The SEED foundation awarded $94,804 in classroom grants to Shorewood teachers. The grants were awarded as part of the SEED Foundation's Spring Grants program.
The Shorewood SEED Foundation is an all-volunteer community organization that supports the Shorewood School District’s efforts to provide excellence in public education. The SEED Foundation, originally established in 2003, supports grants and programming in the District each year, raising money through its Annual Fund efforts and signature Swing with Shorewood event. For more information about SEED, visit: www.shorewoodseed.org.
The classroom grants supported by SEED are as follows:
District Wide
1. Wireless Microphone Replace Project – Joe King and Brad Brist $44,390.00
This grant will enable the Shorewood Drama Department to replace its wireless microphones system to comply with new legal restriction and upgrade aging equipment.
2. Social Cognition Training for District Speech Learning Pathologists – Eva Gulotta, Katie Koepsell, Inga Siler, Claire Sterr, And Abby Hansen $ 1924.64
This grant will make it possible for the speech learning pathologists to implement Social Thinking across all school districts by enabling the purchase of the necessary materials.
Shorewood High School Grants
3. Digital Illustration Equipment - Amelia Hernandez $ 9958.00
This request for drawing tablets for the computers for the graphic arts lab. This equipment will be used in a new digital illustration class being offered, as well as in all the other graphic art and design classes. The grant request also included some IPads as well as vinyl cutters.
4. Projector for Introducing Physical Activities – James Weslaski $ 799.98
5. 12 ipads for the Music Program — Bryan Kuwaja $3,888.00
Shorewood High School/Shorewood Intermediate Schools
6. First Tech Challenge – Jody Brooks $ 2836.00
This funding will support one of three FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) programs sponsored by the Shorewood Recreation Department. FIRST is a world-wide authentic learning program advancing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
Shorewood Intermediate School
7. Learning Space Redesign – SIS Library – Sara Kemp $ 9300.00
This grant will help to create a learning commons to align with the 21st century learning styles which is student centered and not teacher centered. With this new design SIS students will have access to mobile furniture, electrical power, space-saving storage and room for hands-on learning.
8. PLTW Snap Circuit and Arduino Kits – Dustin Slusser $ 2579.85
This grant will fund kits that allow students to be introduced to basic electronics and circuits with a focus on some of the most basic devices and functions. Through hands-on projects students can explore electricity, the behavior and parts of atoms and sensing devices.
9. Apple Crayons - Mickey Chavannes/Colleen Miller $ 1,499.70
The scope of this grant is to provide the 8th grade math teachers and students with the Apple Crayon by Logistics. With this too, students may easily write out, annotate and record the work, so the teacher can see if the students understand the math problems.
Lake Bluff
10. Leveled Books - Tiffany Gaggioli $ 3,975.00
This grant will provide an enriched and updated library for a first-grade classroom. First graders grow about 16 reading levels through the course of the year, compared to two to three levels in other primary years. To help students read on grade-level and enjoy reading, this library will provide interesting books at the student’s independent reading level.
11. Soundstage Equipment – Liisa Church $ 1,385.46
This grant will be used to update Lake Bluff’s sound equipment and support the purchase of a mixer which is a fundamental tool to make balancing parts possible. A cordless lavalier mic will make it possible for students to move while they sing. Using monitors, possible with the new equipment, will make performers able to hear the background music, as they should.
Atwater
12. Atwater Elementary Outdoor Classroom - Janet Reinhoffer and Deb Sakai $ 1500.00
This grant will fund an outdoor, including bench seating, a teaching table. Studies have shown that students are more engaged, inspired and on-task in outdoor classrooms.
13. Digital Learning Center – Sara Starck $ 1067.71
This grant will provide students with a digital (QR Code) listening library, so they will be able to self-select a story, scan thecode on the cover and be able to listen to the book independently or with a group of students. This will offer students many more opportunities to hear a “read aloud” each day, providing them with rich print experiences and develop their love of reading at a young age!
Atwater/Lake Bluff
14. IHT Spirit System – Christine Albrightson and Dominic Newman $ 9700.00
This grant will fund wrist- based heart and fitness tracking, which will help to provide an interactive curriculum and an online journal. This technology will also provide students with a personalized and differentiated learning experience.
For more information about SEED grants, visit the SEED website.