The Garden City Public Schools Foundation Grant Squad visited schools on Thursday, March 6 to award $250 mini-grants to help teachers enhance instruction in their classrooms. The awards were presented to teachers in a surprise celebration in their classrooms.
The foundation received 19 grant applications from staff around the school district. The grants are awarded to help support learning initiatives in the classrooms. The grants may be used for the classroom, department, or individual staff development for a district employee. The applications are read and judged by a Garden City Public Schools Foundation committee.
The teachers that received the mini-grants include:
Megan Ford, Jennie Barker Elementary School third grade teacher, will use the grant to purchase a variety of math games and manipulatives to support the math curriculum and reinforce skills that must be obtained and are required by the state of Kansas.
Alfredo Anaya, Garden City High School English Languages Arts teacher, will use the grant to purchase novels to intergrade them into the curriculum for small group reading, allowing students a choice of reading their preferred novel.
Lindsey Torres, Florence Wilson Elementary School kindergarten teacher, will use the grant to purchase sensory and tactile objects to engage learners in activities that will allow them to practice academic skills they are working on while providing opportunities for sensory, language, and social experiences.
Kelly Myatt, Garden City Achieve biology teacher, will use the grant to purchase hands-on labs to provide students engaging lessons. This will provide deeper discussions with their peers about scientific methods, and being able to explain outcomes of various scientific investigations.
Sara Brown and Allan Garcia, Edith Scheuerman Elementary School fourth grade teachers, will use the grant to purchase manipulative supplies for the Social Students State Assessment project, The Fourth Grade Wax Museum. This project will give students a deeper understanding of famous Kansans.
The Garden City Public Schools Foundation has provided over $40,000 in grants to fund opportunities to enhance the learning environment and increase the effectiveness of instruction across the district. The foundation was founded in 2004 and is a non-profit organization that is committed to effectively generate, manage and distribute funds to stimulate excellence for the preservation and enhancement of exemplary education provided by Garden City Public Schools. The foundation functions in alliance with the Western Kansas Community Foundation.