GRAND ISLAND — The Grand Island Public Schools Foundation surprised teachers and students across the district with $17,111 in grants on Wednesday, Oct. 25 and Thursday, Oct. 26.
The Grand Island Public Schools Foundation (GIPS Foundation) presented 13 grants this year to teachers for classroom projects that will add value to their curriculum.
The GIPS Foundation stated that 4,554 students will benefit from a classroom grant this school year. The grants range from $250 to $2,500.
The presentations made on Wednesday included:
- Barr Middle School
- West Lawn Elementary
- Howard Elementary
- Shoemaker Elementary
- O’Connor Learning Center
- Engleman Elementary
GIPS Foundation staff went to each classroom individually to present the grants with four Grand Island Senior High cheerleaders in tow to help excite the elementary students.
One of the teachers that was presented a grant on Wednesday was Colette Sorensen, a Social-Emotional Creative Arts (SECA) teacher at Shoemaker Elementary.
Sorensen said the grant she wrote was called, “Let Your Creativity Glow,” which is a glow in the dark art project for the entire school, kindergarten through fifth grade. There will be a glow room featured at their art show during parent-teacher conferences.
“All of their artwork will be put into a room with black lights, and they will glow, and we will get to see all of their creativity,” Sorensen said.
To be awarded the grant, Sorensen said she had to spell out to the GIPS Foundation what the project is, how many children or schools it will affect, what materials are needed and what the cost was.
Sorensen said the grant will affect Shoemaker Elementary students, the Newcomers program at Stolly Park Elementary and the district’s other SECA teachers. She added the materials will be used year after year until they run out.
“I just want to thank the foundation, because this is a project, we wanted to do last year, but it was out of our price range,” Sorensen said, “We are very excited to implement it, I am sure it will be a tradition and favorite among our students.”
Kari Hooker-Leep, Executive Director of the GIPS Foundation, said the organization has been awarding these types of grants since 2004.
Hooker-Leep said they award between 13 to 17 grants each year, depending on funding each year. She added that the grant system is about getting teachers to think outside of the box and so something that normal curriculum wouldn’t pay for.
“A lot of the projects turn into something that the school curriculum has adopted, such as our robotics program,” said Hooker-Leep.
The funding for these grants comes from many different sources, including staff and community donations, the GIPS Foundation Harvest Gala, and the Janeth Davis Memorial Fund.
“We envision Grand Island Public Schools as a place where all students experience a rich educational journey with robust opportunities to prepare them to thrive and dream big. Every GIPS student will have adequate resources to attain their potential,” the GIPS Foundation states.
A full release describing all the awards and recipients will be available Thursday afternoon.