Turning Foundation 2014 Innovative Teacher Mini-Grant Award Winners
The Turning Foundation has announced award winners for the 2014 round of Innovative Teacher
Mini Grants. Cash awards of up to $1,500 were available for creative and innovative classroom
projects that also included collaboration with other teachers and/or community members. This
was the first year in this annual grant cycle that applicants aligned their projects with the four
major goal areas of focus for the Eastern Ohio Education Partnership. The grant competition
also included support this year from The Raymond John Wean Foundation. The nine grant
winners will receive a total of $12,777 in cash awards that will impact a total of 1642 students in
PK-12 classrooms during the rest of the 2014-15 school year. Award winners include:
Teacher: Christine Chludzinski
Amount: $1,387.77
School: McKinley Elementary School – Lisbon Exempted Village School District
Population: 60 students – Kindergarten
Goal Area: 3rd Grade Reading Proficiency
Overview: Reader Leaders is a project using community and high school volunteers to meet on
an individual basis with Kindergarten students weekly and focus on phonological awareness
skills and help develop fluency.
Collaborative Partners: Community volunteers and high school National Honor Society students
Teacher: Rebecca Deak
Amount: $1,500.00
School: Braden Middle School – Buckeye Local School District
Population: 119 students – grade 8
Goal Area: 8th Grade Math Proficiency
Overview: A cross-curricular math project supported by Fire HD Tablets will have students
hunting for missing treasure while reviewing, writing and solving equations, graphing linear
equations, solving linear systems of equations and preparing written and oral presentations.
Collaborative Partners: Language Arts and History teachers, parent volunteers.
Teacher: Nicholas Glatzer
Amount: $1,500.00
School: Campbell Elementary & Middle School – Campbell City Schools
Population: 98 students – Kindergarten
Goal Area: 3rd Grade Reading Proficiency
Overview: Kindergarten teachers will harness the power of tablet technology and will utilize
quality teacher approved educational apps to target struggling students’ specific needs in an
effort to close their gap and propel them toward 3rd Grade Proficiency in Reading.
Collaborative Partners: Kindergarten teachers, Mahoning County ESC, Success by Six.
Teacher: David Guy
Amount: $1,379.75
School: McKinley Elementary School – Lisbon Exempted Village School District
Population: 210 students – grades 1-3
Goal Area: 3rd Grade Reading Proficiency
Overview: The project will expand reading interventions for students “not on track” in reading
for grades 1-3 by providing a voluntary 30 minute program of research based direct phonics
instruction one to three times weekly.
Collaborative Partners: Community volunteers, Columbiana County ESC, grades 1-3 teachers.
Teacher: Tiffany N. Harris
Amount: $1,500.00
School: P.R.E.P. Learning Center – Youngstown City School District
Population: 400 students – Preschool and Kindergarten
Goal Area: Kindergarten Readiness
Overview: Using middle and high school students to read to young students, the Reading
Partners Early Literacy Program is focused on increasing the number of Kindergarten students
finishing the year at or above grade level reading
Collaborative Partners: Local libraries, daycare facilities, preschools and Youngstown City
School staff.
Teacher: Kelly Hutchinson
Amount: $1,500,00
School: Warren City Schools
Population: 646 students – Preschool and Kindergarten
Goal Area: Kindergarten and 3rd Grade Reading Readiness
Overview: The Early Childhood Network brings preschool and Kindergarten teachers together
to collaborate on issues such as technology and assessment, developmentally appropriate practice
and Kindergarten readiness.
Collaborative Partners: Preschool and Kindergarten teachers in Warren.
Teacher: Brittany Krestel
Amount: $1,500.00
School: Stadium Drive Elementary – Boardman Local School District
Population: 20 students – grade 2
Goal Area: 3rd Grade Reading Proficiency
Overview: This project focuses on students who are reading below grade level by providing a
sight word intervention program that involves practice at home, applying sight word knowledge
in guided reading groups and reinforcing sight word knowledge through interactive games and
tactile activities.
Collaborative Partners: Second grade classrooms.
Teacher: Christina Mullane
Amount: $1,500.00
School: Springfield Local High School – Springfield Local School District
Population: 19 students – grades 9-12
Goal Area: Postsecondary/Career Readiness
Overview: The School Broadcast Journalism Program’s project will increase authenticity and
professionalism through integrating two new teleprompters with current program equipment.
Collaborative Partners: Business and community leaders, technology and business
entrepreneurship classes, building staff and students.
Teacher: Eric Sampson
Amount: $1,010.00
School: Utica Shale Academy – Southern Local School District
Population: 43 students – grades 9-12
Goal Area: Postsecondary/Career Readiness
Overview: This project will provide hands on learning opportunities that bring learning about
the oil and gas industry to life. Students will participate in multiple activities associated with all
seven topic areas of the gas and oil industry.
Collaborative Partners: Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program, Express Energy Services
and PetroEd.