Richmond Public Schools, along with The Community Foundation and the R.E.B. Foundation, has announced four schoolteachers as winners of the 2022 R.E.B. Awards for Teaching Excellence.

Considered among the best in their field, the instructors demonstrate a sincere passion for teaching while also serv- ing as mentors, coaches, and champions for their students. Selected from 75 nominees submitted by students, parents, and colleagues, 16 winners and 9 finalists will receive cash grants totaling $206,000.

The R.E.B. Awards provide opportunities for area public school teachers to continue their own love of learning as they pursue adventures of a lifetime.

Connected by a desire to make their lessons relevant, all 2022 awardees will have the chance to collect real-life experiences, stories, and artifacts to renew their passion for teaching and enhance their ability to bring subject matter to life for their students.

This year’s winners are:

• Jamar Billups, Armstrong High School, $12,500

Mr. Billups will explore the universal humanity at the core of creating and revering symbols by drawing connections in how those in London and Jerusalem hold reverence for their respective symbols to those who live and die in the gang-infested projects of Richmond.

• John Ryan Nunez, Franklin Military Academy, $13,500

Mr. Nunez will delve into the relationship between Hawaii’s people and its natural environment in order to explore the

influence of tropical ecosystems on his Pacific Islander heritage and the impact of Hawaiian civilization on the natural flora and fauna.

• Ashleigh Russell, Albert Hill Middle School, $13,000

Ms. Russell will travel the United States and Mexico to make real-world cultural connections that will heighten student engagement in mathematical understanding by providing a culturally responsive learning environment.

• Monica Thomas-Moore, Barack Obama Elementary School,$7,500

Mrs. Thomas-Moore will travel to Paris to learn new cooking styles in order to enhance skills and share with students how math and science play a large role in our daily lives.