Grant Recognition Event Scheduled for Wolsey, South Dakota

INFORMATION RELEASE

RURAL SCHOOLS COLLABORATIVE/ www.ruralschoolscollaborative.org

CONTACT: Gary Funk, director, 417-848-9083; gfunk@ruralschoolscollaborative.org

September 25, 2015

Wolsey-Wessington School teacher receives $1,000 grant from the Rural Schools Collaborative

Presentation Event: Tuesday, September 29, 2015; 2:00 p.m., Wolsey-Wessington School, Wolsey, South Dakota

The Rural Schools Collaborative (RSC) will recognize Wolsey-Wessington School teacher Tammy Luce, who received a $1,000 place-based education grant award from RSC’s inaugural Grants in Place program. The presentation will be made on Tuesday, September 29, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. at Wolsey-Wessington School in Wolsey, South Dakota. Funds for the grant award were provided in part by the South Dakota Innovation Lab and Leadership South Dakota.

Luce, who is the district’s K-6 Music and Learning Disabilities teacher, was awarded the grant to support a multi-grade project where the school’s music students will learn about the diverse cultures of South Dakota. The project will culminate in a spring concert, which will showcase the students’ learning experiences. The concert will be open to the public. Community-based outcomes are a basic tenet of place-based education.

The presentation will include RSC board member, Jim Beddow† of Rural Weaver, and Gary Funk, RSC director. Beddow is a resident of Sioux Falls, and Funk hails from Cambridge, Wisconsin.

The Rural Schools Collaborative was organized in 2014 and launched in April 2015. RSC believes that community-based instruction, thoughtful collaboration, and targeted philanthropy strengthen the fabric of rural places. Its Grants in Place program is funding 35 innovative projects in seven states.

The organization is currently engaged in nine states with an administrative office in Cambridge, Wisconsin.

†Dr. Jim Beddow, longtime RSC advocate, board member and chair emeritus, and passed away on June 25, 2023. Read more about his legacy.