BEP, Nissan award 39 mini-grants to RCS teachers

Business Education Partnership Foundation Chairman Emil Hassan has read every single teacher minigrant proposal for the past 28 years.

Like our society, the grant requests have changed.

“I remember the time when you were (doing good) to get one to help improve math education and science,” he said at the spring awards breakfast for the BEP Teacher Minigrants, “but now 90 percent of them are that way, which is great.”

Hassan, a former executive with Nissan North America, talked about smart phones, video conferencing anywhere in the world and even said, “We’re going to have driverless cars within two or three years.”

It is indeed a changing world.

And it’s why the Business Education Partnership Foundation, which was founded in 1988, continues to make a profound impact in classrooms throughout Rutherford County Schools.

Wednesday morning, BEP awarded 43 minigrants, including 39 of which were awarded to teachers from 20 different Rutherford County schools.

“I think it’s amazing they’re giving to the community like this,” said Hope McFarlin, a special education teacher at Blackman Middle School.

McFarlin was awarded minigrants for a pair of projects – “Tower Garden” and “Tower Garden Accessories.”

Afterward she said she has been encouraging other teachers to apply as well.

Hassan echoed McFarlin’s sentiment.

He encouraged teachers in attendance to inspire others to apply in the future.

Kim Stoecker, principal at Siegel Middle School, said Katie Harris has taken the lead among fellow science teachers in working together to develop ideas and write grants.

Harris, who has been awarded minigrants in the past, received two more – “No Need to Roam…Build a Home” and “Say Watt? Quiz Boards are Electrifying.” Their team effort led to three other grants being awarded to Hannah Hardiman, Morgan Faulkner and a joint award to Miriam Lee and Emily Wood.

“As a principal, I’m so proud (of our staff) for going above and beyond and I know it’s going to benefit our kids,” said Stoecker, who thanked BEP and Nissan. “We appreciate so much the opportunities that are out there.”

With more than 8,000 employees at the Smyrna manufacturing facility, Nissan is the largest auto manufacturing plant in North America and among the three largest in the world.

They hope to produce 660,000 units this year, according Greg Jones, senior director of human resources for Nissan. That is one every 28 – 30 seconds, and by comparison, twice the average output of other auto plants.

Stoecker said that she and her faculty have toured the facility and added, “It’s eye-opening and you’re kind of awestruck when you walk out of there.”

“With that kind of production volume, we need good skilled employees,” said Jones, who grew up in Rutherford County.

He noted that educators like the ones receiving the BEP teacher minigrants have done a great job in helping to “skill up” the youth in Rutherford County.