On Tuesday Morning, big surprises were in store for educators at West Oso ISD, as the West Oso Education Foundation kicked off its first round of innovative teacher grants. Twenty teachers across the district received funds to support nine exciting classroom projects to enhance student learning. Among the many teachers were Benita Munoz and Drusilla Lomas, who were thrilled to find out they had been chosen to receive the grants. Munoz is a business instructor who said this will help out with the Business Attire closet she would like to have for her BPA (Business Professionals of America) students. " It sometimes is a hurdle for some of our students to have to go out and buy business attire, and this( grant) will help remove that barrier for them," she said. Having this for her students will also help them join without any hesitation, Munoz added. This provides them with the resources they need to be successful and ready to compete. For Lomas, who has helped launch the district's Culinary Arts class, she will use the grant to bring in a BBQ pit to teach students the art of grilling. She said teaching them that BBQ cuisine was a top priority since we live in South Texas. We wanted our students to learn more about how to BBQ and the different kinds of foods that you can BBQ, and we are just so excited to have been chosen to receive this grant, Lomas said. The grants are part of the foundation's effort to bridge funding gaps and provide educators with the resources they need to enrich their students' educational experiences. We are always looking for more ways that we can reinforce theses teachers that we value what they are doing and that we see the impact and when we are able to actually give them money they can see that and they can feel it and understand that we are here to support them," Tracy Harper, a board member for the foundation said. Harper added that this is only the beginning of their mission, and recognizng the students and teachers is their main focus. The West Oso Foundation recently raised $40,000 at the state of the district, and they are hoping to raise more funds to continue impacting the teachers and the students. If you would like to learn more about the foundation or donate click here, For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.