Education
Awards Program Recognizes Heroes Of Education
By
Oct 18, 2005, 23:43

(NAPSI)-A teacher who started a program that pairs children with dogs to teach students responsibility, anger management and the importance of consistency is being recognized for her results.

Since Jennifer Wise, a teacher at the Dorothy Thomas Center in Tampa, Fla., started the Kids and Canines program, attendance of participating students has improved by 52 percent, mathematics scores have increased by approximately 39 percent and reading levels have gone up by 12 percent.

These achievements led to the program receiving the "Best in Class" honor in the 2005 ING Unsung Heroes award program in celebration of the program's 10th anniversary.

Over the past 10 years, the ING Unsung Heroes awards program has recognized nearly 1,000 K-12 educators nationwide with more than $2.3 million in grants for their innovative teaching methods, creative educational projects and ability to make a positive influence on the children they teach.

"Jennifer's Kids and Canines program has had a dramatic impact on the lives of our students as well as members of the Tampa community," said Principal Tony Giancola. "Many of these kids have troubled family lives, and not only has their well-being improved, but also the quality of their performance in school. We want to thank ING for its additional grant to help us continue the program for the years to come."

With her original grant of $27,000 as the first-place ING Unsung Heroes awards winner in 2003, Wise was able to expand her Kids and Canines program, where at-risk middle school truant students at the Dorothy Thomas Center train golden retriever puppies to become assistance dogs for the physically disabled in the community.

The 2005 ING Unsung Heroes first-, second- and third-place winners include:

• First place: Peggy Carlisle of Pecan Park Elementary in Jackson, MS for her "Kenyan Project." Through a partnership with three bush schools serving students in Kitale, Kenya, the project helps Carlisle's students gain first-hand accounts of life in another country by learning Swahili, writing letters to the Kenyan students and communicating with the schools through an exchange of class books and photographs. Peggy and Pecan Park Elementary were awarded $27,000.

• Second place: Carol Burch of Hannibal High School in Hannibal, N.Y., for her "Wind or PV: What Should it Be?" program, which provides more than 150 ninth grade physics and environmental science students the opportunity to become hands-on researchers and engineers of two types of renewable energy generation systems, for potential use throughout the Hannibal school district. Carol and Hannibal High School were awarded $12,000.

• Third place: Alan Crawford and Kathleen Dyer of Rio Grande City High School in Rio Grande City, Texas for their "Voice of the Valley" literature program, in which more than 260 students will conduct interviews with local members of their community about their immigration experiences and transform the transcripts into a vivid, 300-page book. Crawford, Dyer and Rio Grande City High School were awarded $7,000.

"This year marks the 10th anniversary of the ING Unsung Heroes awards program, where we celebrate and honor outstanding educators around the country whose work to pioneer new methods and teaching techniques is sometimes overlooked," said Bill Jasien, senior vice president of ING U.S. Financial Services.

"Our strong commitment to building a sound educational foundation through our awards program is part of ING's responsibility as a member of America's corporate community."

To learn more, visit www. ing.com/us/unsungheroes. Applications for the 2006 ING Unsung Heroes awards are available there. Applicants can also call 800-537-4180 or e-mail them at ing@scholarshipamerica.org.

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