Nearly $40,000 in classroom grants distributed by Schools Foundation for 2018/19 School Year
Nineteen teachers received in-person notifications that their classroom grant requests are being funded by the South Whidbey Schools Foundation. Four Foundation Board members paid surprise classroom visits to relay the good news to teachers and disburse $39,904 in grants.
SWSF Board President Shelly Ackerman was joined by Vice President Clyde Monma, plus Board Members Jean Shaw and Cynthia Shelton. Together they handed out 23 grant notification letters totaling a record-setting $39,904 in grants.
Some teachers received more than one grant. For example, fifth-grade teacher John LaVassar, had already received a $2,800 off-cycle grant for the September 26 and 27 fifth- and sixth-grade Salish Sea Sailing Expedition: Exploring the Health of Puget Sound. He received notification that his additional requests for the ‘Salmon Leadership Project’ and ‘Mr. Good: Mad, Fun Scientist’ had also been funded.
Fourth grade teacher Rachel Kizer received funding for a ‘Local History Connection for 4th-grade Students’ involving three field trips to local history museums and the Hibulb Cultural Center. She also received funding for a visiting planetarium so that students can study earth’s moon and its stages in a “Night Sky ‘Moonth’ Study.”
Other grants included funding to restart the Middle and High School’s ceramics program, an enhanced Elementary School music curriculum, a marine engineering project, an Elementary School ‘It’s Cool to be Kind’ project, a global cultures experience, and a whale watching field trip which also involves watershed exploration and a study of micro-plastics and their impact on Puget Sound.
Foundation funds were raised through year-end donations, its annual Gala, two Dine-Out Programs in October and March, and through the Foundation’s Adopt-a-Grant patrons and organizations.
Since its inception in 1994, the Schools Foundation has funded more than $285,000 in teacher-requested projects and materials to enhance educational excellence, projects which the school district is unable to fund due to tight budgets.
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2018/2019 South Whidbey Schools Foundation Funded Classroom Grants
2017/2018 South Whidbey Schools Foundation Funded Classroom Grants
2016/2017 Classroom Grants
| TEACHER | PROJECT TITLE | SCHOOL | GRADE LEVEL | AMOUNT REQUEST | AMOUNT GRANTED | ADOPT A GRANT |
| Sharla Matthews | Sound & Light | SWES | 1st | $1,169 | $1,169 | |
| Bruce Callahan | Whale Watching Boat Adventure | SWES | 5th | $1,500 | $1,500 | |
| Monique Mangin | Sensory Light Board | SWHS | 9-12 | $500 | $500 | |
| John LaVassar | Mr. Good, Mad, Fun Science | SWES | 5th | $1,400 | $1,400 | |
| John LaVassar | School-Wide Salmon Project | SWES | 5th | $1,200 | $1,200 | |
| Chris Harshman | Band Clinicians | LMS | 6-8 | $2,500 | $500 | $2,000 |
| Mandy Jones | Sensory Water Table | SWHS | 9-12 | $1,500 | $1,500 | |
| Jeff Greene | Musical/Drama | SWHS | 9-12 | $1,500 | $1,500 | |
| Jeff Greene | Yearbook/Photo Journalism | SWHS | 9-12 | $1,050 | $1,050 | |
| Kathryn O’Brien | Climate Arts Project | All Schools | K-12 | $2,800 | $2,500 | |
| Michele Zisette | Focused Space for All | SWES | 1st | $439 | $439 | |
| Jean Cravy | Bringing Learning to Life | SWA | 5-6 | $2,000 | $2,000 | |
| Nels Bergquist | 8th Grade Adventure Education | LMS | 8th | $10,000 | $3,000 | |
| Don Zisette | 8th Grade Inventions | LMS | 8th | $790 | $790 | |
| Chris Harshman | Link-up – Orchestra Rocks | All Schools | 5-12 | $3,000 | $3,000 | |
| Valerie Brown | MakerSpace STEM Kits 2016 | SWES | K-5 | $750 | $750 | |
| $32,098 | $19,448 | $5,350 | ||||
| $24,798 | ||||||
In addition, these off-cycle grants were added for a total funding of $27,048:
1) “Ukuleles in the Classroom” $150 to purchase four ukuleles, by Debra Davies Vogel, first grade. This project seeks to integrate “Ukuleles in the Classroom” strategies and lessons to enhance students’ attention, engagement, enjoyment, learning, and retention of knowledge and skills.
2) “Music (Ukuleles) in the Classroom to Increase Attention, Engagement and Learning”, $300 to purchase 8 ukuleles, by Tere Baker, SWES Special Education and General Ed K-4.This project seeks to integrate “Ukeles in the Classroom” strategies and lessons to enhance students’ attention, engagement, enjoyment, learning, and retention of knowledge and skills, and to provide an additional tool for dealing with challenging behaviors & self-regulation issues by helping interrupt building frustrations, helping re-set after escalated episodes, and providing a positive reinforcement tool with students with whom it may be helpful.
3) “Healthy Eating in Different Cultures” $800 to pay for speakers and ingredients for the program, by Susan Milan, seventh grade. In the ‘Healthy Eating in Different Cultures’ project, presenters from a variety of countries will visit the Health and Wellness class to share what healthy eating looks and tastes like in their culture. In the 2016-17 school year, presenters from Japan, Russia and Lebanon have shared their cultures in 10 classes. This grant secures funding to continue this program in the 2017-18 school year.
4) “Guitars in the Classroom- Music integration training for teachers K-12” $2,700 for two phases of guitar lessons for educators seeking to integrate the “Guitars/Ukuleles in the Classroom” curriculum into their classes.This project starts in June 2017, by providing additional training for those educators that have already taken the beginner program, at a cost of $1000. The second phases will occur in September 2017, when the beginner course for the curriculum will be offered to all South Whidbey School District educators, at a cost of $1700.