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FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
April 23, 2008
Hancock
Bank honors local teachers with Leo Seal awards
GULFPORT,
MS (April 23, 2008) - Five of South Mississippi's best and
brightest educators earned apples for the teachers and money
to help students during today's 12th annual Leo
W. Seal Teacher Recognition Awards program at Hancock Bank's
downtown Gulfport headquarters.
Amid 100-plus guests attending the luncheon ceremony, Hancock
Bank executives, guest speaker and University of Southern
Mississippi President Dr. Martha Saunders, and Gulf Coast
Community Foundation representatives lauded winners for instructional
expertise and creative curriculum-enhancing proposals that
reinforce state requirements and complement curriculums.
Selected based on past and planned classroom teaching applications,
2008 Seal award recipients Wanda Allen of Gulfport's
West Elementary School, Pamela Carrubba of Bay
Waveland Middle School, Thomas Powell of St.
Martin High School, Cherie Ramsey of Long Beach
Middle School, and Kristen Wheat of South Side
Upper Elementary School in Picayune each received a one-time
$1,500 grant for innovative value-added educational projects,
a gift card for supplies, and a pewter apple handcrafted exclusively
for Hancock Bank by John Cannon of Ballard Pewter, Ltd., in
Ocean Springs. This year, Hancock Bank increased the amount
of each grant by $500.
"Each of you makes a difference in the lives of our children
and in the future of our region. We thank you for your commitment
and encourage you to continue helping students discover new
and exciting opportunities," said George A. Schloegel,
chairman of Hancock Holding Company, the parent company of
Hancock Bank.
In keynote remarks, Hattiesburg native Saunders expressed
appreciation to all teachers and cited important life-lessons
from teachers and students influencing her as a daughter,
student, high school instructor and, later, a college professor
and administrator. She summarized those insights as "Nine
Words to Live By": live wisely, love earnestly, find
joy, work, press on.
"You
teach life, and we take those lessons with us each day and
with each decision we make. Thank you," she concluded.
Established in 1994, the Leo W. Seal awards recognize teaching
excellence and individual contributions to South Mississippi
education and support teachers by funding original classroom
teaching initiatives. The awards commemorate the leadership
and achievements of the late Leo W. Seal, Sr., Hancock Bank
president from 1932 until his death in 1963, and his son,
current Hancock Holding Company President Leo W. Seal, Jr.,
in facilitating Gulf Coast economic growth and educational
opportunity. The Gulf Coast Community Foundation (GCCF) manages
the endowment as a permanent fund of the GCCF's Pat Santucci
Friends of Public Education program.
In
fall 2007, teachers, parents, and students nominated kindergarten
through 12th-grade teachers from school districts
in Forrest, Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Lamar, Pearl River,
and Jefferson Davis counties for the Seal awards. Teachers
receiving invitations to submit full project proposals presented
their ideas to an independent selection committee comprising
representatives from the seven counties and not affiliated
with Hancock Bank.
Forms for 2009 nominations will be available in late September
2008 at all public school offices and Hancock Bank locations
in Forrest, Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Lamar, Pearl River,
and Jefferson Davis counties or from GCCF (phone: 228-897-4841).
The
2008 Leo W. Seal Teacher Recognition Award Winners
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Wanda
Allen - West Elementary School (Gulfport). "Engineering
is Elementary" - Students will utilize their
math and science skills to create robots. Through teamwork,
students will determine the best way to construct their
robots to compete successfully against other teams. |
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Pamela
Carrubba - Bay Waveland Middle School. "Around the
World in 187 Days" - Using a global life-size
map, students will analyze globalization and elements
of a global economy, including free trade and international
markets. These lessons will relate current events to students'
everyday lives. |
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Thomas
Powell - St. Martin High School. "Infinity for Engineering"
- Students will break down and analyze sights and sounds
with Digital Signal Processors. Students will use this
knowledge to create a digital yearbook, to generate computer
programs, to construct a functional shoe, and to develop
a marketing plan for selling the shoe. |
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Cherie
Ramsey - Long Beach Middle School. "Holocaust Awareness
& Remembrance Promotes Social Tolerance (H.A.R.P.S)."
- H.A.R.P.S. will utilize virtual tours of World War II
concentration camps and biographical readings such as
The Diary of Anne Frank to study and compare past
prejudices with modern stereotypes, encouraging dialogue
on tolerance of cultural and social diversity. |
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Kristen
Wheat - South Side Upper Elementary School (Picayune).
"Kids' News Network (KNN)" - Kids News
Network will allow students to research, create, edit,
and report news broadcasts to their school. Broadcasts
will focus on school events as well as community events
and will spotlight community leaders. |
About
Hancock Bank
Hancock
Bank consistently rates as one of America's strongest, safest
financial institutions and recently ranked third among the
country's top-performing banks. Founded in 1899, Hancock operates
164 banking and financial services offices and 136 ATMs in
South Mississippi, south central Louisiana, southern Alabama,
and the Florida Panhandle. Hancock Holding Company (NASDAQ:
HBHC) has assets of approximately $6.4 billon. More corporate
information and online banking services are available at www.hancockbank.com.
About
GCCF
GCCF is a public charity dedicated to the progressive development
of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The foundation's primary mission
is to increase philanthropic support of worthy causes by providing
donor services, grants, and problem-solving leadership. The
foundation achieves that mission by developing and managing
a comprehensive base of endowment funds - an expanding pool
of charitable dollars - permanently committed to meeting the
needs of the people of South Mississippi.
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FOR
MORE INFORMATION
R.
Paul Maxwell, VP & Corporate Communications Manager
228.563.7953 or paul_maxwell@hancockbank.com
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