(Harrison County, MS) A group of new teachers in the Harrison County School District received quite a surprise during their orientation on August 1, 2019. The 36 teachers were among the first to hear the exciting plans for a large monetary donation that was given to the district by a Harrison County man. There was a good reason why district leaders wanted to make the announcement in front of the first-time teachers.
Surrounded by members of the Harrison County School Board and district directors, HCSD Superintendent Roy Gill shared details about three grant programs that will honor the memory of the late Darrell Saucier. Mr. Saucier passed away on April 23, 2019, at the age of 84. He chose the Harrison County School District as the beneficiary of his savings account. His generous gift totaled $642,884.84, the largest donation in HCSD’s 63-year history.
Mr. Gill announced that the new teachers will be the first recipients of the “Darrell Saucier New Teacher Support Grant”. The room erupted in cheers as the new teachers learned that they will each receive a $250.00 gift card to purchase supplies for their classroom.
Elisa Hampton will be teaching 4th grade science and social studies at D’Iberville Middle School this year. She was emotional when she heard the news.
“I’m very thrilled. It’s incredibly helpful. It really brings a lot of comfort to me, because I was concerned about spending money in my own classroom. I’m so excited about this opportunity to do this for my classroom and the kids. I’ve already been stressed out and that was quite a surprise! My eyes started watering a little bit. Thank you so much!” said Elisa Hampton.
Along with the “New Teacher Support Awards”, Mr. Saucier’s donation will also be used to support HCSD teachers of today and tomorrow. Here’s a breakdown of all three grants:
• DARRELL SAUCIER NEW TEACHER SUPPORT AWARDS: $250.00 supply grants will be given annually to all new Harrison County School District teachers with zero years of experience. This award will provide these teachers with additional funds for classroom supplies.
• DARRELL SAUCIER STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS: Ten (10) $1,000 scholarships will be awarded annually to Harrison County School District seniors and graduating juniors who are majoring in education. This is a competitive grant.
• DARRELL SAUCIER CLASSROOM GRANTS: Ten (10) $1,000 classroom grants will be awarded annually to Harrison County School District teachers or teacher assistants. This is a competitive grant to support teachers with innovative ideas.
“This is the way the committee decided to distribute the money, spread it out. Mr. Darrell Saucier wanted it to go to education, and what better way to help teachers coming into the profession, those who are pursuing the profession, and those current teachers to help them in their classrooms,” said Roy Gill.
Mr. Saucier’s generosity will continue to touch many lives over the next 20 years.
“These three grants have a life expectancy of at least 20 years. So, for 20 years, these monies will be expended to help new teachers, students going into education, and teachers in the classroom. What better way to honor Mr. Saucier than to use this money in this fashion. We are very proud and excited that you are here as our first grant recipients. Congratulations!” said Roy Gill.
You can read more about the teacher grants in this Sun Herald article: https://www.sunherald.com/news/local/education/article233407862.html?fbclid=IwAR2EDcVee6M2qyD6HFHuIAD9qWR0OSnMJ69Q783eCFkgMSBsCftDyYOy1dc
You can watch the WXXV News story here: https://www.wxxv25.com/2019/08/01/new-teacher-support-grant-harrison-county-school-district/?fbclid=IwAR1xpUljpab9jln9uLSmoegruNvnd7p1Pk7aOMURK8hsi1rSPCW4Nt6M1dI
You can watch the big announcement here: https://www.facebook.com/HarrisonCountySchoolsMS/videos/2347284402191236/