For the 2019-2020 school year educators in Unit 5 and District 87 submitted 53 applications requesting a total of $103,120. The Foundation awarded $49,805 to 26 projects.
Early Education & Elementary Schools
Benjamin & Glenn
Lauren Romero | $930 | Read, write and play, the Boomwhacker way!
Benjamin, Glenn, Oakdale, Carlock, Colene Hoose, Fox Creek & Grove
Lauren Romero, Kristyn Szwajka, Blake Miller, Gabe Myers | $4,960 | Don’t Fret….let’s sing, strum and play….Uke can do it!
Carlock
Kim Harmon, Crystal Larkin, Kari Fillingham, Bekah Arnold, Ashley Hull, Kathy Lowe | $5,000 | Beyond the Building
Glenn
Hayley Mennenga, Angela Trask | $375 | Inquiry learning through Teaching Tanks and Stream Table Kits
Hudson
Amanda Hunt | $872 | Kinship Kits
Oakdale
Kathie Brown, Kara Thompson | $3,500 | Expanding Robotics Club
Oakland
Rhett Felix | $350 | It’s a Small World
Sarah Raymond
Erin O’Grady, Rhonda Toft | $1,473 | More Than a Box!
Sugar Creek
Karen Showalter | $100 | Word Surgery
Karen Showalter | $200 | The Great Barrier “Teach”
Junior High/Middle Schools
BJHS
Marsha Veninga, Caryn Birchler | $700 | Adopt-a-tree: From Roots to STEM
CJHS
Carissa Brandon & Janelle Learned | $4,800 | Bridges to Literacy: A Multilingual Library
EJHS
Katherine Behrens | $1,340 | “Lore” Podcast Presentations
PJHS
Shawn Schwerman | $400 | Rockin’ the Global Read Aloud
High Schools
NCWHS
Ali Akyuz | $200 | Photography: Blending Then and Now
Lisa Tomlin | $241 | Let’s Get Growing!
Cathy Unsbee & Tracy Freeman | $375 | Civically Engaged Learning
Tracy Freeman & Cathy Unsbee | $375 | Practice Makes Perfect
Tracy Freeman, Cathy Unsbee, Jennifer Hamler, Anthony Berardi, Darren Hess | $375 | Economic IS ENGAGING
Jennifer Hamler & John Bierbaum | $395 | Abnormal Psychology Case Study Kits
April Schermann | $389 | Get Creative, Get Connected, Get Coding with Micro:bits!
April Schermann | $3,294 | Innovate and Educate – Algebra 2 in Business
NCWHS & NCHS
Jessica King & Mike Roller | $4,204 | Get the Red Out
Valentine Walker, Joel Swanson, Justin Steve | $4,957 | Increase in Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide and Its Impact on the Earth
NCHS
Brad Bovenkerk | $5,000 | Journalism: Providing Exposure to Professional Practice and Seeing the Story Through New Lenses
Brad Bovenkerk , Jennifer Kelly, Pam Witzig | $5,000 | Creating a Professional Workspace
Beyond the Box $10,000 Grant
Monies for this award are provided by the Shirk Family Foundation
Stevenson, Sheridan, Irving, Bent, Oakland & Washington Elementary Schools
Matthew Crews & Leah Crews | $10,000 | “Just give me a minute!”
This grant will provide sensory paths in each District 87 elementary school. The goal is to create a space for students to use these paths either as a whole class (taking turns), or as a break for individual students when deemed necessary by their classroom teacher.
Students often have difficult times focusing in class. Sensory paths provide breaks to help students focus and reduce stress and often decrease negative behavior. Research has shown that sensory paths increases productivity, boosts brain function, and provides opportunities for children to learn social skills. Research also has shown that our brains aren’t idle when we take breaks. They are working hard to process memories and help us make sense of what we experience.
By providing these sensory paths in our elementary schools, we are giving teachers a tool to use throughout the day to help students who need to “change their channel”. We want students who are not engaged or who are over stimulated to have a space where they can go to take a break and then return to the learning.
