Hancock Whitney Corporation
02/03/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 02/04/2026 03:29
Hancock Whitney, GCCF Award Leo Seal Teacher Grants for 2026
For More Information
Paul Maxwell, Senior Communications [email protected] or 228.867.8690
10 Outstanding Mississippi teachers honored for teaching excellence, creativity
GULFPORT, Miss. (January 30, 2026)-For the 30th year, some of Mississippi's most accomplished, creative teachers have received Leo W. Seal Innovative Teacher Grants for their commitment to educational excellence and to pay for original teaching projects designed to enrich students' education with hands-on learning opportunities.
Hancock Whitney and the Gulf Coast Community Foundation (GCCF) presented the 2026 Seal grants earlier today during a recognition luncheon hosted by the bank at Hancock Whitney's downtown Gulfport corporate headquarters.
Teachers earning one-time Seal grants for 2026 are Tanya Ray Adams, North Woolmarket Elementary & Middle School; Emily Katherine Bethea, Christ Covenant School, Ridgeland; Elaine Barnes Dent, Vancleave Middle School; Jacqueline Aultman Foreman, D'Iberville Middle School; Schenel Fricke, Hancock County Career & Technical Center; Matthew Godshaw, Petal High School; Cynthia Denice Harris, Moss Point Career & Technical Education Center; Lisa Renee Klann, D'Iberville High School; Melanie Walton, Lighthouse Academy for Dyslexia, Ocean Springs; and Sara Drue Zimmer, Petal High School.
Funded by Hancock Whitney and administered by GCCF, the Seal grants recognize exceptional dedication to teaching and fund teaching proposals that enhance students' educational experiences and support state curriculum at K-12 schools in the eight Mississippi counties in which Hancock Whitney currently has financial centers - Forrest, Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson Davis, Lamar, Madison, and Pearl River.
"We at Hancock Whitney extend our sincere congratulations and heartfelt gratitude to the 2026 Leo W. Seal Innovative Teacher Grant winners," said Hancock Whitney President and CEO John M. Hairston. "Generations of Hancock Whitney associates have embraced our founding mission to help people achieve their financial goals and dreams since our charter was established in Mississippi more than 125 years ago. By partnering with the Gulf Coast Community Foundation to create the Leo W. Seal Innovative Teacher Grants program and by funding the grants, we've had the honor to help encourage and reward exceptional teaching commitment among outstanding educators dedicated to preparing students to discover and realize their own dreams."
Each Seal grant recipient received up to $2,000 to activate their award-winning teaching initiative at their school. The 2026 grant recipients share insights about their commitment to teaching at https://share.vidyard.com/watch/kskLA87bE6rm7wo8FBCfX5.
More about the Seal Grants
Hancock Whitney established the Leo W. Seal Innovative Teacher Grants in 1994 as a permanent endowment of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation Pat Santucci Friends of Public Education Program. GCCF and Hancock Whitney awarded the first grants in 1996. GCCF manages the grants and selection of winners by an independent committee not affiliated with Hancock Whitney.
Additionally, the program pays tribute to the legacies of the late Leo W. Seal, Sr., the bank's president from 1932 to 1963, and his son, the late Leo W. Seal, Jr., the company's chief executive for 45 years. During their lives, both men championed countless educational and economic growth opportunities across the Gulf Coast.
Hancock Whitney and GCCF will announce availability of online applications for 2027 grants this summer.
The 2026 Winners
Tanya Rae Adams
North Woolmarket Elementary & Middle School Students in 7th and 8th grades transform abstract chemistry and physics concepts in concrete, hands-on experiences by integrating spectroscopy into the classroom to observe directly energy transfer, atomic structure, and wave behavior. |
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Emily Katherine Bethea
Christ Covenant School Ninth-grade biology students and 12th-grade genetics students delve deeper into genetics by performing gel electrophoresis labs, replicating scientific research through analysis of simulated DNA samples to detect inherited conditions and match fictional suspects to crimes. |
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Elaine Barnes Dent
Vancleave Middle School After constructing solar car and wind turbine kits in class, 8th-grade science students design and implement an experiment using solar and wind energy to compare electrical output from each device and share results to consider the advantages and disadvantages of alternative energy sources. |
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Jacqueline Aultman Foreman
D'Iberville Middle School Students receiving special education and speech-language services learn and practice essential life skills by operating a student-run mobile coffee cart, enhancing their Individual Education Programs, building confidence and independence, and cultivating an inclusive, connected school community. |
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Schenel Fricke
Hancock County Career & Technical Center Twelfth-grade students learn entrepreneurship, financial responsibility, communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, and leadership by independently managing all aspects of pop-up shops on or near campus, gaining vital experience in running a business in a safe, supportive environment. |
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Matthew Godshaw
Petal High School Chemistry and physics students apply STEM skills such as circuit soldering, coding, and data analysis in designing, building, and deploying air-quality monitoring stations in classrooms and common areas to help identify locations where poor air quality may contribute to illness-related absences. |
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Cynthia Denice Harris
Moss Point Career & Technical Education Center Welding technology students design and fabricate durable outdoor benches and picnic tables made from steel tubing and sheet metal-including panels featuring the school mascot and colors-and installed in designated courtyard areas to create safe, inviting outdoor spaces for students and staff. |
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Lisa Renee Klann
D'Iberville High School Engaging in a hands-on forensic investigation, 11th and 12th grade students employ scientific inquiry and critical thinking to analyze hair, fiber, and fingerprint evidence, discovering how microscopic and trace evidence can help reconstruct events, identify suspects, and solve a simulated crime. |
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Melanie Walton
Lighthouse Academy for Dyslexia Sixth-grade students become curators, artists, writers, and storytellers, interacting physically, emotionally, visually, and socially with high-impact vocabulary to highlight visual-spatial strengths and communicate cultural meaning in a student-led arts-integrated multisensory experience. |
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Sara Drue Zimmer
Petal High School Through original research projects incorporating donated fresh chicken carcasses, senior students collect and analyze qualitative and quantitative data while observing firsthand the process and stages of decay and calculating time since death, mirroring real-world crime-solving forensics. |
About Hancock Whitney
Since the late 1800s, Hancock Whitney has embodied core values of Honor & Integrity, Strength & Stability, and Commitment to Service, Teamwork, and Personal Responsibility. Hancock Whitney offices and financial centers in Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas offer comprehensive financial products and services, including traditional and online banking; commercial and small business banking; private banking; trust and investment services; healthcare banking; and mortgage services. The company also operates combined loan and deposit production offices in the greater metropolitan areas of Nashville, Tennessee, and Atlanta, Georgia. More information is available at https://www.hancockwhitney.com.
Hancock Whitney Corporation published this content on February 03, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on February 04, 2026 at 09:30 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]