CenturyLink South Dakota

SOUTH DAKOTA TEACHERS SHARE $25,000 IN TECHNOLOGY GRANTS FROM QWEST FOUNDATION AND SOUTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

SIOUX FALLS, S.D., Feb. 15, 2008 – Students at schools across South Dakota are the real winners this year as the CenturyLink Foundation and the South Dakota Department of Education today announced the ten South Dakota teachers who will share $25,000 in grants for their technology-related classroom projects.

The teachers competed for the awards as part of the CenturyLink Teachers and Technology grant program. Now in its second year, the grant program provides funding for innovative projects that promote the use of technology in the classroom. Winning projects incorporate technologies from smart boards to graphing calculators to digital media players and more.

“As a community, we should be proud of the educators who won grants in the CenturyLink Teachers and Technology program,” said Larry Toll, CenturyLink president for South Dakota. “Because of their creative ideas, South Dakota’s students will have the opportunity to prepare for their futures using new, innovative technologies.”

The winning teachers will each receive $2,500 from the CenturyLink Foundation, and represent schools from around the state:

• Aberdeen Catholic School System, Alison Ruoff: “Kindergarten Smart Board Project”
• Brandon Valley School District, Becky Mohr: “Raising Reading to New Limits With Technology”
• Mitchell School District, Anne Moege and Teresa Berndt: “Digital Portfolios: Fusing Writing and Technology”
• Parker School District, Jacey Peters: “Senteo SMART Math”
• Parkston School District, Rob Monson: “Using Digital Media Players to Assist With Spelling”
• Pierre School District, Pam Kean: “Adapting Literacy for Inclusion”
• Pierre School District, Alicia Roesler: “Integrating Digital Photography Into the Curriculum”
• Sioux Falls Catholic Schools, Jane K. Schnell: “Technology-Based Experiments in the Physical Science Classroom”
• Tea Area Public School District, Erin Jones: “Fostering Better Communication for Students With Special Needs”
• Wolsey-Wessington School District, Corinne Clouser: “ROAD TRIP—Regions of America Developed Through Research in Proportion”

The goal of the CenturyLink Teachers and Technology grant program is to award pre-K through 12th grade teachers who use technology in the classroom to engage students, enhance student performance and prepare them for life in a technologically advanced world. The South Dakota Department of Education administered the competitive process; a panel of South Dakota-based judges reviewed the applications and selected the winners.