school,” Elliott said, “We spent a lot of time decorating and getting it ready, and so we’re just thrilled to be a part of it this year.”

Similar to most programs in the country, AEE operations were temporarily halted during the pandemic as COVID made it harder to provide funding for any grants. Still, afterward, TPSD teachers were just as innovative as before.

“I think for this year, really seeing how different teachers have incorporated cooking and utilizing different home skills and soft skills for students within even science. That has been exciting.” Bell said.

That innovation can be seen in this year’s founder’s grant, a grant representative of the most creative proposal received for the year, being awarded to Rankin Elementary teachers Lindsey Hester and Caren Barber for their “Glowing Forward with Glowforge” grant.

“Glowforge is a powerful laser that can precisely cut, engrave, and score hundreds of different materials,” As said by the AEE press release.  “Students can learn hands on about friction, drag, speed, and distance by designing and creating their own race cars.”

The AEE also presented their Kay Bishop Innovation Awards, named after Kay Mckee Bishop, a former Tupelo native and TPSD staff member for 24 years. With the award came an additional $100 that could go towards funding supplies for the winner’s approved grant.

“Kay thrived on telling the heartfelt and impactful stories of TPSD teachers, students, administrators, and parents. These awards are given to 10 teachers who epitomize the innovative and infectious positive spirit of Kay Bishop,” AEE press release.

THS teacher Sally Beth McCullough and Carver teacher Carole Elliott both won a Kay Bishop Award award for their ideas.

The AEE as an entity has existed for roughly 40 years since being founded by the CREATE Foundation in 1983, and during that time creativity and innovation have always been the driving forces behind what they do to improve public education in Tupelo and will continue to be what fuels the new ideas that fill TPSD classrooms.