From staff reports
TRUSSVILLE — Haley Dykes, a second grade teacher at Paine Primary School in Trussville, was one of six Alabama teachers awarded the Jenice Riley Memorial Scholarship by the Alabama Humanities Foundation in a special ceremony Oct. 6.
Named for the late daughter of Gov. Bob Riley and his wife Patsy Riley, the scholarships seek to recognize elementary school teachers whose classroom projects enhance the learning experience for their students.
From left are Alabama Humanities Foundation Executive Director Armand DeKeyser, Haley Dykes and Alabama Humanities Foundation Board Chairman Guin Robinson.
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Dykes’ project is “Globetrotting With StrataLogica,” which will employ a geography-based computer software program to give students the ability to “visualize and comprehend the ways in which geography has impacted events, politics and populations throughout human history.”
In Dykes’ classroom, she said, students can “globetrot anywhere in the world within seconds,” giving them the opportunity to broaden their perspectives and knowledge.
Thanks to these $1,000 scholarships, teachers are able to purchase “extras” for their classroom to better reach and teach their students.
“Jenice would have loved that she is connected with each of these projects,” Patsy Riley said at the presentation.
She called AHF’s role in facilitating the scholarship program “an honor” for the family.
“What a difference this organization makes in thousands of people’s lives each and every day,” she said.
