Honor Grants

HONOR AND MEMORIAL GRANTS

Annually, REFI makes available Honor and Memorial Grants to Rockingham County Public School staff through the generosity of our donors. These grants not only support the initiative and creativity of the RCPS staff, they also honor and remember individuals that have a strong sense of support for public education in our community. The honor grants are listed below and identify the area of specific support if identified by the donor or the individual being recognized.

Dr. Carol Smith Armstrong Honor Grant

This grant is to honor Superintendent Dr. Carol Armstrong who retired from Rockingham County Public Schools in July 2017 after 10 years of service as the Superintendent and 38 years of service in education. The grant's focus is to support initiatives in agriculture education.

Charlette McQuilkin Honor Grant

This grant is to honor Dr. Charlette McQuilkin, a retired RCPS teacher, administrator, and current school board member possesses a true passion that comes from her dedication to education in both the school and in the community. Her work in service, education, and leadership have one thing in common: kids come first. This Honor Grant is specifically for English Language Learner Teachers and/or Special Education Teachers.

John Kidd Honor Grant

This grant was established in honor of Superintendent John H. Kidd, who retired from RCPS in July 2007. The grant's focus is to support initiatives in mathematics and is open to all schools and grade levels in Rockingham County Public Schools.

Kelley Coggsdale Memorial Grant

The Kelley Coggsdale Memorial Grant for Character Counts!© education/activity is open to all grade levels and schools in Rockingham County Public Schools. Recipients of this grant should include how they plan to implement all 6 of the Character Counts!© pillars (Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship). A VA Cooperative Extension/4-H staff member will work in a partnership with the recipient (s) to implement the grant or grants and will be required to attend an organizational meeting with Extension/4-H before implementing funds for the activity/project. It can be one grant for $1,000 or the money can be split into more than one grant - each receiving assistance from 4-H staff.

Nancy Mast Honor/Memorial Grant

Upon Nancy's death in 2015, this grant was established to honor and recognize her past accomplishments and excellent service to RCPS. Fittingly, this grant will focus on early literacy.

Monica Pence Barlow Educational Grant for Literacy

This grant is in memory of Monica Pence Barlow. Monica attended Rockingham County Public Schools, as did her husband Ben and parents Wayne and Ramona. She believed strongly in the value of education and loved to read throughout her life. She loved libraries and seeing children in particular open their worlds through the magic of books. Monica took her love of reading with her as she attended college at William and Mary and then as she became one of the few women to direct a public relations department for a Major League Baseball team (the Baltimore Orioles). The grant’s focus is to enhance educational opportunities for students with an emphasis on literacy and communication – two areas of immense interest for Monica, and critical for the success of children.

Montevideo High School Class of 1969 Educational Grant

This grant is awarded to a teacher currently teaching at Montevideo Middle School. During the planning of their 45th class reunion, the Montevideo Class of 1969 embarked on a mission to create an endowment fund for which teachers can apply to create educational opportunities that would otherwise not be available for their students.