Nikole Babb
nbabb@cherryroad.com

Credit Union of America awards $40,520 in classroom grants

An Andover Central High School teacher received a $500 grant from Credit Union of America, (CUA), to better educate students on trial law and debate.

Credit Union of America announced earlier this month that they awarded $40,520 in grants for the Teach, Grow and Inspire the Future, (TGIF), classroom grant. Out of the 49 teachers chosen across the state of Kansas, one in Butler County was chosen.

Julie Kobbe, Competitive Speech and Acting/Debate teacher at Andover Central High School is looking to immerse students in policy debate with the $500 grant she received. The project she dubbed, “Debate is More Than Arguing”, describes the importance of placing students in real debate scenarios.

In her own words, described her project:

“So often, students think debate is only about arguing with their opponent when in fact, it is data driven, source-based, and largely successful based on the work done before the debate takes place. This project is designed to give debate students an experiential learning experience that immerses them in policy debate through the lens of trial law by giving students resources to prepare for a trial, meet with local attorneys, and attending an active courtroom to witness a trial firsthand.”

The grant can be used for classroom funding needs, projects, supplies, field trips and other educational activities. Since the inception of the TGIF classroom grant in 2000, CUA has awarded more than $565,000 to educators. All applicants are required to outline their funding needs which are reviewed anonymously by a team of CUA staff and retired educators.