OVER $34K AWARDED TO HR EDUCATORS BY ED FOUNDATION
Hood River County Education Foundation (HRCEF) set a new record for sending funds into classrooms in the HR County School District with the 2018 Innovative Teaching Grants. Over $34,000 was awarded to 47 educators representing every school in the district.
Grants will provide everything from robots to help elementary students learn computer programming, to heart rate monitors to facilitate more efficient exercise for middle schoolers. The new “Maker Space/STEAM” bus will be equipped with robots to teach programming from one teaching grant, and art activities using technology from another grant.
More video equipment to increase the capacity of HRVHS Journalism students to produce video news programs will be provided by another grant. Last year, HRVHS students live-streamed the Forest Service briefings on the Eagle Creek Fire with equipment provided by a Teaching grant from HRCEF, and moved their Teaching grant activity from the classroom to the community.
“I was thrilled with the quality of proposals from teachers that will explore new ways to teach, new areas to study, and creative uses of technology,” reported Aspen McKenna, chair of the HRCEF program. “Last year, the maximum grant amount was raised from $800 to $2,000, which seems to have allowed teachers to think bigger and get more creative. That increase was a nerve-racking risk because if grant requests outpace donations, then lots of applications would have been rejected. Luckily, our donors stepped up and allowed us to fund nearly all the great applications we received.”
Here are the 2018 Innovative Teaching Grants funded by the HRCEF:
Mid Valley Elementary: Sarah Christensen, Nancy Behrmann, & Mikka Irusta: library books in Spanish to support the dual language program. Lydia Petersen: Music Room Flip Forms (Risers) from the Music in the Schools grant program.
Westside Elementary: Jackie Adair & Megan Farrell: materials on West Coast Native Americans for 4th graders. Amy Hassett, Stacey Doss, & Alissa Greenwood: yoga mats & drum for 1st grade. Beth Hoezee, & Brittney Bauer: 2nd grade leveled reading classroom library. Danielle Kamerer & all K-4 teachers: math teaching materials. Carolyn Welty, Megan Sheffels, & Anne Gehrig: Students will interview author Elise Carbone via Skype.
All 5 elementary schools: Matthew Gerlick: STEM programs to create & program robots. Brack Hassell, Stephanie Perkins, Brandon Bertram, & Robin Haynes: skateboard equipment for elementary PE.
Hood River Valley High School: Sarah Lyon: materials for printmaking. Carol Birdsell: attend NAEA conference to develop art projects for the “STEAM Bus.” Jeff Blackman: engineering activity materials for the “STEAM Bus.” Dave Case: mobile video production equipment for Journalism. Kathryn Davis: science puzzle-solving materials. Nicole Goode: classroom library books. Raz Mason: Classroom set of books of essays on Agriculture for English. Mandy Webster: longer non-fiction texts for English classes. Kathryn Yasui: books for AP English classes. Ann Zuehlke: reading materials in English & Spanish for school library.
Hood River Middle School: Laura Haspela: materials for students to create Children’s Science Museum at HRM. Ann McDonald: equipment to use iPads for storytelling with movies, photography, art in English classes. Julie VanDeHey, Tracy Norton, Peg Bogard, & Sarah Segal: materials on Civil Rights for 6th grade. Jennifer Wilson, & Ann McDonald: using CPR materials in English classes.
Hood River & Wy’east Middle Schools: Patrick Getchis (WY), Rebekah Rottenberg (HRM): creating inventions with maker software. Brian Stenberg (WY), Kyle Turner (HRM), & Stacy Claus (HRM): pilot project with heart rate monitors & software.
Wy’east Middle School: Corinne Dichter: e-books & books for Battle of the Books contest. Emily Kohner, Jennifer Graves, Anne Edwards, & Andrew Nelson: software to provide a variety of online reading materials for students.
To donate to the Innovative Teaching Grants Program or to become a member of the Education Foundation, click here: Contribute
