2021 Innovative Educator Grant Awards
The Springfield Education Foundation is proud to award 2021 Innovative Educator Grants to educators in Springfield Public Schools for the 2021-22 academic year. The purpose of this grant program is to increase student engagement, improve attendance, serve under-deserved students populations, improve graduation rates, and promote career opportunities and college connections.
Elementary School Awards (K-5)
“Learning Through OSMOsis”
Educator: Heidi VanBrunt
Impact: 30 students
Award Amount: $606.00
This grant supplies OSMO kits to turn iPads into interactive tools to engage, enrich, remediate, and reinforce student skills in math, reading, science, art, and technology skills.
“Mural Installation to Promote Pride “
Educator: David Hulbert
Impact: 350 Students
Award Amount: $3000.00
This grant provides the supplies needed to create a cultural mural on a large and visible wall at Maple Elementary.
“Lexia Core 5 – A Reading Support Program”
Educator: Robyn Hass
Impact: 75 students
Award Amount: $3000.00
This grant provides access to the online program, Lexia Core 5. This is a reading support program that targets students reading levels, helps to give students a strong reading foundation, and increases confidence in their reading.
“Classroom Set of Ukuleles & Rolling Cart”
Educator: Andria Martin
Impact: 425 students
Award Amount: $1940.00
This grant supplies the classroom with 25 ukuleles to learn and reinforce music skills.
“We’re All Authors”
Educator: Stephanie Lovdokken
Impact: 275 students
Award Amount: $2000.00
This grant will provide students with BARE books, line guides, and a set of crayons. They will receive the opportunity to publish a hardcover book to share with the community.
“Keeping Current with Science: Circuits”
Educator: Eva LaMar
Impact: 90 students
Award Amount: $2220.99
This grant supplies electric kits to bring science concepts to life. The kits are centered around electricity and circuits that sparks interest, inspire confidence, and prompt engineering problem-solving.
“Movement for the Mind!”
Educator: Nicki Gorham
Impact: 141 students
Award Amount: $1940.00
This grant provides multi-tiered systems of support for students. A structured Motor Sensory Room Program to help students maintain an optimal level of alertness for learning.
“Moving and Learning”
Educator: Shelby Masterson
Impact: 27 Students
Award Amount: $1,162.09
This grant purchases flexible seating as an alternative to traditional classroom seating allowing students to make choices that positively impact their learning. This is especially helpful to students with ADHA, autism and other special needs.
Middle School Awards (6-8)
“Percussion Equipment to Benefit All”
Educator: Jarek Bartels
Impact: 150 students
Award Amount: $2563.00
This grant supports the student percussionist at ASMS.
“Outdoor Classroom”
Educator: Johanna Withrow-Robinson
Impact: 456 Students
Award Amount: $3000.00
This grant provides staff and students with an outdoor classroom space adjacent to the school garden, providing opportunities for teachers to take classes outside to learn, build, and grow.
“Healing and Growth Mindset Garden”
Educator: Cory Edwards
Impact: 456 Students
Award Amount: $1583.51
Students will create, maintain and use a specially-designed garden for instruction in social-emotional skills, including: growth mindset, emotional regulation, decision making and conflict resolution.
“Topographic Sandbox”
Educator: Sergio Cano Soto
Impact: 300 Students
Award Amount: $1800.00
The augmented reality sandbox allows users to create topography models by shaping real sand, which is then augmented in real-time by an elevation color map, topography, and simulated water.
“Woodshop Machines and Supplies”
Educator: Ron Pottorf
Impact: 400 Students
Award Amount: $2700.00
This grant will provide funds to purchase equipment and supplies for the woodshop.
“Blended: Novel Study in Teenage Identity”
Educator: Haley Toledo
Impact: 250 Students
Award Amount: $2300.00
This grant provides Sharon Drapers book “Blended.”
“The Lemonade Wars Project”
Educator: Veronica Voeks
Impact: 180 Students
Award Amount: $948.00
This grant provides the the students with the supplies needed to practice their economics and business skills in a real-world setting.
High School Awards (9-12)
“Diversifying Library Collection”
Educator: Kaitlyn Smith
Impact: 1250 Students
Award Amount: $2000.00
This grant provides books that add diverse perspectives to Springfield High School’s library collection. This grant will also provide books that allow equitable access of resources to underserved populations.
“Amplifying Student Voices”
Educator: Jon Bridges
Impact: 400 Students
Award Amount: $2965.00
The Amplifying Student Voices project will create a stronger cross-curricular opportunity in music and sound engineering by purchasing a Portable PA system and mics for the mariachi classroom.
“Exploring Electricity and Circuits”
Educator: Jonathan Hornung
Impact: 60 Students
Award Amount: $2992.50
Students will engage in hands-on guided inquiry of circuitry to build a greater understanding of the nature of electricity and its applications
“Writing Club Focuses on Representation”
Educator: Gina Gervase
Impact: 1267 Students
Award Amount: $3000.00
Thurston High School creative writing club will write and edit stories together. Focus on representation of characters with diverse experiences by reading, analyzing, and discussing novels by diverse authors.
