As part of First Bank’s initiatives to give back to the community, the organization has awarded $1,000 in Classroom Makeover Grants to two teachers in Hattiesburg and Lamar County.
Nicole Neal from Oak Grove Primary School and Taylor Huddleston from Thames Elementary School each received $500 from First Bank to redecorate or add to their classrooms as they see fit. The two educators were chosen from more than 200 teachers from Forrest and Lamar counties who were nominated for the award.
Neal, who teaches Special Education, said she plans on painting her room with the help of a friend.
“She’s an artist, and so we thought that maybe we would do a mural in the room,” she said. “And then my kids are special needs kids, so we thought about looking at some adaptive furniture that might be cool for them and help them with stimulus things and sensory things.
“(The grant) will be a lot of help. It’ll give them something new and exciting to see.”
Huddleston, a first-grade teacher at the elementary school, is looking forward to making a more comfortable learning environment for her students.
“I’d like to get some curtains up and some comfortable seating for the reading area,” she said. “Right now, everybody is just kind of sprawled out on the carpet.
“I just want to make it where everything matches and have a comfortable space, kind of like home. I might update some shelves because those are old.”
In addition the grant, Huddleston also received a few gift cards to places like Target, Hobby Lobby and a teacher supply store in Oak Grove.
“This is my second year teaching, so I kind of came into this with nothing, and I’m slowly trying to get things,” she said. “But it costs a lot of money, so I thought (the grant) would be great to be able to have that money to get the things I need.”
First Bank also awarded Classroom Makeover Grants to teachers in Amite, Pike, Lincoln and Lawrence counties.
