Congratulations to Mrs. Rhonda Kopplemann, Rolla Junior High School History Teacher, on being named a 2025 grant recipient through Fund for Teachers!

Fund for Teachers – Press Release

Fund for Teachers, one of the nation's leading organizations supporting preK-12 educators, has announced its 2025 grant recipients – including  Mrs. Rhonda Koppelmann from Rolla Jr. High School in Rolla, Missouri. Mrs. Koppelmann’s team submitted a proposal to research in Greece. Her team will explore how ideas of this ancient civilization led to a demand for citizen participation in government, and how these ideas continue to matter in today's free societies. It will allow her team to design learning that creates citizens who take a proactive role in their government and in preserving world democracy. After a rigorous review process, Mrs. Koppelmann’s team proposal was selected and the team was awarded $10,000 to make it happen. 

Mrs. Koppelmann is one of 357 PK-12 teachers from across the United States awarded a total of $1.625 million to pursue self-designed learning expeditions across 79 countries in six continents this summer. [Visit the Fund for Teachers website for the full list of 2025 Fund for Teachers Fellows.] This group of educators also comprise the Fund for Teachers’ 25^th cohort of FFT Fellows. Since 2001,

Fund for Teachers has invested $39 million in 10,225 teachers from across the United States.

“Traveling for professional development allows teachers to develop lessons that stick. It allows lesson plans to become stories. These stories turn into action, and that action changes the world. Our team is deeply grateful that Fund for Teachers recognizes the importance of preparing students to exert their own voice in the democratic process.”   -  Rhonda Koppelmann 

Fund for Teachers recognizes that teachers are the key learners in their classrooms. As such, FFT grants give educators the freedom to determine what and where they need to learn to ultimately enhance students’ academic and emotional growth. 

“Teachers play the pivotal role in shaping students' academic success and, in many cases, their social and emotional well-being in an increasingly unpredictable world,” said Karen Eckhoff, executive director. “Fund for Teachers believes that their unwavering commitment to America's students deserves our full support, empowering educators to pursue the growth opportunities they deem most impactful for their students' futures.”

For more information about Fund for Teachers’ grant opportunities and their impact on educators, students, and school communities, visit fundforteachers.org or connect on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, or email carrie@fundforteachers.org