Navigate Affordable Housing Partners, a housing and community development nonprofit organization, has donated $50,000 to Washington K-8 School as part of its work in the North Titusville neighborhood.

“Any development community effort is only successful it you have schools. Strong schools make for strong communities and strong communities have healthy families,” Lisa McCarroll, CEO of the group, said while presenting the donation during a Birmingham Board of Education board meeting June 11.

The Navigate Affordable Housing Partners’ has launched an initiative in North Titusville that focuses on housing, education, blight removal and catalytic development.

Antonia Ishman, principal at Washington, accepted the donation and said,  “We will use this to invigorate the academic and social-emotional learning of our students.”

Also during that meeting, the Birmingham City Schools’ 2019 Teachers of the Year were introduced to board members.

Dr. Shonterrius Lawson-Fountain, an eighth grade English language arts teacher at W.E. Putnam Middle School; and Brianna Cantrell, a pre-K teacher at Sun Valley Elementary School, each were awarded 2019 SUV’s to use for one year as recognition for their achievement. The vehicles were donated by Adamson Ford.

“There are multiple layers of complexity that come with the running of a school system, but the magic and the victories happen in the classroom,” Dr. Lisa Herring, BCS superintendent, said in the meeting.

Each of the school system’s 42 schools nominated a teacher for the award. Winners were selected based on standards set for the state’s Teacher of the Year program, including experience and certifications, demonstration of leadership and letters of support. A BCS committee submits its two recommendations for the statewide award.

The board also approved the plans for a summer professional development conference next month. The conference is offered to all K-12 teachers.

Teachers will attend two days of workshops, and BCS administrators will attend for a three-day retreat.

This is the third year the school system has provided the conference for its educators. The board approved spending up to $150,00 for the conference, which will be at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex.