Jean Shaw of the South Whidbey Schools Foundation and local “Conductor of Fun” Jim Freeman paid surprise visits to local classrooms on Nov. 9. With balloons in hand, a top hat, feather boa and crown, they distributed grant letters totaling nearly $20,000 to 11 teachers for 13 classroom project requests. Grant awards ranged from $439 to $3,000. Each campus received at least one grant award, and some of the projects funded involve all campuses.
The Foundation funded 13 out of the 16 requests received and found a patron to fund one of three unfunded project proposals through its Adopt-A-Grant program. It is seeking patrons to ‘adopt’ the remaining two unfunded project proposals.
“Although the number of grant applications received was down this year, all those we did receive were innovative, well-presented and worthy of funding,” said SWSF Board President Chris Gibson. “The Foundation’s inability to fund them all in their entirety made for some difficult decisions. We are hopeful through our ongoing fundraising efforts, which include Adopt-a-Grant, Dine-Out Wednesdays and our year-end donation appeal drive that we will be able to provide at least partial funding to them all.”
This year’s grant applications included requests to revive performing arts at the high school; digital cameras for use in the journalism/yearbook program; funding for local musician clinicians to work with members of the Langley Middle School Band; sponsoring a marine studies program at the Elementary School; providing seed money to help broaden the reach of the 8th grade Adventure Education program; purchasing a Sensory Water Table for Life Skills students; and purchasing recorders so students can participate in a collaborative effort with the Saratoga Orchestra engaged in a Carnegie Hall-sponsored music education program titled “The Orchestra Rocks.”
For more information about the South Whidbey Schools Foundation, including a full list of the projects funded this fall and how to make tax-deductible contributions to support the schools, can be found at swsfoundation.org.
