2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Andrews Elementary School
Kim Artigues
$450
Let’s Learn with Logic
The stimulating "Let's Learn with Logic" reasoning games
will be utilized for differentiated Math instruction in order
to enhance spatial and analytical reasoning; while
challenging the student's strategic thinking skills.
Students will use mathematical problem solving skills to
develop logical thinking and practice rigorous problem
solving. This will further enhance our Math instruction by
making connections with content and will serve as a great
introduction to deductive reasoning and applying
mathematics to problem solving in everyday life.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Andrews Elementary School
Jennifer Moreno
$413
Dealing Number Sense
While our students are “Dealing Number Sense” using
decks of playing cards and dominoes, they will develop and
master, as in-depth understanding of place value:
including the concept of ordering, rounding, addition,
subtraction, multiplication, division, and fractions.
Students will be engaged during the hands-on approach to
learning Numerical Representations and Relationships:
number sense. The dice games requested as a continuation
of this grant will be used to better understand place value
as mentioned above.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Andrews Elementary School
Mandy Rains
$500
KIC: Kids Inquiry Conference
Kids Inquiry Conference is an event that uses the
foundational ideas of the typical science fair and “KIC”s it
into high gear. The students will work in teams to choose a
topic, design a science investigation, execute the scientific
process, reflect on the results, and write a research article
to be published in a yearly KIC book. Groups will then have
the opportunity to share their findings with younger
students, peers, teachers, parents and community
members through engaging presentations in a conference
like setting.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Armstrong Middle School
Kristin Haney
$1500
College Campus Visit
The annual College Campus Visit is geared toward
educating students about life at a college campus.
Students are provided with knowledge of what life is like
on a college campus (dorm life, class sizes, clubs and
organizations), benefits of a college education and college
entrance requirements. Students will visit a major Texas
university where they will tour the campus, receive
information about the campus from actual college
students, and eat lunch in a college cafeteria.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Armstrong Middle School
Kimberly Harvey-Jordan
$1500
Chamber Theatre Productions
This grant will be used to take our sixth grade students
from Armstrong Middle to the Chamber Theatre
Productions Inc. It will provide them the opportunity to
see a drama as well as live poetry to connect with
curriculum goals. All sixth graders who are in English
Language Arts will be eligible to attend.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Barron Elementary School
Matthew Clark
$325
Math Can be Fun 2
This grant will buy more research based math board
games to help bring Math into a real world setting.
Allowing students to play games, that will reinforcing their
Math Facts, Operations, and Problem Solving skills. The
games will help provide learning tools to meet the new
standard of personal financial literacy that will tested on
STAAR. The money will be used to purchase games
targeting deficient skills identified through MAP and
STAAR data analysis.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Beaty EC - P-K
Megan Fogarty
$1000
We All Read Together
Last year we began adapting and supplementing grade
level literature to allow our special education students to
enjoy the same books as their general education peers. We
have so far created eight adapted book kits and have used
them in four different classrooms to reach thirty seven
students. We would like to continue our project to create a
true, inclusive library for our self-contained classrooms
that utilizes classic fiction and nonfiction books.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Beaty EC - P-K
Heather Schmitt
$780
Family Visual Supports Training Series
The Family Visual Support Training Series will be a handson experience designed to support parents and caregivers
in their ability to enhance their child’s participation and
success in school, at home and throughout the community.
This series of trainings will provide strategies to help the
child communicate more effectively in order to alleviate
stress, ease frustration during challenging situations and
promote positive behaviors.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Beverly Elementary School
Laura Schnitzer
$825
Literature Throughout the Classroom
Second grade students will be immersed in good literature
throughout the school year. Students will be given the
opportunity to select “ just right” books for their individual
book bags. These books will be high interest books.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Boggess Elementary School
Lori Scaglione
$1500
Study It, Grow It, Share it!
Study It, Grow It, Share It is a vessel that molds a healthy
mind/body to empower students to develop their
knowledge and desire to create a nurturing and giving
environment through outreach and community
involvement. The implementation of a Tower Garden
growing system will enable students to understand the use
of aeroponics (the process of growing plants in an air or
mist environment eliminating the need for soil-to produce
more colorful, delicious, and incredibly nutrient dense
fruit, vegetables and herbs). The Tower Garden System
would provide a lifelong skill and positively impact the
future of students' health and education.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Bowman Middle School
Jessica Cofield
$950
Expand Your Genre
A comfortable setting with books of different genres to be
shared and enjoyed by all.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Bowman Middle School
Elizabeth Donnelson
$620
Green Dream
Many of the students and staff at our middle school are
requesting a return to efficient recycling. A Recycling Club
will allow us to build awareness of environmental issues,
especially as it relates to our school. A staff member will
be in charge of the recycling club and also providing
service hours to those interested in helping the Recycling
Club students.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Bowman Middle School
Leslie Grant
$1500
High Five for Success Student Recognition Program
High Five for Success Student Recognition Program is a
student recognition program created and implemented by
the Student Recognition Team at Bowman Middle
School.The goal of the program is to creatively recognize
all students for their success in school. Success is based on
the Bowman student expectations of RESPECT: Yourself,
Your Peers, Your Teachers, Your Campus, Your Visitors,
and The Knowledge that has been given to you.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Bowman Middle School
Angela Larch
$600
Project Read, Write, Inspire
Reading Workshop, a section of our 7th grade English
curriculum, is implemented with an objective to not only
notice an author’s craft of writing, but to also increase
vocabulary, fluency and comprehension skills. When we
provide our students with high-interest novels and
informational texts, they are more likely to develop writing
skills and become lifelong readers. Our project will allow
us to purchase current high-interest literature for our 7th
grade classrooms to support our student’s reading and
writing development.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Bowman Middle School
Joshua Peters
$500
Diverse Books for Diverse Students
All children deserve to find a book in which they can see a
reflection of themselves and their experiences. To best
serve a diverse student population, I need to offer a
diverse selection of books in my classroom library. I am
seeking to add recent, high-interest, and award-winning
titles to my collection.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Carpenter Middle School
Melissa Alouf
$1500
Robotics Club
An after school club to provide students the ability to
explore and experience robot building, coding, and
problem solving. Competitions will be held to increase
excitement and interest in STEM related topics for
enhanced school performance and possible career choices.
Students will have access to enrichment opportunities that
otherwise would be unavailable to them.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Carpenter Middle School
Barbara Lye
$300
Using Reading Strategies to Learn Math!
This project will use interesting stories and beautifully
illustrated children’s book to engage students in
developing mathematical ideas. Using familiar reading
strategies in the math classroom will help make
mathematics more accessible to all students. This project
will be used in the Power Math classes to develop and
strengthen problem solving skills.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Christie Elementary School
Suzanne Armstrong
$650
Title: Arts in Action
Learning experiences in the arts contribute to the
development of academic skills, including the areas of
reading and language development, and mathematics.
Certain forms of arts instruction enhance and complement
basic reading skills, language development and writing
skills. Bringing theater education to our students opens
new worlds of opportunity. The act of performing can help
students recognize their potential for success and improve
their confidence. Arts-rich learning environments can have
far-reaching effects that extend to the entire school and
surrounding community.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Christie Elementary School
Carrie Cormack
$1500
Recess is Right
Most of us remember recess as an important part of the
school day. It was a time to be outdoors; to organize our
own games; to play on the swings, slides, and other
playground equipment; or just to hang out with friends.
There is considerable research to suggest that recess has
many benefits for children in the cognitive, socialemotional, and physical domains.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Christie Elementary School
Jeini Gordon
$1325.17
Bilingual Leveled Readers
The bilingual program classrooms at Christie Elementary
are in need of bilingual leveled readers. These readers will
be used to enhance bilingual student learning at home
through their weekly distribution. Each student will be
given a weekly individual leveled reader to be used and
returned in exchange for a new title throughout the entire
school year.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Christie Elementary School
Veronica Harrell
$1500
Read and Discover
We desire to create a Science inquiry site for second grade
to allow students to dive deeper into our Science TEKS.
The Café can be used as a reading station for further
inquiry or research within the science UBd (Unit By
Design) instruction. Students will be able to work
independently or in collaborative pairs to discover new
information.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Christie Elementary School
Jenna Hurtado
$1350
Read all About it!
All kindergarten students at Christie Elementary will
receive their own monthly subscription to National
Geographic Little Kids Magazine. They will each receive
new issues, over a six month period. The Magazines will be
used to enrich and excite the Literacy Program at Christie
Elementary.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Christie Elementary School
Lilly Jensby
$1500
Gadget Girls, The Next Generation
Gadget Girls, The Next Gen! Gadget Girls is a collaborative
initiative designed to boost achievement in science and
mathematics and aimed at inspiring the next generation of
innovators. According to the 2010 President’s Council of
Advisers on Science and Technology Report, early interest
has been identified as a predictor in determining whether
a student chooses to pursue a STEM career. Through this
cooperative learning process girls will develop leadership,
creative thinking, and problem-solving skills as well as
foster sustained interest in science, technology,
engineering, and math fields. As a result, girls will be
empowered at a young age to pursue STEM-related career
pathways.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Christie Elementary School
Kimberly Lewis
$1500
Bookworm Challenge
The Bookworm Challenge is a reading incentive program
based on Donalyn Miller’s The Book Whisperer to engage
our students in free choice independent reading of a
variety of genres. By giving grade levels 3-5 a goal of 25
books, grade levels 1-2 a goal of 20 books and
Kindergarten a goal of 15 books per year, we hope to
increase student enjoyment of reading and widen their
genre selection. To create a grade level bookworm,
individual pieces with the student’s name, title and a brief
sentence about the book will be added to show student
progress.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Christie Elementary School
Sandra Nachman
$1500
Designing Mathematicians
The sky's the limit ... or is it? Our Designing
Mathematicians are taking math out of this world through
inquiry-based projects that challenge students to critically
think and problem-solve at the highest levels! Not only will
students be able to bring their mathematical ideas to life,
they will also be able to share their learning through
student-produced digital portfolios, which will deepen
their understanding of how math connects us to the real
world.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Christie Elementary School
Kristin Ransom
$800
Comprehension is KEY!
Students will dive into reading high interest nonfiction
literature. They will engage in meaningful conversation
while boosting their comprehension strategies. The goal is
to build strong independent readers one engaging text at a
time.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Christie Elementary School
Malia Ritchison
$500
Growing Language Through Children's Books
For Growing Language Through Children's Books, we are
requesting funding to improve and grow our SLP library at
Christie Elementary. Using each book, we can create many
lessons and visuals that target so many language and
speech skills in fun and motivating ways. In addition to
helping our students master their speech therapy goals,
we will also be promoting literacy and language arts in the
classroom and beyond.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Christie Elementary School
Katie Specht
$100
The Write Stuff
The Write Stuff is an opportunity for students to create,
design, write, and illustrate their very own books for a
complete literacy understanding. This will provide each
student in my classroom to write, with competency, a
story and/or an article to express their individual ideas.
The Write Stuff provides Second grade students with a
creative outlet for their writing where they remain
engaged in the writing process and continue build upon
their individual skills.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Christie Elementary School
Natalie Unmuth
$1000
A Play on Words
The main objective is to increase language arts
comprehension through reader's theater. Students will
build upon their vocabulary, fluency, and gain a deeper
understanding of grammar and figurative language. These
plays provide grammar focused content within the context
of a play.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Clark High School
Savannah Deegan
$1500
Garold Wayne Foundation Field Trip
Agricultural science students will travel to the Garold
Wayne Interactive Zoological Park to experience the life of
an animal caretaker and learn about the work being
completed by Texas A&M's genetics department at the
foundation to preserve the gene pool of endangered big
cats.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Clark High School
Christina Kraft
$1500
Fortification of Art in the Context of World History
A field trip to the Kimbell Art Museum and The Modern Art
Museum in Fort Worth for 10th Grade Humanities students
and AP European History students will fortify world history
studies in the context of art. Additionally, the trip will
serve as a review for testing content for the World History
AP test and European History AP test as contextualization
is a necessary component of analytical thinking. While
textbooks provide a basic image of the art, viewing in
person gives students a more holistic understanding.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Cox
Gary Wilson
$1300
School Age Parent Program - "Bonus Bucks"
Incentive Program
The Bonus Bucks incentive program provides incentives
and reinforcement for school age parents to remain in
school, achieve academic success, and develop positive
parental behavior. Students earn "Bonus Bucks"
throughout the semester and may redeem them at the end
of the semester event "Celebrations" for relevant items
(i.e. diapers, bottles, children's books, children/baby
clothing, car seats, etc.) This program provides a way to
acknowledge success during a very trying time in the
young person's life.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Daffron Elementary School
Linda DeSousa
$1448.93
Every Brick Counts! Legos in Math
Second grade students will have the tools necessary to
build and apply the processes of mathematical problem
solving with the use of Legos. Pairs of students will work
together solving real life problems with Lego figures and
blocks. Students will then share their strategies with the
class.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Davis Elementary School
Stacey Overbey
$1500
Touch Phonics to Touch STAAR
Our campus will utilize the multi-sensory Touch Phonics
programs in both general education and specialists'
classes in order to aid students in mastering decoding and
spelling goals.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Forman Elementary School
Leticia Diwa
$1500
Making Our Mark With The Community Through
Literacy
The Making Our Mark with the Community through Literacy
is a project to train volunteers to become literacy tutors
for students. This project combines technology with
reading tools for volunteers to help with enrichment
through a support program for students. Through this
grant, our volunteers will be more equipped with the tools
necessary to help not only students make their mark
through literacy, but themselves as well.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Forman Elementary School
Andrea Jaramillo
$1500
Discovery Den
The Discovery Den will be a place where entrepreneurship
will birth and thrive. Entrepreneurship teaches you to
believe in yourself, your team and your plan. This is the
skill set we want for our students: collaborating,
communicating, creating and critical thinking. The
Discovery Den will allow us to create a better future for
everyone by allowing ideas to materialize through
thoughtful play.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Forman Elementary School
Russell Sanders
$1500
Boyz II Men and Beautiful Me
"We are not what has happened to us, we are who we
CHOOSE to become!" Our programs are geared to promote,
enhance and establish a positive self-esteem through
leadership and community service experiences which build
good character that will be part of a student's skill set for
future leadership roles in our greater society.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Forman Elementary School
Cassey Scales
$1500
Future Engineers
Future Engineers will gear up for science through the
exciting world of Engineering. Fourth and fifth graders will
engage in the exploration of the Engineering Design
Process and experience hands on activities that introduce
them to the world of Engineering. They will problem solve
weekly challenges and activities from various strands of
Engineering fields such as Civil Engineering, Chemical
Engineering, Environmental Engineering and many others.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Frankford Middle School
Karyn Wynne
$930
Study Chats
Morning Study CHATS are for students to meet and
collaborate about what they are learning in their core
subjects. Instead of sitting in the cafeteria or gym waiting
for school to start, students will come to Study CHATS to
stay on top of their grades. Study CHATS will be for group
study sessions, group project work, or just to get their
homework done. It will be a safe and “cool” place to study
with peers.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Gulledge Elementary School
Lisa Beyer
$1492.46
Drummin' Through the TEKS
The Drummin' Through the TEKS project will provide the
opportunity for every student at our school to learn and
perform music in a class drum ensemble. This project will
fund the purchase of seven tubanos and two resource
books for our elementary music classroom, which will
allow students to experience rhythm, ensemble,
movement, improvisation, meter, and timbre with a handson experience. Having a class-set of drums ensures that
every student will have enough time to explore and learn
the skills to be proficient at demonstrating their
knowledge of concepts in the music curriculum.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Gulledge Elementary School
Caitie Hatcher
$1415
Rockin Robotics
A stimulating STEM education is crucial for developing the
basic analytical, problem-solving and critical thinking skills
that are central to academic achievement and workforce
readiness in the 21st century. Our school wants to create
authentic, student-owned learning experiences through
the use of Sphero Robots and Arduino starter kits. With
these hands-on STEM activities, our students will
exemplify our 4 Cs: collaboration, communication,
creativity and critical thinking.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Haggar Elementary School
Christy Fox
$1330
Stay On Task
Stay on Task is a program based on 21st century goals,
and was designed to encourage and support teachers. It is
not sufficient for the teachers to merely implement
different classroom management strategies. This program
encourages the creation of a classroom environment that
improves the engagement of all students in the classroom
and keeps them on-task.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Haggar Elementary School
April Grizzle
$1500
May Osmos come out and play?
Osmos is a fun, electronic tool that attaches to iPads to
enhance students’ learning through visual and spatial
activities. Students will have the opportunity to utilize
Osmos to develop critical thinking skills, perform STEM
activities, and connect other curricular areas such as music
and art to science and technology. From special needs
students to kindergarten to fifth graders, Osmos will open
new doors for all learners in the area of strategic thinking.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Haggard Middle School
Mary Lyon
$2950
V-B Mapping Our Assessments with Pictures
This Grant project would provide visual supports and
pictures for the VB-MAPP Assessment. The VB- MAPP
Assessment is used to evaluate language, social skills, and
academic reading, writing and math skills for children with
autism and other developmental disabilities. These
materials would also be used to support functional
communication and intervention for students on
elementary, middle and high school campuses.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Harrington Elementary School
Jamie Edmondson
$1500
R3 (Reaching Reluctant Readers)
R3 (Reaching Reluctant Readers) is a program designed to
reach out to students who have yet to discover the joy of
reading. The librarian, classroom teacher, and student will
work together to build a collection of books that are both
highly interesting and appropriate for a student’s reading
level. Students will discover the pleasure of reading, desire
additional literary experiences, and gain skills needed to
become successful.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Hendrick Middle School
Victoria Hines
$1500
AVID Tastes College Life & Food 4 Thought
Each spring, the AVID (Advancement Via Individual
Determination) students who are being successful in their
classes get a taste of college life by touring a local
university, eating in the campus dining facility, and visiting
various areas to include student life and the campus
bookstore. Many of the AVID students also participate in
the Food 4 Thought after-school help sessions to better
equip them for success in their required honors course.
Food 4 Thought is an after-school academic support
program that supplements regularly scheduled tutorials
and provides a nutritional snack.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Hickey Elementary School
Melissa Cole
$1489.41
Leveled Literacy Intervention
The Fountas and Pinnell Leveled Literacy Intervention is a
focused supplementary intervention system that targets
our below grade level Tier-2 students in reading through
explicit instruction of reading, writing and word work.
Intensive teaching in small groups gives opportunities for
students to further develop comprehension and discussion
skills, oral language development, phonics and decoding as
well as writing what students are thinking about what they
have read. By implementing this program for our below
level Tier-2 reading students we intend to increase our
reader's growth, working towards closing the achievement
gap, and have more students meet grade-level
expectations at the end of the year.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Hickey Elementary School
Monica Maldonado
$1500
I Can Read
I Can Read is a program geared towards helping struggling
reader improve their reading by two grade levels. I Can
Read will help empower struggling readers become
independent strong readers. Through the use of the a
resource program students will be able to practice their
phonics and improve their reading.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Hickey Elementary School
Joy Prather
$1500
Make, Create, and Innovate
Through the Make, Create, and Innovate program the
students at Hickey Elementary will be given a variety of
tools to allow for hands-on learning in building and
electronics. Students will not only use creativity to invent
and build things, but also they will be given challenges to
solve problems and test their designs and theories.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Hickey Elementary School
Erika Sanchez
$1500
Fighting for Fiction Frenzy
The students at Hickey Elementary will be given access to
new and exciting fiction chapter books, participate in
reading challenges, hear booktalks, have access to book
trailers, and create book reviews themselves for other
students to read or watch. The desire is to create a reading
frenzy and increase fluency, reading comprehension, and
meaningful experiences with books. That kind of reading
success produces more lifelong readers.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Hickey Elementary School
Dung Tran
$1466.65
The Lost Art of Telling Time
Telling time, really? Do we still need to tell time, or why
not just read a number off of a digital clock? "The Lost Art
of Telling Time" will put the love back into reading an
analog clock by providing students with analog watches
during a two week long project. Students will build an
understanding of time, understanding passage of time,
understanding the units time is measured and what each
unit of measure means, and relating all of this to their
everyday life.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Hightower Elementary School
Cathi Gordon
$1450
One Book One School
One Book One School is designed to be a reading
connection between school and family. Every student,
every parent, every teacher and staff member will be
reading the same book at the same time. This program will
strengthen the bond between school and home through a
timeless children's classic.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Huffman Elementary
Courtney West
$970
Show me the money!!
Show me the money is focused on deepening the third
grader's understanding of the financial system as a whole.
We will take a field trip to where money is created!!! The
focus of the trip will be on why government prints money,
how they do it and some of the history of the Bureau all
with the goal of creating higher learning around our
personal financial TEKS.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Huffman Elementary School
Wynita Harris
$1200
Connecting Learning and Real-World Experiences:
Art Tour
Curiosity, Experience, Explore, Collaborate and Critical
Thinking Skills are key words that define what can happen
when students are given the chance to be exposed to and
tour the Dallas Museum of Art and the Nasher Sculpture
center as they connect lessons from the Art Studio with
current exhibits at each museum. Many of our students
have never set foot in a museum and this grant would give
several children the opportunity to be exposed to these
innovative and educational learning environments.
Students will be able to have an experience that allows
them to explore in a collaborative setting using their
critical thinking skills and connect their authentic learning
experience to previous lessons in the art studio and to the
world around them.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Huffman Elementary School
Linda Martin
$400
Kids Inquiry Conference 2015-2016
Kids Inquiry Conference is an event that uses the
foundation ideas of the typical science fair and “KIC”s it
into high gear. The students will work in teams to choose a
topic, design a science investigation, execute the scientific
process, reflect on the results, and write a research article
to be published in a yearly KIC book. Groups will then have
the opportunity to share their findings with younger
students, peers, teachers, parents and community
members through engaging presentations in a conference
like setting.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Huffman Elementary School
Cynthia Smith
$1200
Comprehension Cafe
Third grade students practice reading picture books,
poems, jokes, and riddles to build fluency. Then third
grade students host first grade and kindergarten at
Comprehension Cafe in the spring. Third grade students
will read an appetizer (poem), an entree (picture book),
and a dessert (joke or riddle) to their younger
counterparts.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Jackson Elementary School
Stephanie Stoller
$1000
Lego Club
The Lego Club is a research-based group that focuses on
enhancing social skills for students with autism and other
social difficulties. Students come together in a small group
with separate jobs, but with the same goal of building a
Lego set. By using Legos, which are highly motivating to
the students, they learn how to problem solve,
communicate with their peers, work collaboratively, and
follow directions in a way that is fun!
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
McCall Elementary School
Stacy Kimbriel
$2025
Kimbriel's Brown Bag Lunch Bunch
Elementary kids always want to eat lunch with the
principal! Kimbriel's Brown Bag Lunch Bunch will be
focused time to work with students who are on the verge
of gaining advanced levels in the area of reading. Four
books/anthologies have been selected for students to read
and participate in a book club to enhance reading
instruction in the classroom. These books will be gifted to
the children, often to students who do not own many
books, to add to their home libraries.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Meadows Elementary School
Ellyn Reese-Fautsch
$1000
Smooth Sailing/Synergy for Student Success
Whether or not eligible for Special Education services, so
many students at our Title One school have special needs
that must be appropriately addressed, both academic or
behavioral. When all staff cooperate towards facilitation of
the learning process for our students, the kids will always
benefit! The goal of this Grant Proposal is to promote
smooth sailing throughout the school day through staff
synergy and campus behavior support, as recommended to
our staff by the Momentous Institute at an August 2015
training, by providing materials to staff members to
support students' progress in the educational
environment, resource or inclusion, General Education or
Special Education.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Memorial Elementary School
Veronica Carreno
$1463
Books to Heal Kids
Books to Heal Kids is a project to provide bibliotherapy
resources and trainings to parents, teachers, and students.
We will build a library of therapeutic books and games that
parents and teachers can borrow and use, and the
counselors will provide training and information. We will
hold a series of "Coffee with the Counselors" meetings to
introduce the resources to our families and help kids be
successful in school.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Memorial Elementary School
Seema Shah
$1500
Brick by Brick: Learning with Legos
Brick by Brick: Learning with Legos will enable all students
to develop the 4Cs (communication, collaboration, critical
thinking, and creativity) through the use of Legos. The
Legos will be utilized to enhance all content area lessons
with an emphasis on STEM. Students will build- "brick by
brick"- a foundation of life long learning skills.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Mendenhall Elementary School
Christine Barrantes
$1115.94
Teaching Science Through the Arts
Teaching Science through the Arts is a program which uses
students' interest in the arts to get them excited about
science. Students will use instruments to explore and
experiment with sound. They will conduct experiments and
use scientific process skills to determine the best way to
make piñatas and other crafts. They will do acrylic
paintings on canvas to demonstrate what they have
discovered about animal habitats, ecosystems, and
landforms.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Mendenhall Elementary School
Maria Gallastegui
$1500
Linking LEGOS 4Learning
Linking LEGOS 4Learning will provide students in grades
kinder through 5th with hands-on engaging materials to
transform them into confident and engaged readers and
writers! Linking LEGOS 4Learning will increase students’
motivation and build strong writers while teaching
literacy, communication, collaboration, and teamwork
skills. Linking LEGOS 4Learning will encourage students to
work together to create and build stories with LEGO bricks
and figures as their toolbox and then share, write and
publish their stories.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Mendenhall Elementary School
Solange Patterson
$750
First Grade STEM Lab
First Grade STEM Lab will provide every first grader the
opportunity to do independent STEM exploration daily.
Each first grade classroom will design a STEM Lab corner
for students to have more exposure to Science,
Technology, Engineering and Math activities in the real
world. Using these real life science tools will make our
students be excited about STEM careers in the future.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Mendenhall Elementary School
Renee Tobias
$700
For the Love of Reading!
For the Love of Reading will provide a variety of books to
allow students to self-select reading material to
significantly improve their reading comprehension.
Students served by this program will increase the amount
of time they spend reading which will, in turn, increase
their fluency and comprehension. By providing a wide
variety of books and other reading material, this program
will promote a love of reading and learning to assist
students in becoming life-long learners.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Mitchell Elementary School
amparo behmer
$1000
Touch Phonics
Touch Phonics is a multi-sensory method to teach phonics,
word structure and spelling to below grade level readers.
The program uses tactile, kinesthetic, visual and auditory
learning styles to enhance memory and learning. Touch
Phonics is beneficial for students who learn best by doing.
The program will be used for those students who are in a
low reading percentile.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Mitchell Elementary School
Jennifer McCarty
$1500
Fun with Fluency!
The goal for the "Fun with Fluency" program is to provide
fun, independent Take-Home Math activities for struggling
students in grades 3-5 to build Fact Fluency in Math. "Fun
with Fluency" reinforces math skills and concepts taught in
grades 3-5 to students who lack resources at home and
who need additional math practice and experiences. This
program gives students the opportunity to check-out
weekly activities that support grade level TEKS, help close
math achievement gaps, and promote student academic
growth and success.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Murphy Middle School
Cathy Beardshaw
$900
STAAR Review-A-Palooza
In 2015, the Science and History department invited all
eighth grade students and funded a Saturday STAAR
Review-A-Palooza pilot program to help review science
and history concepts through hands on experiences and
cooperative learning activities. The program started from a
teacher who had honors students that wanted to review
the concepts from 6th and 7th grade science. But due to
curriculum pacing; class time was limited. This event
allowed students in the eighth grade to have the
opportunity to review and practice the concepts of sixth
and seventh grade science, and time to sequence historical
events while linking those events and seeing causal
effects. The Review-A-Palooza allowed the practice of
additional application of historical text to content,
combined historical events, trends, and themes of content
across the curriculum.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Murphy Middle School
karyn collins
$1500
Stampeding toward Success through Reading
The more students read, the better readers they become.
By dedicating reading time during class, recommending
books for them to read, exposing students to a variety of
texts, authors and topics, plus validating their reading
choices, students' interest and motivation to read
increases. This increased interest and motivation results in
the students' lifelong success. Knowing and understanding
the importance of preparing our students for the future,
the 6th grade Language Arts teachers will implement our
sustained silent reading program, Stampeding towards
Success through Reading.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Murphy Middle School
Elizabeth Jones
$1200
STAARburst Science
STAARburst is an eight week after-school science program
targeting eighth grade students who need additional
assistance with STAAR success through supplemental
instruction. Students will experience engaging hands-on,
reinforcing curricula to enhance learning and strengthen
metacognition. Instructional leadership will be provided by
the science department.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
ODLC
Ginger Nelson
$1500
Power Partners with Nature!
Power Partners with Nature is the chance for high school
students to continue to research, configure, test, and
construct alternative energy sources for electrical power.
Their efforts and final products will transfer learning
opportunities and teachable moments with PISD
elementary students seeing alternative energy in action.
Students will see nature's ability to power lights, fans,
computers, and more with solar and wind energy.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Otto Middle School
Frank Fonseca
$1500
Homework Club
The Homework Club nourishes students’ mind, body, and
heart to promote academic success. This after school
program provides a safe place for students who are at risk
for academic failure to receive the support needed to
complete unfinished class work, homework, and work on
organizational skills. The goal of the program is to create
independent life long learners.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Otto Middle School
Molly McCreary
$1500
Book Club Collection
The Book Club Collection is a continuation of the
development of a special collection of novel sets
containing multiple copies (8-10) of the same title for use
in student and/or teacher led small groups holding after
school book clubs. Book clubs at school provide students
from diverse backgrounds, ethnicities, and socioeconomic
status with opportunities to read for pleasure and personal
growth in a nurturing environment, making connections
with each other through conversations about literature
while developing literacy skills. The Book Club Collection is
available for use by all schools, district wide, through
inter-library loan.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Otto Middle School
Kennitra Robertson
$1500
Think PAWSitive!
PAWSitive is our way to describe students who
demonstrate excellence in exhibiting our campus core
values! Our PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and
Supports) program focuses on reinforcing positive
behavior and showing appreciation to students who are
making great choices. Campus-wide incentives include the
PAWSitive school store where students redeem "bucks" for
prizes, students of the month activities, and weekly prize
drawings during lunch.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
PESH
Kristy Alexander
$1500
AmStud Reads
This program provides for a classroom library filled with
books designed to appeal to the varied and diverse
interests of learners identified as gifted. All students thrive
when allowed to make choices about their own learning,
and these books will provide opportunities for students to
explore writing in all genres related to fields such as art,
medicine, architecture, theater, engineering, music, dance,
and physics - to name just a few. Ongoing, scheduled time
will be provided in class to honor the value of reading
deeply and widely.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
PESH
Tommy Guynes
$1500
Built for Success
Built for Success sponsors professional luncheons,
business site visits and classroom presentations by local
business leaders related to specific careers and Applied
Science degrees located at Collin College and Dallas
County Community Colleges. The three methods of career
exploration will target at-risk students with the aspiration
of sparking interests toward specific in-demand
employment areas. Built for Success will connect students
with members of the Plano Rotary, community colleges
and employers with career fields of student interest. We
build successful and motivated students!
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
PESH
Joe Russell
$1350
The Arts in Person
American Studies students will travel to downtown Dallas
for the ultimate hands-on experience of history as it is
revealed through art and architecture. They will tour the
Dallas Museum of Art, the Nasher Sculpture Center and
take a walking tour through the Dallas Arts District in
order to bring art and architecture to life. These
experiences will not only help prepare them for the AP US
History exam, but their analysis of visual argument will
reinforce skills developed for the AP English Language
exam as well.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
PESH
Kristin Shapiro
$1500
Aquaponics
In a three part setup, bacteria, nitrogen-consuming plants,
and fish are combined to create a unique aquaponics
setup. The project combines nutrient cycling and food
production to allow students to understand that all
organisms produce waste, however, this waste must
constantly be cycled to allow for the continued availability
of nutrients. Students utilize a Problem Based Learning
(PBL) model and are able to utilize technology throughout
the project.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
PESH
Dusty Vincer
$1500
Lighting the Way
Recognizing the need for observation of DNA and further
data analysis in future science careers, this project aims to
bring current forensic science techniques into the biology
classrooms. Students will have opportunities to conduct
hands-on investigations to visually analyze bands of DNA
and predict the size of DNA fragments using logarithmic
functions. Students will use a combination of disciplines
including science, technology, engineering, and math to
develop creative thinking and problem-solving skills in
real-world forensic science applications.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Plano West Senior High School
Nakesha Cade
$1500
Community Access
A major goal of students in the Plano West structured
classrooms is to be able to be a contributing member of
the community after graduation with independence and
life skills. We practice functional skills daily in the
classroom so that students can successfully and
appropriately access the community. Community access
will give students the real-world tools to be effective and
also involve community members with the on-going
learning of our students.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Plano West Senior High School
Kathy Hackett
$1500
University Clinicians for UIL Expertise and Personal
Growth
In preparation for the UIL Choir competition, two highly
respected university professors of music will provide a
total of 3 days of intensive clinics to all choir students
during their regular class periods and after school to
prepare them for group competition and individual growth.
Dr. Kevin Fenton, professor of choral conducting and
ensembles at Florida State University will spend two (2)
days providing specialized clinics while Dr. Lynne Gackle,
professor of choral conducting at Baylor University, will
spend one (1) day providing specialized clinics. All choir
students will also have the opportunity to experience
university-level instruction and performance expectations
as they consider their post-secondary opportunities.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Rasor Elementary School
Peggy Bridge
$1500
Full STEAM Ahead!
The ultimate goal of Full STEAM Ahead is to provide
students real life experiences in critical thinking while
making connections between science, technology,
engineering, art, and math (STEAM) to the real world. We
will involve students in STEAM activities with lessons that
have been designed to enhance both the McGraw Hill
reading and Pearson math curriculums. Students will solve
problems or challenges using collaboration, creative
design, thoughtful reflection, and then be asked to share
their final learning experience and product to various
audiences within their classes, grade levels, the school,
our community, and even the world.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Rice Middle School
Rocio Martinez
$1500
Spanish and French Book Club
Our Book Club will successfully engage struggling and
skilled Spanish and French readers to promote language
acquisition. Current research from Hayes and Ahrens
which analyzes the frequency and complexity of words a
person might encounter in different contexts, shows that it
is reading volume, rather than oral language that is the
primary source of differences in vocabularies. Their
research shows that most vocabulary is acquired outside
of formal teaching (the student self-selects the words he
wants to know), and that opportunities to acquire new
words occur vastly more often while reading rather than
listening.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Shepard Elementary School
Susan Seward
$1440
STREAM Boxes
STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art,
and Math) education and engagement does not end when
students leave school. With STREAM (Science, Technology,
Reading, Engineering, Art, and Math) Boxes, students will
be able to check out portable lab activities with
coordinating books and DVDs. The STREAM Boxes will
allow kids and their parents to learn more about
alternative energy, rocketry, the human body, and so much
more!
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Sp Prog 9-12
Katherine Morales
$1500
#Community Literacy Program
Our project called "#Community Literacy Program," is a
literacy program designed to foster a love of reading
within the entire school community. Our plan includes
student and teacher facilitated book clubs which extend
beyond the confines of the school day by using a unique
twitter hashtag for insight and inquiry. This grant will
allow us to purchase high interest reading materials,
displays that would be placed throughout the school,
incentives for master readers, and materials for a
culminating activity-a parent showcase.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Sp Prog K-8
William Dixon
$1000
"H.A.L.O." Helping Achieve Leadership
Opportunities
Leadership potential is in every child, how they use that
leadership is something that needs to be guided and
nurtured. H.A.L.O. will take boys and girls from grades K-8
and give them opportunities to achieve their leadership
potential through guided lessons and real life situations.
The members of H.A.L.O. will learn social skills, creative
problem solving, and out of the box thinking that will help
them achieve success at their home campus.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Stinson Elementary School
Stephanie Cappel
$640.03
Creating Literature- based Experiences through
Adapted & Modified Shared Storybooks
Students with moderate to severe disabilities are often
unable to access traditional reading materials. By using
the same (or similar) books as those used by a comparable
student’s grade level peers, that have been adapted
and/or modified using visuals, picture supports, revised
vocabulary, and increased physical accessibility, we can
target social skills, communication and language
development, and literacy skills that are needed to
increase reading independence. My project is to create a
literature library full of high-interest books to address
specific needs of students who are unable to fully benefit
from shared reading or read-alouds due to cognitive,
physical, or speech and language disabilities.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Stinson Elementary School
christina Prenzi
$739.25
It's all in the Connection!
The proposed program would allow an opportunity to have
students on the Autism Spectrum interact with scientific
concepts in a very hands-on way. This multi-sensory
experience, with access to a variety of scientific topics, will
reinforce and allow generalization of many Science
concepts that the students are learning in the classroom.
The Dallas Arboretum Children's Adventure Garden
provides a content rich environment, chock-full of relevant
subject matter, as well so many possibilities to meet
students where they each are individually in Science!
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Vines High School
Barbara Hester
$1500
Freedom Time Riders
Providing transportation for students who are in need of
afternoon tutorials but do not have alternative
transportation. This program will create academic and
preventative opportunities to assist students in
educational success.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Vines High School
Debbie Schmittou
$1500
Venturing Into Verse Novels
In the continued effort to reach the reluctant reader at the
high school level, we will envelop novels in verse, a novel
told in verse rather than prose. Verse novels support the
literary elements while giving teens a viable reading
option for books that are not as overwhelming as other
novel genres. Written with the music and imagery
elements of poetry, these books will expose our students
to character development and story structure found in the
form of traditional novels.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Williams High School
Robyn Delahunt
$1500
The Traveling Learning Lab
The traveling learning lab is for kids who access the
Special Education Resource program so that they have
opportunities to experience multi-sensory educational
programming offered throughout the metroplex. The most
powerful and meaningful learning takes place in the real
world environment and the traveling learning lab gives our
non-typical learners in special education an opportunity to
learn on their terms and plays to their learning strengths.
Being non-typical learners, our SpEd students need a more
hands on learning setting than what the traditional
classroom is capable of providing and the field trips taken
as part of the traveling learning lab program opens up
those more kinesthetic teaching moments.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Williams High School
Ramy Mahmoud
$1500
Pass the Scalpel!
Our goal as science educators is to develop in our students
a passion for science and learning, but that cannot be done
through lecture or worksheets. Instead, it is nurtured
through hands-on experience, and nowhere is that more
evident than through the process of dissection! Help us
bring back this highly valuable and otherwise rarelyexperienced process that can help revitalize a true passion
and appreciation for all life and science!
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Williams High School
Adrianna Martinez Goodland
$1473.2
CSI Plano - II
Students gain an understanding of the content we teach
through lecture and related activities, but in order to
develop a true passion and appreciation for the biological
sciences, students need to experience real-world, relevant,
and practical applications of the content. In the world of
microbiology, nowhere is that application more engaging
than within the world of forensics! With your help, we will
create "CSI Plano," where students will collect simulated
"DNA" from teacher "suspects" from across our campus,
and will run a DNA fingerprint through gel electrophoresis
in order to identify a culprit and solve a crime!
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Wilson Middle School
Zachary Dill
$174.65
A Walk Through History
History is a science one must study through multiple
perspectives, philosophies and various resources
(primary/secondary sources, monographs, scholarly
journals, art, etc.). "A Walk Through History" project is a
timeline that allows students to see history from an
objective viewpoint where facts are facts. All humans are
historians, although not all seek the profession, for they
desire to seek what is truth. The timeline provides a basis
in which the students build upon and form their own bias
through current theories of society, cultural backgrounds,
politics, and beliefs. History is evolving, adopting new and
old methods, thus the subject is presented in diverse
manners.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Wilson Middle School
Francisco Flores
$800
Reading 4 All
Consistent reading affords students the opportunity to
develop their vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and
foster an intrinsic desire to not only read, but read for
pleasure. Our project will allow us to purchase a variety of
high-interest texts to build classroom libraries that will
better meet the needs of struggling readers in a special
education setting, who prefer trending and popular texts
at their independent reading levels. When students are
allowed to select their own reading material, they are
more likely to remain engaged and develop a life-long love
for reading.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Wilson Middle School
Laura Perry
$1500
Kagan Structures (materials needed)
On September 14, 2015, I (and a fellow math teacher)
attended a Kagan Structures training that we found to be
very engaging. We have incorporated some structures into
our math classroom, but would like to share these ideas to
other subjects on campus, and to the other grade-level
math classes on campus. To do this, we will need some
Kagan Structure materials, and/or send more people to
the Cooperative Learning Day 1 Training.
2015-2016 Grants to Educators
Wilson Middle School
Valerie Weadock
$1200
Nothing But the Truth
Consistent reading helps students to improve vocabulary,
fluency, comprehension, and writing skills. When students
are allowed to select their own reading material, they are
more likely to remain engaged and develop a life-long love
for reading. Our project will allow us to purchase nonfiction texts to not only build variety within our classroom
libraries but better meet the needs of struggling readers
who often prefer shorter segments of text, more visuals,
and topics that correspond to real-world interests.