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Second-grade teachers at Coleman Elementary Carol Meyers, Pam Barger and Tracie Hicks received an Apple Seed Grant.

Educators know best that if at first you don’t succeed, try again. Three Coleman Elementary School teachers did just that.

Tracie Hicks submitted an application for an Apple Seed Grant from the school district’s foundation last year. It wasn’t accepted. “So we rewrote it and tweaked it a little,” she said.

On Wednesday, Ms. Hicks and fellow teachers Pam Barger and Carol Myers got a friendly surprise. Balloons, a giant check and tons of applause.

Several teams, made up of the St. Joseph School District Foundation board members and donors, traveled around St. Joseph to award 28 unsuspecting teachers with the grant money. About $18,000 was awarded to 15 different programs.

The Coleman second-grade teachers have plans to use their $1,287 to

purchase video cameras and tape recorders. Something they said will help with fluency for the kids.

“Improving Fluency with Fables and Fairy Tales” is simple really. Students will be able to use a program called Reader’s Theatre to develop their reading skills.

“It’s the reason we wrote the grant,” Ms. Hicks said. “We decided as a grade level what we needed. Then we worked backward to get the right result.”

These special teaching techniques gets the upper-level thinking going, Ms. Barger said.

Using the voice recorders and cameras will enable the students to hear themselves read aloud. That’s a key part of learning, the teachers said.

“It brings it to life,” Ms. Barger said. “They learn so much more.”

At the beginning of the school year, the school district implemented more communication arts curriculum.

“We always want to adapt to new technology,” Ms. Myers said.

The program is an opportunity to use more technology in the classroom.

“We’re always pushing the kids to think deeper,” Ms. Myers said. “It’s a skill that comes later and can be difficult for them.”

The Foundation has been awarding the Apple Seed Grant since its inception in 1984. Monies for the organization and the grant program are privately funded.

Jennifer Hall can be reached

at jennhall@npgco.com.