Clinton High School is excited to announce that it recently received a grant from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). This $10,000 Grow Your Own Grant is designed to increase recruitment of high school students into the teaching profession.
For the past three years, CHS has taken a proactive approach to combat the growing teacher shortage crisis. Students who show interest in pursuing a career in teaching have the opportunity to be a part of the Future Teachers of America program, allowing them to attend college visits to education programs in the region and also attend the University of Missouri Future Teacher Academy. Clinton High School also created an internship program within the district to allow high school students to enroll in “Teaching As A Profession”. These students are provided with a year-long mentorship in the grade-level classroom of their choice.This program allows for high school students to get teaching experiences and mentorship of the teaching profession, allows younger students to see the older students as a teacher role-model, creates a sense of “home” for students, and builds a partnership with the greater Clinton community.
Through the reward of this grant, Clinton High School will offer students who complete the Teaching As A Profession internship, and are enrolled in a Missouri Educator Program after high school, with a $500 scholarship. These students will be given one year of mentoring provided by the teacher in which he/she interned with. Teachers will also be paid $500 for their agreement and completion of this mentorship to the student. This mentorship will include monthly check-ins, advice, questions, classroom observation placements and opportunities, and the connection of a homebase for these students.
“I am extremely excited Clinton High School received the Grow Your Own grant,” says Jenny Corson, Clinton High School Principal. “Only 125 schools in Missouri were awarded the grant and we are grateful to be one of them. Our hope is to grow our students into educators and bring them back to the district to teach!”
