LOS ANGELES, Calif. (December 5, 2014) – Farmers Insurance announced today that Melissa Hunt of IT Stoddard Elementary in Blackfoot, Idaho is one of five winners of the Thank a Million Teachers Dream Big Teacher Challenge. Hunt will be granted a $100,000 grant to transform her school and community. Hunt went through a rigorous proposal submission and review process and vied for votes from the American public to be crowned a winner of the Dream Big Teacher Challenge. Hunt will also celebrate her achievement at this year’s Tournament of Roses Parade, riding atop the insurer’s “Dream Big: World of Possibility” float.
Hunt is being rewarded with a $100,000 grant to fund her proposal, “Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow” which celebrates technical hardware and curriculum to enhance the learning environment through the implementation of a variety of programs including Discovery Education, PD 360, Schoolnet and other online resources. Hunt, along with the other IT Stoddard Elementary teachers, will create formative and summative assessments through IFAP, and will deliver those through Schoolnet. All of these programs will support one another in the application phase for student “flipped learning.” IT Stoddard Elementary will then serve as a model school of how to integrate all of these programs together.
The Thank A Million Teachers program was launched earlier this year, inviting individuals across America to offer heartfelt thanks to teachers, present and past, for their positive impact on students and communities. Teachers were then invited to participate in the Dream Big Teacher Challenge, submitting proposals for their chance to be one of the five outstanding teachers nationwide awarded with a grant to help them transform their school and community.
“Through the Dream Big Teacher Challenge submissions, we received proposals from teachers across the country with great visions and aspirations to propel their classroom education experience to the next level for their students,” said Erin Freeman, Chief Communications Officer for Farmers Insurance. “Today, Farmers is thrilled to honor Hunt with a $100,000 educational grant for her project “Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow”, which will surely teach her students that the boundaries on learning are limitless. We are grateful to help make Hunt’s dreams come true and allow her to serve as an exemplary educator.”
In addition to winning the $100,000 educational grant, Hunt will ride atop the Farmers Insurance “Dream Big: World of Possibility” float at the 126th Rose Parade in Pasadena, California, on January 1, 2015. Hunt will ride the float with fellow Dream Big Teacher Challenge winners.
Check local listings and tune in on January 1 to see Farmers honor teachers in a big way. Visit www.thankamillionteachers.com to learn more about the program.
