Decatur Education Foundation

💜💛May 29 Feel Good Friday💛💜 DEF has just received a donation from Clairemont Elementary Alumni - Class of 2026 Seniors. These young donors have seen first hand the work of DEF in our schools. We appreciate them and are honored they have chosen to make a donation to DEF!

Nomination deadline is July 10.

Recipients of the Miles Above Award and the Clarence Strickland Make a Difference Award are recognized at CSD’s annual Opening Day Celebration. Applications for both these awards are on our website at www.decatureducationfoundation.org/honoring-educators

A Statement from the Decatur Education Foundation Board of Directors

With everything happening right now in the world and our community, DEF is taking this opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to the values that drive our mission of eradicating barriers caused by systemic racism, income inequality, and the lack of behavioral health supports. Our vision is for ALL Decatur youth to realize their full potential, regardless of economic status, ethnicity, race, nation of origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, cognitive or physical ability. We are—and will always be—committed to anti-racism work in our organization, in our schools, and in our community; we are inclusive and welcoming to all who want to engage in our work; and we value integrity, equity of opportunity, and collective impact.

💜💛May 22 Feel Good Friday💛💜 Happy Last Day of the 2025-2026 School Year!
The Step Up for Teachers campaign funds DEF’s Teacher Innovation Grants. Thank you for supporting DEF so that we can continue to support our teachers! Check out the Step Up for Teachers tribute wall https://stepupforteachers.com/ This wall is searchable by teacher or family name and you can sort by school or read all the wonderful tributes!

Tonight, we will award the 20 student scholarships that DEF administers. www.decatureducationfoundation.org/higher-education Four of the scholarships are application based with students submitting applications in the spring and the others are awarded based on nominations from the department heads at Decatur High School. We will share photos from this touching event, but here is a bit about second group of 10 recipients. See Wednesday’s post for the first 10 recipients.

Gladding Family Scholarship - Susannah Tusher
Madison Lewis Memorial Scholarship - Peri Jeffers
Kennedy Segars Memorial Scholarship - Megene Chibuyu
Mary Elizabeth Brown Wilson Scholarship - Mariyamo Abshiro
Imani Thompson-Twine Memorial Scholarship - Kennedy Hilson
Bill Mealor Jr. Memorial Scholarship - Cole Buckley
Han Choi Memorial Scholarship - Victoria Hutchinson
Jeanne Bellville Taffs Memorial Scholarship - Payton Sobon
Rachel Britain Memorial Scholarship - Ci'Naryia Allen
Rodney Thomas Scholarship - Olivia Sawyer

Thursday evening, we will award the 20 student scholarships that DEF administers. www.decatureducationfoundation.org/higher-education Four of the scholarships are application based with students submitting applications in the spring and the others are awarded based on nominations from the department heads at Decatur High School. We will share photos from this touching event, but here is a bit about the first 10 recipients. Follow to see the second 10 posted tomorrow.

Sarah Lynn Woolf Memorial Scholarship - Hannah Lee
Patrick Family Foundation Scholarship - Breana Atkins
Lawrence and Gertrude Paxton Memorial Scholarship - Trinity Moment
McNally Family Scholarship - Zander Borowski
Pollack Family Scholarship - Munawar Sharif
Harry Edwards Class of 1960 Scholarship - Mary Frances Bell
Thomas Hauk Memorial Scholarship - Nathan Green
Rotary Club of Decatur - Nia Batra
Leisa Powers Memorial Scholarship - Hannah Le
Trinity High Class of 1965 Scholarship - Victor Agolory

At DEF’s annual Celebration of Excellence, we don’t just recognize students — we also honor the educators who keep learning, growing, and leading by example.

Each year we award the Carriere Family Scholarship for Teachers. This scholarship was founded in 2007 by Jane Carriere, a retired City Schools of Decatur math educator, to support Decatur teachers who are seeking advanced degrees to enhance their instruction.

This year, we’re proud to award scholarships to three outstanding teachers:

Amelia Copp is an Early Intervention Teacher at Glennwood Elementary School and will become a Literacy Specialist through the University of Georgia.

Sue Spencer is a Special Education teacher at Winnona Park Elementary and will participate in the Specialist Program in Special Education at the University of West Georgia.

Shani Vickery is an 8th grade math teacher at Beacon Hill Middle School and is working toward a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction at Mercer University.

Check out the Step Up for Teachers tribute wall https://stepupforteachers.com/ This wall is searchable by teacher or family name and you can sort by school or read all 250 tributes! We have made many improvements on the tribute site, but if you have any comments, requests or improvements you'd like to see for next year, please email [email protected]

💜💛May 15 Feel Good Friday💛💜
Have you made your tributes yet? You still have time before the end of the school year. You can add your tributes for our CSD teachers and staff - and for any graduating seniors - by going to www.stepupforteachers.com
The best part? This campaign TRULY shows how we step up for our CSD teachers and staff - donations support DEF’s Teacher Innovation Grant fund, allowing us to fund our teachers' great ideas each fall! Thank you for supporting DEF so that we can continue to support their important work!
Let’s cover Decatur with signs showing the love for our CSD teachers, staff, and grads!