MADISON – Optimist Clubs are dedicated to promoting youth and encouraging them to achieve the best in individual pursuits. Supporting this organizational goal, Madison Optimist Club recently issued grants to teachers in Madison City Schools.

Each club is autonomous in its outreach, and Madison Optimist Club members agreed to give grants to classroom teachers in Madison’s elementary schools. The following teachers received grants at the May 18 meeting of Madison Board of Education:

* Alyson Durrett — Columbia Elementary School, Camp S’more.

* Karen Jump — Columbia Elementary, third-grade Secret Agent Day.

* Bethany Kachelman — Midtown Elementary School, ESL or English as a Second Language celebration.

* Kristina Stundtner – Horizon Elementary School and Midtown Elementary, music study.

* Julie Vandiver – Columbia Elementary, studies in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics or STEM.

* Pamela Weaver – Horizon Elementary, English Language Arts or ELA bins.

* Sevim Whitaker — Midtown Elementary, ESL dictionaries.

* Amy Williams — Horizon Elementary, board games.

* Molly Wright — Horizon Elementary, National Honor Society.

Scott Piro and Ann van Leeuwen represented their fellow Optimists in presenting the grants.

“A big thank-you to the Madison Optimist Club for supporting our teachers and schools,” MCS Public Relations Manager John S. Peck said.