2026 MRTA-Foundation Classroom Grant Recipients

Three Lincoln County R-III School District educators received Missouri Retired Teachers Association - Foundation Classroom Grants at their Welcome Back to School Meetings Tuesday, August 18.

L-R: Margaret Smith, MRTA-F Board Member, Kayla Lewis, Main Street Elementary; Amy Clayman, Early Childhood Center, Zenda Folta, LCARSP President

Kayla Lewis from Main Street Elementary Kindergarten. Her grant title was "Building Strong Readers Through Hands-On Word Building." She requested specific beginning word building kit to improve foundational literacy skills.

Amy Clayman from the Early Childhood Center Special Education.  Her grant title was "Movement, Body Awareness, and Sensory Support for Neurodivergent Preschoolers." She requested a variety of motion materials including rocking chairs, band chairs, bouncy balls, and a swing and stand.

Zenda Folta: Rachael Seago, Troy Buchanan High School; Margaret Smith

Rachael Seago from Troy Buchanan High School.  Rachael's grant request was entitled "Enhancing Biotechnology Skills in the Classroom" and is requesting materials to increase proficiency in micro pipetting techniques and electrophoresis to interpret DNA samples. The goal is to help her students learn to measure and transfer very small liquid samples accurately, separate DNA fragments, and interpret the resulting DNA patterns.  These materials will be used in the Project Lead the Way Biomedical Science and Center for Advanced Professional Studies programs to provide students with practical experiences using techniques commonly employed in the medical, forensic and research laboratories.

Congratulations to all of these inspiring educators!

2025 LCARSP Classroom Grant Recipients

 LCARSP sponsors Classroom Grants to teachers in each of the four public school districts in Lincoln County plus one grant to a non-certified staff member. The money from each of these grants helps educators purchase things for their students / classroom that their classroom budget does not cover. This year the group was able to award extra grants as funds were available through sales of items made by the group's Craft Club and generous member donations. Elsberry (Lincoln County R-II) did not submit any grant applications this year.

The 2025 Classroom Grant recipients are:

PIcture 1: Katelyn Pezold, Troy Buchanan High School French Teacher (Lincoln County R-III) - With a new cell phone ban in place, students aren't used to free time when they have finished assignments. Their free time is being redefined. This teacher plans for her students to use this time working on French-themed puzzles along with a puzzle table for long-term use. The tables at which the students work are all in use.

Picture 2: Melanie Prinster, Troy South Middle School Flight Teacher (Lincoln County R-III) - Melanie will purchase a set of 13 styluses to help students work more easily on their tablets or touchscreen devices (like an iPad or Chrome tablet). A stylus is like a pen for a touchscreen device — it makes writing, drawing, and navigating apps much more precise than using a finger. Newer styluses connect instantly via Bluetooth, offer features like pressure sensitivity and shortcut buttons, and help students write and create with greater accuracy. Currently, this teacher has ONE to lend out.

Picture 3: Mandy Johnson, STEM Teacher for Hawk Point Elementary and Claude Brown Elementary (Lincoln County R-III) - Mandy will purchase age-appropriate drones to introduce major job opportunities to students particularly in agriculture for crop monitoring and analysis.

Picture 4: Claire Wommack, Silex (Lincoln County R-I) Fifth Grade teacher - Claire will purchase Google Slides offered through the Teachers Pay Teachers website. These are ready-made slides that are engaging, interactive and support reading, spelling and grammar curriculum as well as being aligned with the standards.

Picture 5: Crystal McDonald, Troy South Elementary Art Teacher (Lincoln County R-III) - This teacher wants to use biographies to extend the learning about the artists students study. Most books about famous artists are not age-appropriate for younger readers. Ms. McDonald has found a set from the publishers of Little Golden Books.

Picture 6: Anita Fitzwater-Stevens, Winfield (Lincoln County R-IV) 7th Grade ELA Teacher - This teacher needs items to create a safe space within the classroom to be used as 'a privilege granted on an as-needed basis."

PIcture 7: Elaine Mueller, Parents As Teachers (Lincoln County R-III Non-Certified Staff ) - This group is in need of storage containers and clear mesh bags for items the PAT teachers carry into homes as well as within their office.

The retired educators of Lincoln County want to say 'Thank You" to ALL the current teachers and staff members of each of our county's public schools for the outstanding work they do everyday to educate our local students!