Eugene Field Elementary School Title I teacher Nancy Baker, third from left, received a $2,000 Laurann Webber Excellence in Teaching grant on Thursday morning from Justin Webber, from left, Brendan Webber and Larry Webber. They created the grant in Laurann Webber's honor. Commerce Bank matched the original $5,000 grant for five district teachers, leading to the $2,000 award for the grant's inaugral year.

Five current and former Mexico School District 59 teachers received a generous surprise Thursday morning when Larry Webber and his sons, Justin and Brendan, of Webber Family of Pharmacies, announced the recipients of the Laurann Webber Excellence in Teaching grants.

Larry Webber announced the creation of the grant program at the Mexico Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual Commerce and Industry dinner in October. Awards originally were to be distributed in April, but the event was pushed back until Thursday due to COVID-19 and the closure of schools.

“We were looking for a way to repay the community,” Webber said. “We looked at various things. We wanted something a little different and teachers don’t always get the recognition they deserve.”

Four current and one former district teacher received the grants. The original grant award was for $5,000 to be split among the five teachers at each of the district’s schools. Commerce Bank’s President in Missouri Steve Sowers contacted the Webbers and offered to match the grant amount for the inaugural year, so teachers received $2,000 grants. Webber has served on the bank’s advisory board for 30 years, he said.

“It is not necessarily for school supplies. They can use it that way, but they could use it for a vacation, or whatever they wish,” Webber said.

Teachers receiving the grants were Nancy Baker, Carey Knipfel, Dan Quinlan, Kayla Hildebrand and Jennifer McIntyre, who no longer is with the district. While McIntyre is not with the district, she would have received the grant in April, so the Webbers still wanted to reward her work.

“I can’t put into words. It is quite an honor,” Baker said. “You don’t go into teaching for awards and grants. You go in for the kids. It’s really nice that [the Webbers] have honored teachers in this way.”

Baker still is deciding how to use her grant money, but said a portion will go toward her classroom, while the other may be for personal use.

“This is just another example of how amazing Mexico, Missouri is,” Mexico Middle School Principal Deb Hill-Haag said after grants were presented to Knipfel and Quinlan. “They [Webbers] are just wonderful men who do wonderful things for the community.”

Hildebrand already has plans for her grant. She wants to purchase a sensory table for her prekindergarten students.

“They explore with their hands and it is a light-up table, so you can get light manipulatives and play with those also,” she said.

nav-oc Naviga Writer 2020-08-20T21:52:44Z false yes NEWS Momex-082220-news-webber-checks