WPS teachers receive Koch classroom grants

Eleven Wichita Public Schools educators were surprised with the announcement they received Koch Classroom Grants to support innovative STEM and learning projects across the district.

District administrators, members of the Grants Department and representatives from Koch visited each school to celebrate these staff members and their classroom projects.

A total of $23,490 in Koch Classroom Grants was awarded in the fall.

These grants support certified school-based staff in providing hands-on, innovative Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM), literacy or business entrepreneurship opportunities for students.

• Kayla Conely, East High: Hooked on Books: Building a Culture of Reading – $1,200
• Candice Croomes, Linwood Elementary: STEM in Motion: The Linwood Coding Project – $1,784
• Timothy Eberl, South High: Expanding STEM Student Opportunities Through Makerspace – $3,000
• Marcos Gonzalez, Heights High: Heights Unplugged – $2,216
• Shari Hatfield, Northeast Magnet: Improving Data Literacy through Arduino Programming of Vernier Sensors – $1,894
• Jonathan Kist, Robinson Middle School: Robotics Improvements – $3,000
• Heather Lawrence, West High: School Future-Ready Readers: Advancing Literacy Through Graphic Storytelling – $1,113
• Zerrin Oelze, McLean Elementary: Building Student Success One Brick at a Time – $3,000
• April Pameticky, East High: Digital Investigation & Multi-Modal Project – $1,189
• Lori Patton, Christa McAuliffe Academy: Harvest of Hope – $2,598
• Jason West, Coleman Middle School: Innovative Storage Solution – $2,496
   

Koch Classroom Grants support Wichita Public Schools educators by funding innovative, hands on STEM and entrepreneurship projects that directly enhance student learning. These grants are provided through a partnership with Koch and are designed to help teachers implement creative, future focused classroom initiatives that strengthen problem solving, engineering, technology, and real world application skills. Koch specifically prioritizes STEM aligned opportunities that expand innovation across the district, enabling educators to think outside the box and offer students engaging, high impact learning experiences.