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Wednesday, November 11, 2026Nov 11

31 Hamilton County teachers awarded grants for summer adventures

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photo Local public school teachers will again make their world their classroom this summer, thanks to nearly $100,000 in travel grants.

2013 Fund for Teachers Fellows:

Elisabeth Zacha – Apison ElementaryAnn-Marie Blentlinger and Karen West – CSLAVinnie Taneja – Clifton Hills ElementaryBrittany Harris and Mauriska Munroe – Hardy ElementaryAmanda Lafferty, Beth McCoy, Heather O’Brien and Jennifer Zeigler – Normal Park Museum Magnet LowerJennifer Hartley – Spring Creek ElementaryLeigh Bain – Wallace A. Smith Elementary SchoolChristy Baker, Jessica Carlton, Brenda Holmes, Jill Smith and Jami Standridge – Hunter MiddleAnn Souza – Loftis MiddleTrey Joyner – Normal Park Museum Magnet UpperBryan Phillips – Hamilton County HighMaika Turner – Hixson HighAndrea McGuirt and Heather McIntyre – Ooltewah HighChuck Jones – Red Bank HighNozipho Moyo – Red Bank HighErin Bas, Dan Morgan, Kawanna Potier, Jennifer Raulston, Deb Tucker and Jessica Ulloa Chinchilla – CSAS

Local public school teachers will again make their world their classroom this summer, thanks to nearly $100,000 in travel grants.

PEF granted awards to 31 Hamilton County teachers, who will travel to Africa, Costa Rica and the Mediterranean, among other destinations. The self-designed trips, to be made individually or in groups, are made possible by the national nonprofit Fund for Teachers.

Organizers hope teachers will bring make lessons learned will translate into enriched teaching back at home.

“Returning from their fellowships, we know that these teachers will change the trajectory of learning for their students through their new insights, skills, and experiences,” PEF President Dan Challener said in a statement.