WPS staff surprised with Education EDGE mini grants

To celebrate the 20^th anniversary of the Education EDGE grant program, a second round of grant awards was held.

Thirty teachers and school-based staff members across the district were surprised with the announcement that they received Education EDGE Classroom Mini-Grants to support their classroom projects. District administrators surprised them in their buildings to celebrate their grant.

More than $104,000 in grants was awarded.

The following staff received Education EDGE grants:

• Benton Elementary Pre-K teacher Alexandria Garcia received a $1,400 grant to create a listening center to help promote reading.
• Benton Elementary kindergarten teacher Christianna Doeden received a $5,000 grant to purchase alphabet letter sensory bins which will provide creative and sensory options to help students learn to read.
• Bostic Elementary gifted teacher Chris Moore and fifth-grade teacher Leslie Davis received a $4,900 grant to purchase supplies and equipment for the school’s robotics team.
• Cessna Elementary art teacher Joanna Thomas received a $3,300 grant to create a program for students to learn to create clay sculptures.
• Cloud Elementary second-grade teacher Meghan Gonzalez received a $600 grant to purchase books for a classroom library.
• Dodge Literacy Magnet music teacher Heather Fusilier received a $4,700 grant use MIDI music keyboards to help with student literacy.
• East High School math teacher Mark Tolbert received a $5,000 grant to introduce students to statistics and increase the number of students taking the statistics AP exam.
• Heights High School art teacher Dylan Seeney received a $1,200 grant to improve the organization of the ceramic/clay projects in his Ceramics I classroom.
• Heights High School English teacher Gabriel Costilla received a $2,000 grant to create a way for students to create live and recorded game casts of esports events.
• Heights High School business teacher Sydney Harper received a $5,000 grant to help create a student-run coffee shop run by the school’s DECA students.
• Horace Mann K8 Dual Language Magnet School interrelated teacher Audrey Wolters received a $5,000 grant to increase student accessibility in STEM opportunities.
• L’Ouverture Career Exploration and Technology Magnet Elementary School music teacher Kathy Johnson received a $2,400 grant to purchase practice drum pads for the school’s bucket drum lab.
• Marshall Middle School interrelated teacher Precious Smith received a $3,700 grant to create ethnic hair care kits for students in need at all WPS middle schools.
• McLean Science and Technology Magnet Elementary School music teacher Lindsay Blurton received a $5,000 grant to purchase Orff xylophone and metallophone instruments.
• Mueller Aerospace and Engineering Discovery Magnet Elementary School fifth-grade teacher Laurell Aschbrenner received a $4,100 grant to purchase codable indoor drones to help students learn computer skills.
• North High School JROTC instructor Todd Phillips received a $3,600 grant to create an obstacle course for JROTC cadets.
• Northeast Magnet school psychologist Sandra Padmanabhan received a $2,600 grant to create social-emotional rooms and a school connection program for students.
• Northwest High School science teacher Guy Sturdevant received a $4,700 grant to create the Ad Astra Collaboration Project which would enable students to design, construct and use Newtonian-style telescopes.
• OK Elementary School librarian Amanda Wilson received a $3,800 grant to purchase new books for the school library.
• Price-Harris Communications Magnet Elementary School second-grade teacher Coni Meloccaro received a $3,800 grant for the school’s Published Author Creative Writing Project which allows student writing projects to become published books.
• Pleasant Valley Elementary School first-grade teacher Ying Jiang received a $5,000 grant to teach computer coding to first grade students.
• Robinson Middle School Spanish teacher Elizabeth Polson received a $1,200 grant to create an incentive program for students enrolled in Spanish classes.
• Robinson Middle School drama teacher Jessica Thomas received a $3,500 grant to allow students to attend a local performance of a Broadway show.
• South High School counselor LaSharn Bell received a $2,700 grant to purchase supplies for the school’s Ladies for Academics and Social Excellence program.
• South High School science teacher Timothy Eberl received a $2,500 grant to purchase equipment and supplies for STEM students.
• South High School orchestra teacher Verlinda Stone received a $4,900 grant to purchase higher quality strings for orchestra students.
• South High School counselor Tammy Kniffin received a $3,300 grant to create a community garden at the school.
• Southeast High School student teacher Morgan Jamis received a $5,000 grant to purchase new cameras for the photography courses offered at the school.
• Stanley Elementary School interrelated teacher Blake Beard received a $5,000 grant to create an electronics lab to teach students about electrical engineering and computer science.

Click here to see photos of all the Education EDGE Mini-Grant recipients.

Celebrating it’s 20^th year, the Education EDGE is the district's educational foundation, allowing private donors to support three key areas – classroom mini-grants, fine arts and athletics – not supported by traditional funding resources. Since the foundation began in 2003, the district has invested more than $1.77 million in these key areas. For more information about the Education EDGE, or to donate, visit. www.usd259.org/edge