SPS Foundation Grants Over $37,000 to Classroom Educators for 2021-2022 School Year

Aug 26, 2021

SPOKANE, WA – Thousands of Spokane Public School District students have benefitted over the past several years from over $400,000 in grants made directly to educators in classrooms and schools. These Spokane Public Schools Foundation (SPSF) grants fund innovative new models for teaching, specialized furniture and supplies to enhance learning, and challenging curriculum for ALL students, especially in STEAM program that would not otherwise be funded.

“Our Foundation is very pleased to announce the latest cohort of grants for the 2021-2022 school year,” said Katie Scofield, SPSF President and Numerica Credit Union Community Development & Impact Relationship Manager. “This year the Foundation funded $37,310 in total, growing our total giving to SPS to well over $400,000.”

These are just a few examples of the Foundation’s grants this year:

1. Logan Elementary School: Logan’s student support plan includes having “Regulation Stations” in every general education classroom, behavior intervention classroom, resource room and specialist classroom (27 total). These stations provide tools and strategies to help students when they are emotionally dysregulated so they can calm their minds and bodies and get back to being learning ready. When students are emotionally dysregulated, their ability to access rigorous learning experiences is drastically diminished. Additionally, the student negatively impacts their fellow classmates’ ability to learn and their teacher’s ability to teach.

Grant submitted by Principal Brent Perdue. Heather Taitch (MTSS Specialist) will oversee purchase of items and dissemination across school. Classroom teachers (all) will teach students about the use of regulation stations.

1. Cooper Elementary School: Due to COVID-19 last school year, it was not safe to use any wind instruments, including the much-anticipated Recorder in 4^th grade. The Ukulele is a safe alternative as being a string instrument that can be easily sanitized, however they come at a slightly higher price than the $5 Recorder. The SPSF grant helps provide the Ukulele to more than 200 students.

Grant submitted by music teacher Kathleen Messersmith.

1. North Central High School: North Central applied for and was awarded numerous grants ranging from a 3D printer for producing biological models, an engineering pneumatic system, diversifying the NC library, producing a NC Literary magazine “Voices”, Native American Literature field trip to the MAC and books.

Grants submitted by: Andy Munsey, Ryan West, Kelley Hilgerman, Andrea Bass, Shamerica Nakamura, Riley Moore, Mary Fruchter, Marlina Gruis, Joseph Kraus.

These most current grants are as follows:

• Regal Elementary, 1^st Grade: Pre-School Furniture
• Linwood Elementary, 1^st Grade: Pre-School Sensory Area
• North Central High School, 11^th Grade: 3D Printing for Biological Models
• North Central High School, 12 Grade: Engineering Pneumatic System
• Libby Center, 1^st Grade: Mini Engineers/Mimi Ingeneieros
• Stevens Elementary, 6^th Grade: Beginning a Kumi Daiko Ensemble
• Adams Elementary, 2^nd Grade: Legos to Build Storytellers
• Stevens Elementary, 6^th Grade: Reading Comprehension and Writing to Sources
• Spokane Virtual Learning, 9^th Grade: Virtual Learning Summer Need Grant
• Lewis & Clark High School, 9^th Grade: Argument Driven Inquiry in Chemistry
• North Central High School, 10^th Grade: NC Continues to Read
• Grant Elementary, All School: Counselor Program & Calming Room
• Finch Elementary, 4^th Grade: We’ve Got The Wiggles
• North Central High School. 12^th Grade: Diversifying the NC Library
• Lewis & Clark High School, 12th Grade: Increase Diverse Voices in LC Library
• North Central High School, 12^th Grade: Books for Multi-Cultural Book Club
• North Central High School, 12^th Grade: Cultural Connections: Native American Literature Field Trip and Books
• North Central High School, 9^th Grade: NC Literary Magazine
• North Central High School, 8^th Grade: Literacy Equity: Real Life Heroes to Learn the Heroes Journey
• Cooper Elementary, 5^th Grade: Ukeleles for Cooper Music Program
• North Central High School, 12^th Grade: African American Literature’s Expansion of Multicultural Education Initiative
• Logan Elementary, 3^rd Grade: Sensory Tools for Regulation Station
• North Central High School, 9^th Grade: NC AVID College Visits
• Regal Elementary, 1^st Grade: Heggerty Phonemic Support System
• Grant Elementary, 1^st Grade: Health Room Grant
• Regal Elementary, 1^st Grade: As fast as you can, as slow as you must!
• Logan Elementary, 5^th Grade: Accelerated Reader
• Bemiss Elementary, 3^rd Grade: Circle of Security Parenting at Bemiss
• On Track Academy, 11^th Grade: On Track Academy and First Books and the Stories for All Projects
• Grant Elementary, 6^th Grade: Citizen of the Month Prizes\
• Rogers High School, 9^th Grade: STEM Project and STEM Career Night at Rogers High School
• Sacajawea Middle School, 7^th Grade: Middle School Reading Intervention Enrichment
• The Community School: Laminar Flow Hood for Microbiology
• The Community School, 10^th Grade: Community School Garden
• Stevens Elementary, K-6 Grades: PBIS Incentive Room
• Stevens Elementary, K-6 Grades: S.O.A.R. Puppeteer Program
• Bemiss Elementary: Walking Wednesdays