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2024-2025 Grant Awards

Beyond the Books announced its 2024-2025 grant winners on Monday, May 6, 2024. Educators in District 87 and Unit 5 submitted were awarded $80,645 for 47 projects.  

 

Early Education & Elementary Schools

Benjamin

* Christina Schultz | $3480 | Growing The World In Our School Yard

 

 

CARLOCK

 * Jennifer Burns | $3,270 | Whatjamajig????? .... No, It is a Rigamajig!!

 * Stacy Herren | $702  | Purposeful Play

 

 

GLENN

* Angie Grubic, Jamie Haseman, Bridget Law & Leeann Bain  | $1,086 | We ARE a Thinking COMMUNITY, come THINK with us!

 

IRVING

* Erin Knuth  | $642 | Books for All       

                                                       
                    

NORTHPOINT

* Meghan Pantaleone  | $645 | Parks for All                                                                                                    
 

 

OAKLAND

* Sarah Martin | $795 | Empowering Education Through Playaways


                                                                                 

Prairieland

* Danielle Estes | $519  | Mighty Language Learning with Miniature Objects

* Suzanne Schertz | $291 | Growing Away from the Book
                    

 

STEVENSON

* Jason Studryvin | $655 | Remote Control Tag

* Jason Studryvin | $736 | Jumping Rope Should be for Everyone

 
SUGAR CREEk

* Karen Showalter | $794 | Building a “Sound” Reader

* Karen Showalter & Rachel Mattson | $799 | No Words = More Words

* Laura Yost | $773 | Step Into School
 

 

WASHINGTON

* Maggie Killian, Jayme Corcoran & Erin Bersche | $4,875 | Garden Greenhouse Gateway to Learning

 
 

Junior High/Middle Schools

BLOOMINGTON JHS

* Kristen Ayers & Jessica Dougall  | $324 | Birthday Bags

* Rachel Kuehnl | $419 | Winning with Math Game Play

* Caley Oltman & Lillian Harrison | $698 | Building Skills through Board Games    
 

 

CHIDDIX JHS

* Jillian Meszar | $740 | Empowering Minority Music

 

 

Evans JHS

* Elisa Palacio, Bethany Schlipf & Jessica Hoy | $796 | Building Linguistic and Cultural Bridges
 

 

KINGSLEY JHS                  

* Anita Holland | $322 | Hands on History

* Jennifer Ritchason & Nikki Brienen |  $675 | Promoting Reading, Writing, & Book Ownership Through Creating Picture Books

* Jennifer Ritchason  |  $500 | Sometimes Wonderful Community Service Opportunities Fall into Your Lap!      

* Jennifer Ritchason, Mindy Leverton, Nikki Brienen & Katie Starkey  |  $505 | Improving Social & Emotional Regulation
with Board Games

* Eric Stegemann & Lakeisha Banks | $3,918 | A Studio to Keep Kids in the Know

 

 

PARKSIDE JHS

* Shiann Papandrea | $790 | Breakout Boxes for Reading Engagement-

* Jessica Lawent & Shelby Gresham | $784 | Magnatiles for Surface Area!

 

High Schools

BLOOMINGTON High School

* Marla Brady & Casey Kelley | $600 | To Kill A Mockingbird Graphic Novel

* Jacob Beinborn | $4,479 | Percussion Practice Accessibility: Tools and Aides for Effective Practice

* Lisa Clover | $2,663 | Recipe for Success

* Angela Thatcher & Amy Ehrich | $4,930 | Rescue Ready: Elevating Student Preparedness with CPR & AED Training

 

         

EUGENE FIELD

*  Jordan Newton-Gonzalez, Abby Everett & Jenni Decker | $4,000 | Building Independence Through Apartment Living
 

 

Normal Community High School

*  Wendy Davis & Zach Barr | $798 | Learning Environment for In School Suspension

* Kara Klepp & Dave Feeney | $734 | Pickleball Club      

* Caroline Fox Anvick, Michelle Hawkins, Emily Houk, Jodi Tamburini & Laura Turner | $798 | Hooray for Hi-Lo!           

* Kathleen Pufahl | $1,240 | Balances for Biology

* Kathleen Pufahl & Amanda Long | $4,100 | A "Little" Fun With Electrophoresis

* Hunter Watts | $400 | Concepts in Practice: Statecraft Simulations

 

Normal Community West High School

* John Bierbaum | $824 | Let's get digital, digital:  Convert Archival Materials for Online Access

* Ryan Budzinski | $740| Seeing Myself in My Music                                                                                                                

* Remy Garard & Katie Bovenkerk | $950 | Children's Books as Windows and Mirrors for Research

* Natalie Spath | $515 | Speak Now (Journalism version)                                                                                     

* Abagail Primo | $961 | Science is Unbeleafable: Student-led Experimental Design

* Valentine Walker, Joel Swanson, and Michael Burt | $4976 |  Oh Canada, You Are On Fire!

* Valentine Walker, Joel Swanson, Daniel Highby & David Lehr | $4920 |  Recycling: Let's  Keep Plastics Out of Our Oceans and Extrude Them!

* Dave Weber | $1,484 | STEM Is Elementary

Beyond the Box

Monies for this award are provided by the Shirk Family Foundation.

NORMAL COMMUNITY WEST HIGH SCHOOL

Dave Weber, Jackson Suddarth, Dave Lehr, John Mackinson, Ali Akyuz & Becky Frangella  | $10,000 | Designing a Space for All


Students design, create, and implement more functional and collaborative common spaces at a high school