 |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |
2022-23 Grant Awards
for Educators
2022-23 Innovative Learning Grants
Innovative Learning Grants enable teachers to apply for up to $10,000 to launch a groundbreaking program with the potential to advance the school curriculum.
The Keys for KV program will provide new keyboards for the KV music classroom. Students will be able to connect their district issued PCs to the keyboards so they can learn songs independently online, as well as record their music.
Grant Author: Mindy Rubinlicht
Empowering Elementary Engineers will add five Strawbees STEAM classroom bundles that will be used to bridge coding and robotics with the engineering curriculum in 4th grade. These kits allow students to design and then build their project and see it come to life by coding the micro:bit online. Strawbees helps students build creative thinking skills and invent anything they can imagine.
Grant Authors: Kristina Skladaitis, Beverly Visnov and Joe Perry
A Sensory Room for Simmons Elementary will be created to service the Special Education community, as well as others who may require sensory input, to regulate their bodies and minds to participate in the classroom learning environment. The sensory room can provide visual, auditory, and kinesthetic input to increase a child’s regulation in these areas, which will ultimately improve focus and attention in class.
Grant Authors: Andrea Hrabyk, Ashley Rapport, Molly Fitzpatrick
Furrever Friends will provide a therapy dog to help develop a sense of community among both students and staff. Schools that have implemented therapy dogs have seen a decrease in behavioral referrals and offer students and staff a path to manage trauma. Students of all levels will read with leveled materials to the therapy dog.
Grant Authors: Elizabeth Traczykiewicz & Laura Couch
The “Mathemagical Fun Fest” will be a Saturday afternoon event held at Crooked Billet with a target audience of elementary students, but open to all ages. The festival will consist of three main elements, a math playground, a keynote speaker, and the festival tasks and activities. Each space is designed to ignite creativity and collaboration to create magical math moments that stay with visitors long after leaving.
Grant Author: Christine Jenkins
The Nurturing Our Mathematical Minds will bring in guest professional Deborah Peart to work with students and families around building positive math identities through three events, a parent workshop, classroom visits, and a keynote address. The culminating Saturday event will be the first HHSD Mathematics Festival to be held at Crooked Billet Elementary School.
Grant Author: Christine Jenkins
Air Traffic Control to the Brain: Sensory Paths are Landing will provide the Path to Friendship Social Success Map and Peace Walk Conflict Resolution Map. These multi-step maps empower students to problem solve social situations and allow for the practice of planning, flexibility, and self-control.
Grant Authors: Tami Wunder-Italia and Sarah Carner
The Future of Affordable Home Building provides for a large format 3D printer that will allow Engineering classes to build 3D models of buildings to be tested against elements and natural disasters. This information will be used to decide the feasibility of using 3D printed structures in the real world as a cost-effective solution to standard construction practices.
Grant Author: Joseph Grady
The Tower Garden 2 will use a state-of-the-art aeroponic system that recycles water and plant nutrients. Students at Crooked Billet will grow and harvest their own food. Guest speakers who sell, grow, and utilizes the aquaponics will come to talk to all the second-grade classrooms.
Grant Author: John Schumann
The first “African American Art and History Museum at Hallowell” will be held during Black History Month in February. Students will be engaged in research and learn about prominent unsung African American historical figures. An artist in residence and student created art will be a large part of the museum. There will be an “Art Museum and Jazz Night” for parents/families to visit.
Grant Author: Kendrah Butler
Seeing “U” in “US” provides displays around school to make all feel a part of the school community. Students will know how they are represented in the school and world. Through the displays, people will see the “U” in “US” as a school and district.
Grant Authors: Steven Glaize, Valerie Slott, Trish Zawacki and Fifth Grade Student Leadership Team, Olivia Biel, Adriana Cortez, Emma Donohue, Hannah Duane, Lilliana Stitz, Stella Brzowski, Anabelle Swanson, Isabel Barrett, Atika Tahir, Keagan Conn, Shelby Hower, Zoe Tomlinson)
2022-23 Classroom Grants
Classroom Grants typically offer teachers at every school $300 awards to support any instructional need in their classrooms. This year the grants committee increased the amount to $1,000 as a recognition of the challenges faced over the last year and a half, and a way to celebrate the teachers' hard work.
Secret Stories is a brain-based approach to traditional phonics instruction. These fun, student friendly phonics stories and colorful posters teach the secret reasons why letters make the sounds they do when they get together in words
Grant Authors: Lauren Pace and Dr. Elisha Gee
Independent Reading in Spanish is a valuable part of the classroom for all students. Students who are learning English may not yet be prepared to read books in a higher level in English even though they are able to read at that same level in their first language. Providing books in Spanish will allow more children to read independently.
Grant Author: Rachel Brookins
From Sea to Shining Sea will provide online/printed materials and research, through which students will gain a working knowledge of the United States of America, geographically, ecologically, and historically.
Grant Authors: Elizabeth Schrader and Kevin Schlenker
Creating a Calming Corner to Support Student Success will implement the use of a sensory toolbox/calming corner to assist students with their self-regulation skills, EVERY student will have easy access to these tools throughout their school day.
Grant Authors: Lisa Hoeflich and Verlinda Mayrides
The Multi-Cultural Carnival will be a new tradition started at the high school. The carnival will feature many of the schools’ affinity groups sharing various aspects of culture, music, clothing, food, etc.
Grant Author: Dennis Williams
Enhancing Hands-on Engineering will add a new variety of blocks to the STEM room. When completing themed building centers, students will be able to more deeply explore the engineering and design process by having more hands-on manipulatives to choose from when thinking about and designing their builds.
Grant Author: Beverly Visnov
See Previous Years' Grants:
Grants Awarded 2021-2022
Grants Awarded 2020-2021
Grants Awarded 2019-2020
Grants Awarded 2018-19