$11,243 Donated to Local Teachers by Independence Bowl

SHREVEPORT, La. (Sept. 28, 2021) – Alongside the College Football Playoff Foundation and Extra Yard for Teachers, the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl donated a total of $11,243 to local teachers in Caddo and Bossier Parishes.

“Teachers are some of the most important and yet under-appreciated heroes in our society, and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the College Football Playoff Foundation and Extra Yard for Teachers to donate over $11,000 to teachers in our local communities this year,” said Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl Executive Director Missy Setters. “At the Independence Bowl Foundation we see this as an extension of what we have already been doing for the past 15 years with the Willis-Knighton Community Service Scholarships. Now, we cannot wait to see the positive impact that these donations to area educators will have on the promising students in our area.”

The annual celebration of educators throughout the country, Extra Yard for Teachers Week, was from September 10-18. The Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl’s giving began the Extra Yard for Teachers Big Day on Tuesday, September 14, as the bowl donated $1,015 to fully-fund projects from Mrs. Rosier at Airline High School in Bossier City and Mrs. Whitaker-Nelson from Booker T. Washington High School in Shreveport.

Following the Big Day on September 14, the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl donated an additional $10,228 to 26 different local educational initiatives. Of the 89 projects submitted from Bossier Parish, 19 were selected for funding, and nine of the 31 submitted projects from Caddo Parish were selected. Submissions for funding from the Independence Bowl were open to all educators from Caddo, Bossier and DeSoto Parishes through DonorsChoose.org. 

Each project that was funded by the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl during Extra Yard for Teachers Week was posted to DonorsChoose.org by Wednesday, September 8 at 5 p.m. and voted on without knowledge of the school or teacher by an independent committee. This five-figure donation to local teachers is the first initiative of the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl’s newly established philanthropic endeavor – 1st & Give. 

The list of projects and teachers funded by the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl during Extra Yard for Teachers Week is as follows (Teacher Name, School, City, DonorsChoose Project Name, Amount Funded):

• Mrs. Brimer (T.L. Rodes Elementary School – Haughton) – Joyful Read Alouds ($447)
• Mrs. Varnell (Apollo Elementary School – Bossier City) – Reading Fluency: Supplied! ($256)
• Ms. Shihadeh (Apollo Elementary School – Bossier City) – Print, Copy, Scan: Printer Needed! ($403)
• Ms. Ponder (Haughton Middle School – Haughton) – Writing Supplies for ELA! ($280)
• Ms. Lollar (Benton Intermediate School – Benton) – Weird Science ($469)
• Mrs. Rosier (Airline High School – Bossier City) – Inquiry-Based Science Experiments ($521)
• Mrs. Coffin (Northside Elementary School – Shreveport) – STEM Kits and Kleenex for the Library! ($52)
• Mrs. Whitaker-Nelson (Booker T. Washington High School – Shreveport) – The League of Literary Lions! ($494)
• Mrs. Modisette (Haughton Elementary School – Haughton) – Non-fiction texts: bringing reading to life! ($248)
• Ms. Hayes (R.V. Kerr Elementary School – Bossier City) – Molding Pre-K Minds One Tablet at a Time ($195)
• Mr. Meacham (Parkway High School – Bossier City) – Solid, Liquid, Gas and _____? ($353)
• Ms. Burks (Plantation Park Elementary School – Bossier City) – The Write Stuff ($509)
• Mrs. Davis (Rusheon Middle School – Bossier City) – STEM-ING ROBOTICS ($624)
• Mrs. Rayyan (Apollo Elementary School – Bossier City) – Play Time Fun in Kindergarten ($336)
• Mrs. Simpkins (Cope Middle School – Bossier City) – Deep Dive into Our Past! ($441)
• Mrs. Nelson (Curtis Elementary School – Bossier City) – Invent-Create-Explore with Squishy Circuits ($605)
• Ms. Hill (Caddo Heights Math & Science Elementary School – Shreveport) – Loving Math can be Magnificent! ($287)
• Mrs. Avery (Donnie Bickham Middle School – Shreveport) – To Be a Math Specialist are My 4th Grader’s Goal ($400)
• Ms. Mitchell (Midway Mustang Academy – Shreveport) – Can You Hear It Now? ($334)
• Ms. Washington (Northside Elementary School – Shreveport) – Back to School STEM Activities and Challenges ($403)
• Ms. Smith (Ridgewood Middle School – Shreveport) – STEM in the Library! ($589)
• Mrs. Pope (Plantation Park Elementary School – Bossier City) – Help Us Score Some Fairytale STEM Buckets ($595)
• Mrs. Hale (T.L. Rodes Elementary School – Haughton) – Super Scientists! ($534)
• Mrs. Dollar (Cope Middle School – Bossier City) – Horseshoe Table for Good Luck ($781)
• Mrs. B (Captain Shreve High School – Shreveport) – Teen Readers’ Choice Book Club ($51)
• Ms. Kankia (Walnut Hill Elementary School – Shreveport) – Let Us Print! ($597)
• Ms. Gilcrease (Curtis Elementary School – Bossier City) – Every Voice Should Be Heard ($161)
• Mrs. Varnell (Apollo Elementary School – Bossier City) – Sensing Sight Words ($316)

ABOUT THE RADIANCE TECHNOLOGIES INDEPENDENCE BOWL™:

Established in 1976, the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl™ is the nation’s 11th-oldest bowl game. The 45th edition is slated to match up BYU and a representative of Conference USA on Saturday, December 18, 2021 at 2:30 p.m. CST on ABC. Louisiana Tech recorded the first shutout in the game’s history with a 14-0 victory over Miami in the 44th Independence Bowl in 2019. The Independence Bowl Foundation announced a one-year extension with Radiance Technologies – ensuring they will be the title sponsor through 2025. The bowl’s conference and team agreements, as well as the television agreement, also run through the 2025 season. Army West Point and BYU are slated to matchup against a rotation of the Pac-12 Conference, American Athletic Conference and Conference USA, which will be televised on an ESPN network.

The Independence Bowl Foundation is prevalent in the Shreveport-Bossier City area throughout the year, hosting events to help enhance the economic impact and growth of our community. The Mission of the Independence Bowl is to attract and provide quality, nationally recognized football competition oriented to the Ark-La-Tex region. For more information, visit RadianceTechnologiesIndependenceBowl.com or follow the bowl on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @IndyBowl.