East Newton Elementary School had some unusual visitors last month when Lori Mills, of Sidearm Kennels (in southern Alabama), visited the school. Lori has the #1 ranked Redbone Coonhound in the country and is a third generation breeder of these dogs. Fourth graders at the school first learned about Redbone Coonhounds when they did a book study of Where the Red Fern Grows earlier this year.
Meghen Bassel, Media Specialist at East Newton has one major goal – to get students excited about reading. She noticed that when she read Where the Red Fern Grows, by Wilson Rawls, to 4th graders at East Newton, they were often moved to tears by the end of the story. Ms. Bassel received a teacher grant from NEF to purchase a copy of the book for each 4th grade student at East Newton Elementary and to cover the costs to have Lori and her dogs make a special visit.
The breeder not only brought her beautiful, top ranked dogs for the students to meet, she also shared how closely the book follows the actual training she does. Ms. Bassel thought that the breeder visit was a great way to help bring to life what the students read.
She shared, “I cannot express just how excited the students were to be able to meet these dogs. They asked meaningful questions and were truly interested in the answers. Thank you again to the Newton Education Foundation for the grant. You have given these students the experience of a lifetime!”
This grant, and every teacher grant, is made possible by community donations received by NEF. The Newton Education Foundation puts community resources to work for our kids so they can achieve academic and personal success. We do this by providing funds that help our schools remove obstacles, provide great educational opportunities that deepen learning and support teachers in meeting the learning needs of all kids.
Consider making a gift, of any amount, so that more students can have great classroom experiences that enhance learning. www.newtoneducationfoundation.org/donate