2019 PRIZE POSSE

​On Friday, October 18th, the Bandera Education Foundation members excitedly boarded a bus on a mission to surprise teachers with almost  $50,000 in grant funds . At every school, we were led in by our amazing drum line. The energy was electric, and all of the students and teachers were peeking out their doors, quickly lining the halls.
The first stop was Alkek Elementary, where five grants were given to the library, second grade, and the GT program! Students stood, watching the procession, arms outreached for high fives and fist bumps. The second stop was Bandera Middle School, where we gave out six grants to the Ag department, the GT program, the theater department, math, and science. This stop included our biggest grant to date of $10,000, helping the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) start their funding for next year’s NASA project! We also fully funded a new eSports program, allowing our students even more opportunities in their future. Now a billion-dollar industry, eSports is offering more college scholarships than ever before. We are very excited about this new program!
 
After leaving the middle school, we made the drive to Hill Country Elementary and awarded nine grants to a multitude of teachers, helping with reading, math, music, science, and more! Principal Klein had the teachers and students ready and excited as they lined the halls before we walked in, ready for the Prize Posse's arrival! The teachers were enthusiastic and so grateful! The final stop was Bandera High School, where our final two grants were presented to the science department and the Ag department. Mr. Derry allowed his students some creativity with the grants. This particular grant paired with the middle school and was researched and written by two high school students, then reviewed and approved by Mr. Derry for submission. This is just another example of our amazing student’s determination and innovation!
 
We ended the day with the drumline marching us out of the high school, leaving us all wishing that they could follow us around daily with their amazing energy! The one thing that was crystal clear by the end of the day was the fact that the rumors are true about our amazing small-town: people DO win in Bandera!
 
Thank you so much to all of our donors for your constant support! We could not continue to support our teachers and staff without you!