By Alaina Denean Deshazo
The Selma Times-Journal

Tipton Durant Middle School was awarded with a $1,500,000 million grant from the Alabama State Department of Education.

Jackie Averhart, principal at Tipton, said it was a long process to get the grant, but she was so excited to find out that her school was one of the nine in the state selected to receive it.

“I was so excited for the boys and girls for Tipton Durant Middle School and for the community as a whole,” Averhart said.

“To me, it means that the grant committee sees the commitment, the dedication, the promise that Tipton is making to boys and girls.”

Averhart said the process began when she was contacted by Dallas County School System superintendent, Hattie Shelton, about the possibility of the grant. From there, she gathered a team named the leadership team to work on the application process. They had to submit a letter to the central office stating that they were interested in applying for the grant. After that, they worked on the actual application and were called in for an interview with state department personnel.

“We worked various and many evenings and after hours,” Averhart said. “It is my desire as the principal, … to use every penny of the funds that we’ve been allocated to make our boys and girls here … the very best that they can be and to give them that competitive edge.”

Averhart said the school plans to use the grant for education and technology.

“Actually being able to enhance the amount of technology for our children, also not just the amount, but the knowledge level of the use of the technology, [is the plan],” Averhart said. “Being able to provide extended learning opportunities for our students, it’s just really going to be a total turn around for Tipton Durant Middle School.”