6 Columbus teachers at high-poverty schools going to Harvard thanks to lunch group donation
Six teachers from Columbus schools in high-poverty neighborhoods will receive professional development at Harvard University this summer — thanks to a generous lunch group.
The Muscogee Educational Excellence Foundation announced the $56,000 gift during a news conference Tuesday in Rigdon Road Elementary School.
The money will enable the following teachers to attend the Harvard University Graduate School of Education for a week in July:
- Patrice Autry of South Columbus Elementary School
- Markeysha Kirksey of Georgetown Elementary School
- Ashley Manning of Rigdon Road Elementary School
- Rachel Potenza of Dawson Elementary School
- Lorene Michelle Shafer of Lonnie Jackson Academy
- Brent Sutherland of Dimon Magnet Academy
They now are known as Harvard Fellows Buntin Scholars, named after retired Muscogee County School District superintendent Jim Buntin, who cofounded MEEF 24 years ago with Jack Goldfrank, retired president of MeadWestvaco’s coated board division.
Marquette McKnight, MEEF’s executive director, said the lunch group members didn’t want their names listed with the donation. Their only request, she said, was for the scholarship to honor Buntin, one of their Monday lunch buddies.
“Amazing things happen in our community when community folks in Columbus hear of an opportunity,” she said. “When they learn of a need, they respond. And they respond in a big, big way.”
Sheryl Green, the 2015 MCSD Teacher of the Year, was a guest speaker at the lunch group. She told the members that research shows a highly qualified teacher is more likely than any other person to help a child rise above poverty and achieve more than they otherwise would.
John Shinkle, the lunch group’s leader, cited a study by Benjamin Blair, director of the Butler Center for Business and Economic Research at Columbus State University. It showed the percentage of the city’s families living in poverty increased from 18.5 in 2012 to 24.2 in 2019, and 17,498 citizens age 25 and older hadn’t earned a high school diploma or GED as of 2018.
“We’ve got to start at the lower level, and that’s with the children,” Shinkle, senior vice president and Columbus branch manager for Stifel Financial Corp., told the crowd.
The Buntin Scholars have agreed to stay at their school for at least three years so their fellow teachers will benefit from them sharing what they learned at Harvard.
Manning welcomes that responsibility. In her seventh year as an educator, she teaches third-grade math at Rigdon.
“It’s going to help me hone in on my teaching skills,” said Manning, who also is the math coach at her school. “… I’ll be able to use that capacity to talk to all the teachers.”
The Buntin Scholars are from schools not only serving high-poverty neighborhoods but also those that don’t have a Harvard Fellow among their teachers. They will join the seven other MCSD teachers the foundation announced as Harvard Fellows last month.
Including this year’s group and the Buntin Scholars gift, MEEF has invested more than $500,000 for 75 MCSD teachers to be Harvard Fellows since 2012.
Foundation and MCSD officials worked together to identify the schools and the candidates to apply for the Buntin Scholars program.
After the ceremony, Shinkle told the Ledger-Enquirer he hopes this announcement will spark more donations for MEEF to fund professional development for more teachers.
Buntin told the L-E this donation is further evidence of the Columbus commitment to improving its way of life.
“It is awfully good to live in a community where people don’t just talk about problems but do something about them,” he said. “… Along with honoring teachers, we’re giving students that really, in many situations, need more help than other students. And we’re going to bring back from Harvard teachers that have the expertise to do just that.”
MEEF is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering educational excellence by focusing on teachers who are innovative and exceptionally effective. In its 24-year history, the foundation has awarded more than $2.6 million to such educators through the Teacher of the Year and Harvard Fellows programs and other grants.
