O’Neal Announces Inaugural Ford Faculty Grant Winners
The O’Neal School recently awarded three Ford Faculty Grants to faculty members David Williamson, Judy McDonald, and Cassie Cloninger.
The Ford Faculty Grants come out of the E. E. Ford Foundation Grant, which was awarded to O'Neal in the spring of 2023. The faculty grants are designed to encourage professional development among O’Neal Faculty in new and dynamic ways thereby making O'Neal a place where learning is the focus. A call for applications was made in the fall of 2023. A committee of faculty and administrators reviewed and selected finalists from faculty submissions.
Science Department Chair and Upper School Science Teacher Dave Williamson will take part in the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences Educators of Excellence Yellowstone Institute. As stated on the NCNMS website, the Institute "enables exemplary educators to experience the natural world in selected outstanding environments, increases the use of reflective and direct environmental experience in teaching, become part of a statewide network of exemplary educators for continued support and learning, and allows educators to become inspired and recommitted to the teaching profession.”
Lower and Middle School Art Teacher Judy McDonald will conduct on-site research at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. this summer to improve and expand the curricular possibilities for art students at O'Neal. Judy believes strongly in the value of improving education in the arts because, along with providing opportunities for alternative learning styles to flourish, the arts are continually looked upon to promote and sustain attention for young learners.
Kindergarten Teacher Cassie Cloninger will take a class called "The Photographic Poem" at the Maine Media Summer Institute in Rockport, Maine. The opportunity represents a pivotal moment for Cassie to delve into the realm of poetic expression and expand her literacy portfolio, ultimately enriching the education experience she provides in the classroom.
“We wish our faculty grant winners the best of luck and warmest congratulations in their professional endeavors including their experiences this summer,” shares Interim Head of School Brenda Jackson. “We look forward to learning from them in the 2024-2025 school year.”
Last spring, The O’Neal School was one of 12 independent schools worldwide that was awarded the prestigious Edward E. Ford Traditional Grant. The grant is being used to expand O’Neal’s current research programs and resources to impact even more students and faculty members on campus and in the wider Sandhills community.
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