REV donates $5000 to Ascension Parish’s innovative educators

Contact Information:
Jeremy Theriot, Director of Community Relations
and Business Development
225-315-8294, [email protected]

Monika Arnold, Manager of Community Relations and Business Development
225-305-8001, [email protected]

REV donates $5000 to Ascension Parish’s innovative educators

Through the Reach-a-Kid, Teach-a-Kid grant program, Capital Region-based communications provider supports creative learning of K-12 educators

Gonzales, La. REV recently announced the winners of its 2023 Reach-a-Kid, Teach-A-Kid teacher grants program during a brief ceremony hosted at The REV Center at the Lamar Dixon Expo Center.

On Tuesday, September 5, 2023, 10 Ascension Parish teachers were each awarded a $500 grant to fund their inventive ideas for their classrooms – creatively impacting hundreds of K-12 students.

Through this annual grant program, Ascension Parish teachers are encouraged to think big, journey outside the box and add a spark of educational innovation – submitting their grant narratives, budgets and ideas online via REV’s Reach-a-Kid, Teach-a-Kid portal.

This year, the application window was moved up to the beginning of the school year to encourage teachers with new and stimulating ideas to submit their applications a little earlier to create impacts felt through more of 2023-2024. Teachers applying for funding were asked to share their ideas meant to expand or create educational opportunities in the classroom that will positively affect, educate, and engage children of all ages. 

“REV has a proud and time-honored legacy of supporting our communities’ educators and students, and each year it’s a real privilege to see the impact our Reach-A-Kid, Teach-A-Kid has on both sides of the classroom – inspiring educators and students alike,” said Josh Descant, CEO of REV. “An employee favorite since the days of EATEL, I can say with confidence that this grant program will continue to make a difference as we fund these exciting opportunities here in Ascension Parish classrooms.”

“These strategic investments in our classrooms by REV will impact so many students,” said Superintendent Edith Walker, Ed.D. “We are grateful for their tremendous partnership in supporting our teachers through the Reach-a-Kid grant program.”

“Reach-a-Kid, Teach-a-Kid is REV’s way to bring out the best of what our Ascension educators have to offer in the form of fun, fascinating and encouraging alternatives to the typical classroom teaching techniques. The teachers always impress with their clever curriculum and our team looks forward to reviewing these applications each year,” said Monika Arnold, Community Relations and Business Development manager. “While judging each year can be challenging, it’s always a pleasure to be able to take a step into the classroom with each application’s reading.”

This year’s winning applications came from primary, middle and high schools – both public and private. Projects ranged from starting a book club, sewing and learning embroidery and stitching techniques, creating calming corners in classrooms, planting seeds/harvesting plants, purchasing recorders to influence future rockstars, flexible seating to inspire a love of reading and more.

2023 Reach-a-Kid, Teach-a-Kid winners include:

• Stephanie Dagsaan – “Reach for the STARS to become ELITE!” (Gonzales Middle School)
• Stephanie Henagan – “Flexible Seating for Love of Reading!” (Ascension Christian High School)
• Shannon Hudson – “Engaging with Historical Scholarship” (Dutchtown High School)
• Tina Johnson – “Using What We’ve Learned in the Real World” (East Ascension High School)
• Bess Melancon – “Sew Useful, Sew Fun!” (St. Amant High School)
• Christina Plaisance – “Little Children, BIG Feelings” (Prairieville Primary School)
• Diana Riley – “Seeds for Success” (Lowery Middle School)
• Shelby Roberts – “Calming Corner” (Prairieville Primary School)
• Sherri Shelton – “Recorder Rockstars!” (Spanish Lake Primary School)
• Ashley Stoud – “Bulldog Book Club” (Gonzales Middle School)

For over 20 years, REV’s Reach-a-Kid, Teach-a-Kid program has made awards totaling over $100,000 – opening the doors to creative thinking for K-12 students and teachers. Past grants include funding everything from new classroom technologies such as hardware and software, reading clubs to building and launching rockets, a variety of STEM/STEAM projects and more.

For more information on REV’s Reach-a-Kid, Teach-a-Kid teacher grants program, please visit: https://letsrev.com/reachakid.

Attached photo – REV’s 2023 Reach-A-Kid, Teach-A-Kid winners: (l-r) Jeremy Theriot (REV), Bess Melancon (St. Amant High School), Sherri Shelton (Spanish Lake Primary School), Christina Plaisance (Prairieville Primary School), Stephanie Dagsaan (Gonzales Middle School), Shelby Roberts (Prairieville Primary School), Tina Johnson (East Ascension High School), Ashley Stoud (Gonzales Middle School), Shannon Hudson (Dutchtown High School), Diana Riley (Lowery Middle School), Stephanie Henagan (Ascension Christian High School) and Monika Arnold (REV)

About REV

Established in 2020 – with the merging of three local and storied telecom providers – and rebranded in 2022, REV is the combined parent company of Reserve Telephone Company (RTC), EATEL/EATEL Business and Vision Communications. The combined company, with nearly 250 years of collective communications service, operates as Louisiana’s largest, locally owned, telecommunications network.

With over 2,790 miles of fiber and nearly 400 employees, REV (and the organization’s suite of business services offered by REV Business) connects more than 60,000 customers in their homes and places of work.

For more information about REV and the provider’s new brand and continued commitment to localism, please visit www.letsrev.com – New Name. Same Local Company.

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