Virginia Beach Public Schools Education Foundation to Award $30,000 The Virginia Beach Public Schools Education Foundation will award $30,000 at a TGIF (Teacher Grants Improve Futures) Celebration on Friday, November 30, 2001, at the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia. The event is designed to showcase the 34 Building Futures Grant winners who represent Virginia Beach teachers, K-12. This is the third year that the Education Foundation has awarded grants to teachers as part of an ongoing program to promote creative methodologies and strategies in the classroom. Grants are awarded following review of a detailed grant application specifying needs supplied by the teacher(s) and can range from $250 to $1,000. Twenty-four applications were received the first year the program began, and 15 grants were awarded. This year 94 applications were submitted. Grants fund a wide variety of projects, all stressing best practices (in education) and creative approaches to teaching and learning. Winning projects have included everything from developing an elementary environmental science program to a school beautification project to creating a Jamestown experience storybook quilt. The 2002 grant award winners will be honored at the TGIF Celebration and will receive a special certificate in addition to their official monetary award packet. Virginia Beach schools' art teachers have submitted artwork for the event and will also be honored during the Taste of Art silent auction. The artwork includes sculpture, paintings, and photography, and attendees will also have the opportunity to view the Contemporary Art Center's newest exhibit, Women of Taste. Following this reception will be the formal presentation of the Building Futures Grants in the auditorium. The Virginia Beach Public Schools Education Foundation is a nonprofit, tax-exempt local foundation with the mission of raising private sector support to reward excellence and fund innovative, creative education programs to benefit students, teachers, and staff of the Virginia Beach City Public School division. Currently, the Education Foundation is involved in a major fundraising campaign to raise $400,000 over three years. For more information about the TGIF Celebration, the Building Futures Grants Program, or the Virginia Beach Public Schools Education Foundation, please contact the Education Foundation at 427-4785. ###