Multicultural Fund 2025

Since 2017, the Henrion Multicultural fund for Oldham County Teachers has awarded 17 teachers with grant funds to travel abroad, to the location of their choosing, during the summer break. The recipients, all certified classroom teachers in Oldham County Schools, use the grant to help fund travel abroad and exposure to different cultures through either independent study, or participation in a program or university.

The purpose of the grant is to broaden teachers’ cultural horizons and ultimately enhance students’ cultural understanding and to excite them to seek similar multicultural experiences. The hope is that these experiences will help the teacher infuse a more personal perspective that only first-hand experience can provide.

This year, the fund has grown significantly, allowing three Oldham County Schools teachers to each receive $2700 to travel abroad.

Brittney Stevenson, a Spanish teacher at SOHS, will travel through Andalucía, Spain, fulfilling a lifelong dream to visit the birthplace of Pablo Picasso and explore the region’s vibrant artistic and cultural legacy. Inspired by a classroom unit on Spanish artists and the historical influence of Islamic culture on the Spanish language, she plans to deepen her understanding of these connections to better engage her students. Her trip will also enhance the travel unit she teaches by incorporating firsthand experience in navigating city-to-city transit across Spain, enriching students’ practical language skills and cultural understanding.

 

Tonya Sipes, who teaches Spanish at OCHS, will head to Peru to explore Incan history, modern Peruvian culture, and cuisine. With a strong background in AP and dual credit courses, Sipes plans to incorporate her hands-on learning, including Peruvian cooking classes, into cultural comparison units. Her goal is to deepen lessons on Latin American heritage and global citizenship.

 

Mondana Bonaccorso, an English teacher at NOHS, will attend a seminar at Oxford University on teaching Shakespeare through performance and contemporary interpretation. During this time, she also plans to visit Stratford-upon-Avon and London’s Globe Theatre. Bonaccorso strives to make Shakespeare more accessible and engaging by sharing her immersive experiences with students and offering new approaches to classic literature. The seminar will also support her pursuit of a third master’s degree in English.

Through the Henrion Multicultural Fund, Oldham County Schools continues to invest in the professional growth of educators and inspire students to embrace the richness of a multicultural world.