Ladonna Scheppe, a teacher at Pepperell Elementary School, has received an Innovation Grant for $2500 from The Jordan fundamentals Grant Program.  Ms. Scheppe has used the funds to purchase a SMART BOARD for her classroom. The interactive white board works in conjunction with a computer and/or video projection unit to bring lessons to life in the classroom.  Ms. Scheppe can now use her new SMART BOARD to demonstrate websites, PowerPoints, videos and other interactive learning tools in her lessons.  The Innovation Grants average $2500 and are awarded to individual teachers for projects that will impact classroom innovation and improve instruction.  Jordan Fundamentals is in its seventh year and has awarded over $7 million in grants to teachers.  

The Jordan Fundamentals Grant Program was established in 1999 by basketball legend, Michael Jordan.  According to the Jordan Fundamentals website, the grant program was born out of Jordan’s firm belief that education is the key to opportunity and to building commitment among students to the core values which foster personal excellence and achievement. The Jordan Fundamentals Grant Program awards one million dollars annually, to teachers across the country, who motivate and inspire students toward achieving excellence. These grants are given to support teachers and provide access to additional resources. This program is enabled by the Jordan Brand, a division of NIKE, Inc., and administered by COMPASS Consulting, a private non-profit educational consulting firm, helping schools and communities develop more effective and equitable interventions, approaches and systems to improve student results.