Career and Technology Education Center Health Science teacher wins $1,000 grant

BEAUMONT — A Career and Technology Education Center teacher won a $1,000 grant from the Texas Retired Teachers Foundation.

Keisha Kirkwood, a health science teacher at the Career and Technology Education Center, is the recipient of the Texas Retired Teachers Foundation Classroom Assistance grant.

Kirkwood will receive a $1,000 grant for a bacteria lab for the 2024-2025 school year. Her students will explore the invisible world of organisms that reside in and around the Career and Technology Education Center by venturing into the microbiological realm through scientific curiosity and inquiry. Kirkwood’s hope is that students will understand the diversity of microbial life, learn how bacteria shape and influence health and hygiene practices, and explore the role bacteria play in the chain of infection.

The grant will provide students with a hands-on, safe learning experience in microbiology and permit them to swab different building surfaces in order to assess and monitor the growth of bacteria.

Classroom Assistance Grants are given to Texas public school teachers who consistently show their dedication to public education and Texas students by creating programs, occasions, or other educational resources. For the 2024–2025 academic year, TRTF gave 30 awards to Texas public school teachers, each worth $1,000.