For Pam Hilton, it’s almost like having a disease — a disease that makes her want to write grants so she can get money for her students. In the past few years, Hilton, a first-grade teacher at West Primary School, has received 12 grants, including her most recent — a $12,000 allotment from the 2000 Christa McAuliffe&160;Fellowship Program. Hilton also receives a trip to Washington, D.C.

McAuliffe, a teacher, died in the 1986 explosion of the space shuttle Challenger.

&uot;This is such an honor because of who she was and what she represented,&uot; said Hilton, who laughed when asked if this means she gets to ride in the shuttle.

&uot;No, but that would be nice,&uot; she said.

Only two teachers in each state received the grant funding. &uot;I was stunned,&uot; Hilton said of the award.

The Natchez-Adams School District will use the grant funding to implement a &uot;Get Ready, Get Set, Write&uot; program for all students in grades kindergarten through third.

&uot;I chose (writing) because there is a need, and your good writers are good readers so we need children to be able to do both,&uot; Hilton said.

The grant will impact 124 teachers and more than 1,700 students with daily writing activities.

The district will receive teacher-training, teachers-guides and student handbooks to implement a consistent writing program.

Hilton said teachers will be able to blend the training with the writing they are already doing in their classrooms. Hilton said she wrote this and other grants with students in mind. She wrote her first grant because she wanted extra money for her classroom. Then she got hooked on the process.

&uot;It’s like a disease or something,&uot; she said. &uot;But actually, when you think of how the children benefit, it’s worth (the time involved).&uot;

Hilton writes the grants on her own time.

She has received funding on a wide range of topics, such as programs to encourage parental involvement to cooking and music grants.

Currently, she is working on a grant to finance student resources officers for the district’s schools. These officers are police officers which are trained to work on school campuses.

Hilton thinks many teachers are capable of grant-writing.

&uot;More teachers should try it,&uot;&160;she said. &uot;It’s really not that hard to do. It just takes time.&uot;