Page 16 - South Mississippi Living - July, 2023

COAST NOTE
LEO SEAL
Eight Outstanding
Mississippi Teachers
Teacher Grants
Honored for Teaching Excellence and Creativity
story and photos courtesy of Hancock Whitney
Eight of South Mississippi’s most accomplished, creative teachers recently earned the 2023 Leo W. Seal Innovative Teacher Grants for their commitment to educational excellence and to pay for original teaching projects designed to enrich students’ education with hands-on learning opportunities.
Funded by Hancock Whitney and administered by the Gulf Coast Community Foundation (GCCF), the Seal grants recognize exceptional dedication to teaching and fund teaching proposals that enhance students’ educational experiences and support state curriculum at K-12 schools in the eight Mississippi counties Hancock Whitney serves: Forrest, Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson Davis, Lamar, Madison, and Pearl River.
This year’s recipients of one-time Seal grants are Tania Tellier-Brooks, Gulfport High School; Melanie Davis, Pass Road Elementary School (Gulfport); Elvira Gabriela Deyamport, Thames Elementary School (Hattiesburg); Brandy Waltman Kopszywa, D’Iberville High School; Carly H. Parker, Harper McCaughan Elementary School (Long Beach); Melissa Leigh Payne, D’Iberville High School; Matthew Seal, Forrest County Agricultural High School (Brooklyn); and Cherynne Denise Wright, Pass Christian Elementary School.
“At Hancock Whitney, we were founded to help people achieve their goals and dreams. The Leo Seal Innovative Teacher Grants recipients and outstanding educators across the state are helping students build strong
academic backgrounds and apply that knowledge to help them make their own dreams come
true. We are extremely proud to be part of a partnership that honors
and celebrates educational excellence,” said Hancock
Whitney President and CEO John M. Hairston.
Each Seal grant recipient receives up to $2,000
to activate their award- winning teaching initiative
at their school.
Elvira Gabriela Brandy Waltman Deyamport. Kopszywa.
Carly H. Melissa Leigh Parker. Payne.
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July 2023
Tania Melanie Tellier-Brooks. Davis.
Matthew Cherynne Denise Seal. Wright.