In honor of our school teachers, Tuesday is National Teacher Day which began back in 1953, when First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt persuaded Congress to form the day.

The 2008 theme for National Teacher Day is "Great Teachers make Great Public Schools" and it works to draw attention to teacher's roles in public education.

In light of this national celebration, we want to recognize our own local teachers, as many of them receive grants for the 2007-2008 school year.

The Harrisonburg Education Foundation, or HEF, awarded 30 Harrisonburg Public Schools teachers with grants totaling about $23,000.

All six Harrisonburg City Schools received these grants, and thousands of dollars was given to teachers for their contributions in the classroom.

The HEF is nonprofit and is governed by a board of directors that represents our community. Their mission is to help enrich the educational experience for students in the Harrisonburg City Public Schools.

One recipient of this year's grants comes from Keister Elementary. Physical Education teacher Barbara Cavanuagh received an educator grant award for her program "Be Fit - Kick Up your Heels."

She says equipment needed for physical education can be very expensive, so this year's grant really helps them out.

"Each year, we try to spend as much as we can, because the things that we buy are very expensive for physical education," says Cavanuagh. "So, we use it, K through 5, all grades use the equipment that we buy. So it's very helpful."

Thomas Harrison Middle School received the most money from the grants, bringing in about $6,000. Keister Elementary was third with about $3,800.