Just call her the grant queen. Zachary Elementary School Principal Jennifer Marangos has become the go-to for Zachary Community Schools when it comes to grants. While there have been several notable grants acquired by the school district including a rather large 9^th Grade Academy project this year at the high school, Marangos’s grants have been funded to the tune of more than $376,000 since 2004.

In 2004 Marangos, then an assistant principal at Northwestern Elementary, received funding of approximately $85,000 for a grant she had written to create a new computer lab to enhance math instruction through a software package. The following year the grant was used to create a new lab, hire a certified teacher for the lab, and purchase and implement Destination Math courseware.

While many who have written 8G competitive grants know that the second year of funding is often even more difficult to justify, Marangos applied again for the 2005-06 school year. In year two, she was awarded an additional $121,000. This funding was used to create an additional lab to increase the frequency of the instruction to 2-3 times weekly.   During the same school year, a transition to a web-based version of the courseware was created so students could participate from home, the library or anywhere they had access to the Internet.

In year three, they added the use of a new piece of equipment to the school. The $84,000 received in 2006-07 was used to purchase and install a StarBoard EM panel, projector and screen in every classroom at Northwestern Elementary. These multimedia-teaching devices are compact, ergonomic and pen-driven with a 17-inch LCD display. Teachers drive presentation and classroom lectures from the device with the ability to write, draw, and control any of the applications on the teacher station computer, all without leaving the front of the class. This allows the students to easily view the information on the 10-foot retractable screens. The funding was also used to provide professional development for the teachers to train them in using the program in a classroom setting.

During the 2006-07 school year, Marangos became assistant principal at Zachary Elementary School. When it came time to write 8G grants, she used her significant skill to apply for funding for her new school. This year’s award of $86,000 will create a new lab and hire a certified teacher at Zachary Elementary to continue the services implemented through the 3rd grade.

Congratulations to Mrs. Marangos for the outstanding contributions she has made to student learning in the Zachary Community School District.