Several Short Pump Teachers Awarded Grants For Teaching Excellence

Three Henrico County Public Schools’ educators were honored with R.E.B. Awards for Teaching Excellence during an awards ceremony on Nov. 9 at the Virginia Historical Society. Several Short Pump area teachers received top honors and several more were selected as finalists.

The awards program, which is a partnership between The Community Foundation and the R.E.B. Foundation, recognizes excellence in public education by awarding direct cash grants to outstanding public school teachers from the City of Richmond, the counties of Chesterfield, Henrico, and Hanover, and the Department of Correctional Education. Since its inception in 1988, the program has awarded $2.2 million to over 500 public school instructors as recognition for their outstanding classroom performance.

Elizabeth Markley Wilkinson Kautz-Scanavy of Rivers Edge Elementary School was awarded $6,300 to continue to learn best practices and strategies in gifted education by attending educational conferences including the Conftratute (sponsored by the Neag Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development) and the 2010 National Association for Gifted Children Annual Conference.

Rhett Alan Rutman of Rivers Edge Elementary School was awarded $10, 000 to travel to China to study physical education and culture and to publish a children’s book titled “The Couch Potato Classroom,” designed to inspire children to exercise.

Two finalists for the award were Samuel M. Turner of Short Pump Middle School and Daniel B. Brinkman of Rivers Edge Elementary School; each received an award of $750.

Selected from 107 teachers nominated by students, parents and colleagues, 17 winners and 15 finalists were awarded a total of $165,450.