Renee Mueting had a look of surprise on her face as the Eudora Schools Foundation walked into her classroom with a giant $3,894 check Friday morning.
The Family and Consumer Sciences teacher applied for and received a grant through the foundation for a professional-grade sewing machine. She said students in her fashion trends class will use the machine to repair leather jackets and other clothing.
“I’m very thankful for the foundation. If you look around this room, like my mannequins, they’ve sponsored those,” Mueting said. “Anything to help me make the classes more fun.”
The foundation hand delivered over $42,000 in grants Friday to 25 teachers and principals across the district, marking the largest amount it has ever awarded. Its members came equipped with star and heart-shaped red balloons, too.
Funding for the grants came from community members like parents and business owners.
Along with the grants, the foundation gave prizes to teachers who contributed to the annual employee giving campaign. Prizes were chosen through a drawing, and they included gift cards, jewelry, a signed KU women’s basketball and a grand prize four-night trip to Breckenridge, Colorado. High school special education teacher Justin Mayer received the trip.
High school Spanish teacher Katelyn Kellerman received a $4,953 grant to supply teaching pathway students with iPads and Swivl robots. Her full class of Spanish students looked on as she accepted the grant.
“They do practice teaching lessons like eight different times throughout the year, but don’t really get the chance to ever see themselves actually teach,” Kellerman said. “With this grant, they’ll have technology to be able to do that.”
She said the robots “will actually follow them around the room so they can see exactly how they’re moving and how they’re interacting with other students.”
Principal Bill DeWitt and Assistant Principal Sean Hayden received a $1,682 grant of their own. DeWitt said the purpose of this grant is to provide teachers with toolkits that will encourage engagement among students.
“They have whiteboards. They have other tools that they can put in the hands of the students,” DeWitt said. “We get them more involved, so that every single kid in our school can connect to what we’re trying to do in each classroom.”
Hayden said this grant is good because administration often asks teachers to take on tasks but doesn’t give them the tools to do it.
JAG-K instructor Dana Chance received a $396 grant for a new JAG-K makerspace, but she was not at the school to accept it. Foundation members took a photo of her students with the check to surprise her.
Foundation Executive Director Shanda Hurla led the group of over a dozen around the schools. She said her favorite part is going into each classroom and hearing about what a teacher does and offers.
“The schools are the heart and soul of our community,” Hurla said. “We continue to want to support them.”
Early Learning Center grants:
Sunshine Storytime – Reaghan Transmeier
Little Learners, Big Imaginations: Enriching Pretend Play Experiences – Rachel Whitten,
Olivia Phelps and Amanda DeBettignies
Summer Days and Hands-On Play – Reaghan Transmeier
Fresh from the Farm: Bringing a Farmer’s Market to Our ELC – Olivia Phelps, Rachel Whitten and Amanda DeBettignies
Elementary school grants:
Bridging Inclusion Gaps: Accessible Sensory for All – Jenn Ducey, Hanna Heintzelman and Amber Ward
Building Pathways to Early Literacy – Paige Hayden
Hands on Learning – Samantha Pattrick
Keys to Creativity – Jessica Vanstory and Kate Washburn
Knowledge Explorers: Enriching the CKLA Experience – Megan Cleveland, Jasmine Crame, Stephanie Green, Sarajane Haney and Jamie White
Lego Spike Essential Kits – Ashli Olivera and Jill Stutler
Lights, Camera, Calculate – Adam Brickner
Math and Science Inspectors – Barbie Grado
Roll, Flip, Learn: Building Math Skills with Cards and Dice – Meadow Meier, Elizabeth Schmidt and Katie Peuser
Sensory Seeker – Erin Weinmaster
Visual Processing and Scanning Activities for Better Readers – Michele Fairchild
Where Fun and Learning Collide – Megan Whitebread, Megan Braden, Billie Dougherty, Sarah Chrislip and Jen Jordan
Middle school grants:
Cardinals Gather and Grow – Mandy Shockley, Dallas Seyler, Lexi Thorne, Kayla Washee and Julie Spring
8th Grade Student Career Fair Project –Michelle Plegge, Jaime Meyers and Cherrie Ann Lindsey
In Real Life – Mitchell Tegtmeier
Pause & Reset: A Calm Space for Students – Dave Powers and Tyler Blackburn
Bundles of Learning – Mandy Shockley, Dallas Seyler, Kayla Washee, Lexi Thorne and Julie Spring
Some Assembly Required! – Mitch Tegtmeier
High school grants:
JAG-K Creative Maker’s Space – Dana Chance
Record, Reflect and Innovate: Empowering Our Future Teachers – Katelyn Kellerman
MORALE: Maximizing Opportunities to Respond in Active Learning Education – Sean Hayden and Bill DeWitt
Threads of Opportunity: Enhancing FACS with Industry Sewing Equipment – Renee Mueting
