Pacific Alumni Earn Grants for Creative Teaching

Three Pacific University alumni are among the 47 educators to receive 2020 Spark! Creative Learning Grants from SELCO Community Credit Union this month.

The grants of up to $1,000 provide teachers and schools the opportunity to launch or continue unique projects that help kids create and teachers innovate. The grants are available to K-12 educators at schools throughout the 27 Oregon counties that SELCO serves.

Recipients include:

Elizabeth Skenzick MAT ’16, a teacher at Elmira Elementary School in Elmira, Ore., for a project to address the social and emotional needs of students and encourage connections by providing microphones and speakers in classrooms.

Liz Babbs MAT ’14, a teacher at Creswell High School in Crewswell, Ore., for “Join the Journey,” a project that will provide students with materials to aid in experiencing local outdoors.

Angie Johnson MAT ’12, a teacher at Danebo Elementary School in Eugene, for “Kids Can Code!,” which will fund 10 Ozobot Evos coding robots to allow students to learn to code screen-free and then program on a digital platform.

All three alumni earned their master of arts in teaching degrees and Oregon teaching licenses through the Pacific University School of Learning & Teaching’s flex/hybrid program based in Eugene. The program offers a route to a teaching degree for students who work or have other full-time commitments and connects with local school districts to allow students to complete their practicum teaching experiences close to home.