A2Z Personnel and the Drive 107.9 are happy to award Stephanie DeBiasio with the We Support Our Schools grant for March 2022! Mrs. DeBiasio is a 6th grade science teacher at Hamilton Middle School. 

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Mrs. DeBiasio teaches an all-girls science engineering class. The girls and Stephanie are going to be attending the State Science Olympiad competition in Bozeman. This grant will help her class get the building materials and study materials for the events they are competing in.  

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We would like to thank Stephanie and all the teachers who support these students in not only teaching them the subject of science, but who encourage them to get curious. Along with helping them to develop social skills for interacting with peers. This will serve them for their lifetime. 

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We want to wish the girls the best of luck at the Olympiad! 

A2Z Personnel and the Drive 107.9 are happy to award Mara Johnson with the We Support Our Schools grant for February 2022!  Mrs. Johnson is a kindergarten teacher at Stevensville Primary School. 

Mrs. Johnson has 16 fun and energetic kindergarteners that love engaging in story time and checking our classroom books ‍ Mara is settling into her new classroom this year with the expansion of the Stevensville School and needed some new supplies to make her classroom a little more efficient and homey for her students. She plans to purchase new book shelves and books to create a new display for better access for her students. 

We would like to thank Mara and all the teachers who create fun and welcoming learning environments for their students. Creating a safe space allows for students to focus on being able to learn and being more successful overall in their life time️

Payton Olin is January’s recipient of the We Support Our Schools grant! 

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Mrs. Olin is a 5th grade teacher at Lone Rock School. This is her first year teaching! 

She is excited to take her 5th grade students on a field trip to Missoula this year to visit the planetarium at the University of Montana. Mrs. Olin feels it adds enrichment to her students learning when they get to experience different learning environments! While at the same time helping to refine their social skills by getting to interact within our community.

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We would like to thank Payton and all the teachers who find creative ways to help their students learn, while at the same time helping them to grow important skills, they will use for their lifetime. 

A2Z Personnel and the Drive 107.9 are happy to award Trevor Motley with the We Support Our Schools grant for December 2021! Mr. Motley is an industrial arts teacher at Stevensville School working with both middle school and high school students. Mr. Motely is working with his middle school students on a semester capstone project, to create a replica of a wooden stool that Father Anthony Ravalli built during his time at St. Mary’s Mission. Father Ravalli engineered the stool to support his stately stature
without it tipping over. Mr. Motley was excited to put forth a project for his students that has ties to the history of their community and give them a finished project they get to take home. Additionally, this project will challenge the skills they have learned over the semester and put them into play.

We would like to thank Trevor and the teachers who put extra thought into connecting students with their community with their teachings.

A2Z Personnel and The Drive 107.9 were happy to award Lore Mayer with the We Support Our Schools 
Grant for November 2021! Mrs. Mayer is a 1 st grade teacher at Corvallis Primary School. Mrs. Mayer is looking forward to taking her class for a special field trip in the month of December to the Roxy to watch the Polar Express! Mrs. Mayer loves taking her students into the community as it gives them important social skills and opportunities for new experiences, they might not other wise have. 

We would like to thank Lore and the teachers who go beyond the teaching of just academics and go the extra distance to help students build good social skills that will serve them for their lifetime.

A2Z Personnel and 107.9 the Drive would like to announce that Valerie Pateman, of Stevensville Primary School, is the winner of October’s We Support Our Schools Grant. Ms. Pateman is looking forward to using these funds to appoint her classroom with more areas for books and reading.

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Bringing a love of reading to the children in the Bitterroot Valley, we thank teachers like Ms. Pateman for the opportunities to love reading for our community's children.

A2Z Personnel and 107.9 the Drive would like to announce that Maralee Johnson, of Stevensville Elementary, is the winner of April’s We Support Our Schools Grant. Mrs. Johnson would like to expand her classroom library with books that provide not only a rich literary experience, but that also address the social emotional literacy needs of young children. With students from diverse backgrounds and experiences, having great books that assist with processing through the varied emotions children experience while at home and at school are critical for a cohesive classroom. Maralee would like to purchase books that can be used to safely introduce and discuss social situations, emotions and self-regulation, friendship, and a variety of other topics that lead to healthier and more positive experiences for her students at school and in their communities. 

We are happy to award the April Grant to Ms. Johnson for the expansion of her classroom library and would like to express our appreciation for her and for all teachers that go above and beyond for their students.

A2Z Personnel and 107.9 the Drive are pleased to present March’s We Support Our Schools Grant to Jacqueline Brazil, a teacher at Hamilton High Schools Alternative Learning Center (ALC). 

The ALC serves students who are unable to work in traditional high schools or who need to make up credit deficits by accelerating their studies. The Center was able to purchase a greenhouse to introduce students to the therapeutic and educational aspects of growing plants; however, funds were needed to provide supplies including soil, food, grow lights, seeds, and pots of various sizes, as well as shelving and labels. 

Ms. Brazil is looking forward to starting the process of providing those supplies with the WSOS grant.  Not only will a working greenhouse challenge the students’ ideas about learning, provide a constructive life skill, and help them create ownership of their education, it will also encourage individuality and creativity, in addition to finding joy in learning new things.  Jacqueline is excited to see her students start plants for home gardens as well as design hanging baskets for themselves or as gifts, container gardens for facilities such as assisted living, and design a perennial garden for the ALC’s outdoor learning space.

We want to thank Jacqueline Brazil for her ingenuity in education and providing students with a multifaceted skill!  Thank you to all teachers to go above and beyond for our community’s students!

A2Z Personnel and The Drive 107.9 were happy to award Max Fiedler with the We Support Our Schools Grant for January 2020! Mr. Fiedler is the Tech Ed Instructor for Darby High School. Max works endlessly to ensure that the core values of hard work and intelligent decision making are reinforced as well as teaching the proper techniques of building with wood and metal. Mr. Fiedler intends to utilize the funds by purchasing additional wood and metal supplies for his classes to expand on the projects they currently have in the curriculum. We would like to thank Max and all the teachers that focus on providing hands-on, developmental experiences for their students!

A2Z Personnel and 107.9 the Drive would like to congratulate Marie Antonioli as the winner of December’s We Support Our Schools grant.  Ms. Antonioli teaches a high school class called Introduction to Health Sciences. This elective class of 14 high school students, whom have all expressed an interest in pursuing a Health Science career, chose to work on a project called “End the Trend”.  They produced an educational presentation on vaping, which was presented to both the Hamilton High School and the Hamilton Middle School.  The Introduction to Health Science class utilized the funds from the We Support Our Schools Grant to create a bag for each middle schooler attendee with an informational brochure and items such as candy, stickers, removable tattoos and glow sticks that were used to illustrate some of the statistics and facts about vaping.  By having tactile, “take home” items to demonstrate the importance of making healthy choices, this class hope to impact their community for the better.  With the recent occurrence of severe lung injuries and deaths attributed to some vaping products, educating young people about the dangers of vaping is crucial.

We’d like to thank Marie Antonioli for not only influencing the students in her class and supporting their growth as leaders in our community, but for also reaching out to the whole student body of Hamilton’s school district.

The We Support Our Teachers grant winner for the month of November is Debbie Johnston of Darby Elementary. Debbie is a Kindergarten teacher that strives to make Montana’s history come alive for her students. Mrs. Johnston requested funds to support her school’s Native American Heritage Day. A teepee was erected, and art projects were offered that focused on Native art practices. Debbie arranged to have a group of individuals coming from The People's Center in Pablo to teach their K-7th grades about the culture of the Salish Kootenai and Pend d'Oreilles. Along with the group from The People's Center, she scheduled to have a group of students from Two Eagle River School to perform a Powwow Presentation for K-12th grades. There was a drumming group, as well as singing and dancing performances. At the end of the Powwow, the entire school gathered on the gym floor to participate in a round dance.

A2Z Personnel and 107.9 the Drive wish to thank Debbie for her dedication to bringing history alive and for going the extra mile when planning events for her students and her school!

Michelle Studer is the October winner of We Support our Schools grant, sponsored by A2Z Personnel’s and 107.9 the Drive! Mrs. Studer is a 4th grade teacher at the Corvallis Primary School. She is looking forward to purchasing stability ball active seating to assist children who benefit from some minor movement while learning. Michelle’s class has had stability balls in the past and found that they are beneficial to most students. She’s happy to be able to increase the number of active seating options in her classroom. Thank you to Michelle and all teachers that are willing to adjust their classrooms to create a better learning environment for their students.  

Ms. Johnson is a Kindergarten teacher at Stevensville Primary School and this month’s winner of the We Support Our School Grant, sponsored by A2Z Personnel and 107.9 the Drive. Mara is excited to utilize the funds to purchase additional art supplies for her busy and creative Kindergartners! By having a supply of hands-on crafts and art supplies available to her class, Ms. Johnson looks forward to inspiring her students’ imaginations and to providing additional avenues for teaching opportunities. We would like to thank Mara for providing such an engaging classroom to her students!  

Valerie Pateman is April’s We Support Our Schools Grant, sponsored by A2Z Personnel and 107.9 the Drive. Valerie is a third-grade teacher at Stevensville Elementary and is interested in purchasing additional “learniture” for her classroom. She is looking forward to acquiring a couple Activity Learning Chairs, as well as two yoga balls to provide similar movement. Ms. Pateman’s had previous success with using seating options which allow for minor fidgeting and movement and is excited to provide additional seating for the kiddo’s in her class who would benefit from the tool.

A special thank you to Valerie and all other teachers who continually incorporate tools to improve their students’ ability to engage in learning.

Sarah Hamburg, a Spanish Teacher at Victor Schools, is the winner of March’s We Support Our Schools Grant, sponsored by A2Z Personnel and 107.9 the Drive. Sarah teaches a wide range of grade levels starting with her 4th grader’s introduction to Spanish and capping off with her highest level of Spanish IV in the High School. Sarah loves to include arts and crafts for her students as a way for them to connect with different Spanish speaking cultures. In addition, for each holiday that is recognized by a Spanish-speaking country, Sarah has activities to help bring that culture to life for her students. She is excited to be able to use the grant for purchasing more art supplies to engage her students in appreciating the different cultures around our world and to bring the Spanish language alive for them. We are so appreciative of the energy and creativity Sarah, and other teachers like her, bring to their classrooms.  

Jennifer Walthall is the winner of February’s We Support Our Schools Grant, sponsored by A2Z Personnel and 107.9 the Drive. Jennifer is a Kindergarten teacher at Stevensville Elementary School. Mrs. Walthall is excited to purchase hands-on tools to support her young student’s growth and development. She would like to incorporate more tactile learning by purchasing magnetic alphabets, felt boards, and counting activities. With this ongoing winter weather causing indoor recesses and eliminating outdoor learning expeditions, these new activities will be helpful in keeping her students engaged in the classroom. We’re very thankful to Jennifer and all teachers who continually look for ways to stimulate their student’s minds and make learning an awesome experience.  

Kate Naughter is the winner of January’s We Support Our Schools Grant, sponsored by A2Z Personnel and 107.9 the Drive. Kate, a sixth grade ELA teacher at Corvallis Middle School, is planning to use the funds to purchase student-selected books for her classroom’s library.
According to Lara Robb (an author of several best-selling professional books and resources for educators), access to books can make a difference in children’s desire to read and in their ability to comprehend a wide range of genres. David, an eighth-grade student, put it this way: “I love our class library ‘cause I have books at my fingertips. When I finish one, I can check out another.” (http://edublog.scholastic.com/post/ten-tips-laura-robb-classroom-libraries-access-books#).
Kate hopes to create a similar experience as David referenced for her students. Through engaging her student’s in book selecting and having the books not only readily available to them but also recommended by their peers, Kate anticipates seeing their reading development grow.
We are so thankful for all our local teachers do for our community and for educators, like Kate, who continually look for ways to engage their students.  

December’s We Support Our Schools grant (sponsored by A2Z Personnel and 107.9 the Drive) was awarded to Cejay Paulsen! Mrs. Paulsen is looking forward to purchasing 4 Active Learning Stools for her students. She has a few already in her classroom and has seen a remarkable improvement in the attention span and focus for her students whom benefit from some minor movement while learning. The backless stools encourages proper posture and strengthens core muscles. A2Z Personnel and 107.9 the Drive want to thank Mrs. Paulsen and all teachers who continually contribute to their student’s learning experiences.  

Kimberly Yaskus is the September winner of the We Support Our Schools Grant offered by A2Z Personnel and 107.9 The Drive.
Kim is a first year Kindergarten teacher at Washington Elementary in Hamilton. She’s already started her year off with some great in class projects, including baking with her students, and she is excited to be able to bring more hands-on learning experiences throughout the year by utilizing the grant. In addition to using the funds to introduce some new crafts, games, and puzzles, she hopes to purchase some books to expand her in-class library, as well as some basic supplies to help with the operation of her classroom.