Education Foundation awards over $29,000 in Enrichment Grants
This summer, $25,000 in Foundation Enrichment Grants and over $4,000 in Donor Enrichment Grants were awarded to Berea City School District staff members to help fund projects that enhance educational experiences for more than 6000 students in our district! This year’s Enrichment Grant projects are:
Memory Lane $8000
Brookview – 400 Students
Staff: Renee Nedoma, Gayle Brusk, Deb Greaves, Rachel Simon, Deb Tittl, Tracey Krueger, Linda Lang, Shannon Mullins, Gus Patouhas
Each class at Brookview will write a piece to be published in a classroom book themed “Walking Down Memory Lane” with an attitude of gratitude. This program will give a bigger purpose to meaningful writing that not only builds more confident writers but also embraces our mission of Bucket-Filling and giving thanks. The grant will purchase one book for each student in the school.
Rocking Kindness! $3700
IMAGINE! EXPLORE THE ARTS grant in memory of Joanna Pusti (funded $1300) EF grant (funded $2400)
BMMS – 1800 Students
Staff: Melissa Meyer & Jen Thomas
After reading Each Kindness, students will be exposed to the ripple effect of kindness (a rock dropped in water) and how it affects others. Each student will receive a rock that has the word YOU on one side and a blank side to paint. The painted rocks will represent students’ unique traits and personalities. As a culminating activity, students will place their rocks within a rock garden symbolizing the commUNITY at BMMS. Grant funds will purchase rocks and paint supplies for the project.
Team Grindstone $1377
Grindstone – 100+ Students
Staff: Kristen Johnson
In this program, staff and parents will collaborate and discuss issues that each face daily with their children. One book discussion per quarter will focus on topics to enhance and enrich the home and school experience. Working together to address the many needs of our students will help to support them in choices and problem solving. Grant funds will cover the cost of books for discussion.
Learning with Circuits $1110
Grindstone - 170 Students
Staff: Stephanie Cox
Learning with circuits is a hands-on approach where students explore the inner workings of electronics by building simple circuits from grant-funded kits. Students will have opportunities to construct series and parallel circuits with the actual tools and components of a circuit.
AVID - College Campus Visits / Career Exploration $347.60
BHS CLASS OF ’72 grant
BMHS – 100 Students
Staff: Kelly Baumgartner
This grant will fund taking AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) students to both large and small college campuses so that they can get a feel for what it might be like to attend college. It will also expose them to different career opportunities that can be attained with a college degree.
Chick Hatching Expansion Grant $635
Grindstone – 20 Students
Staff: John Kruggel
Students will learn about the basic needs of animals as well as how to care for them through firsthand experience. They will learn about all of the different stages of an embryo and what body parts develop each day during the incubation period. In addition, students will develop math skills by measuring and graphing the chicks’ growth. Grant funds will purchase supplies for the incubation and care of chicks.
Our 5P Evening! (Parents, Portfolios, Photos, Performances & Pizza!) $1000
Big Creek – 50 Students
Staff: Kristy Krajniak & Susan Ohlemacher
Children celebrate their first-grade year through a night shared with parents/caregivers. Parents participate in hands-on learning centers taught by students, enjoy looking through their art and work portfolios, and view personalized photo albums. Finally, they’ll be treated to a performance given by their children, a photograph slideshow of how they have grown, and pizza! The grant will fund photo albums and portfolios as well as picture processing costs.
Alternative Seating $500
BMMS – 13+ Students
Staff: Sarah DeBrock
This grant will provide alternative seating options for students who are identified with ADHD or just keep fidgeting during class. Sitting on exercise balls or using a pedal machine at their desks, will let students work off energy while being able to maintain focus on instruction.
Stability Balls and Discs for Seating $660
HESCHE WRITING/READING & PHYSICAL ED. Grant
BMMS - 90 Students
Staff: Sheryl Medvetz
This grant will provide alternative seating in the form of balance/stability balls and sit discs for a fifth grade classroom. Alternative seating will help students succeed academically, and aid in their physical well-being, both of which will help them become active, productive members of their community.
One Book One School $1000
Grindstone – 900 Students
Staff: Lori Mucha
This project was so successful last year and it helped create a community of readers all sharing in the same reading experience. Grant funds will purchase copies of Charlotte’s Web for all students to help them get excited about reading.
Ozobots for Robotics $3444
BMMS – 1000 Students
Staff: Lori Sveda
Students will experience hands-on exploration of robots performing real world applications using Ozobot kits purchased with this grant. They will be introduced to the intuitive, block-based coding foundation behind the robotic commands. As students advance, they will progress to leveraging more complex concepts like variables, functions, loops, logic and conditional statements. The robots will be used to integrate learning across subject areas and also for after school clubs to encourage a deeper level of inquiry and understanding.
The Sky is the Limit $600
BMHS – 120 Students
Staff: Dennis Kavran, Barb Gondasch, Loni Solomon, Carrie Rice, Theresa Hawn, Greg Soos
BMHS paired three honors math students with one special needs student in a build groups of four. Each group built, painted, and flew their own plane from grant-funded kits. Photography students documented the process and planes.
Chinese Culture: Exploratory & Enrichment $800
BMHS & BMMS – 80 Students
Staff: SuHsien Hsu
Students will experience authentic materials, participate in authentic activities, and learn from someone who grew up in a Chinese community. The plan includes guest speakers, field trips, and celebrating Chinese Lunar New Year: 3rd Annual Community Service at a local library. Grant funds will cover field trip and library service expenses.
Social Thinking Materials $3469
BPM – 500 Students
Staff: Kristin Brandyberry
At BPM, students learn about the Zones of Regulation and various social skills so that they can improve interactions, understand their own feelings and the feelings of others, and react appropriately. This grant will fund new materials for the program so that all classrooms will have the books they need.
Focus and Interaction 2.0 $300
IMAGINE! EXPLORE THE ARTS grant in memory of Joanna Pusti
Grindstone – 400 Students
Staff: Lea Pulizzi Smith
This program fosters focus and interaction through music class activities. Grant funds will purchase puppets and intriguing musical instruments to entice students to interact with visual focus and reactive language.
RUN 2 READ $2500
HESCHE WRITING/READING & PHYSICAL ED. grant (funded $1840) EF grant (funded $660)
Brookview – 400 Students
Staff: Gus Patouhas, Gayle Brusk, Deb Greaves, Tracey Krueger, Linda Lang, Shannon Mullins, Renee Nedoma, Rachel Simon, Deb Tittl
Students will have year-long opportunities to participate in running/walking laps around the playground. Using scanners to record laps, students will earn toe tokens based on every 10 laps, or one mile. They’ll also earn tickets for quarterly book prize drawings and a new shoe drawing. Grant funds will purchase tokens and prizes as well as scanner code tags.
Memory Lane $8000
Brookview – 400 Students
Staff: Renee Nedoma, Gayle Brusk, Deb Greaves, Rachel Simon, Deb Tittl, Tracey Krueger, Linda Lang, Shannon Mullins, Gus Patouhas
Each class at Brookview will write a piece to be published in a classroom book themed “Walking Down Memory Lane” with an attitude of gratitude. This program will give a bigger purpose to meaningful writing that not only builds more confident writers but also embraces our mission of Bucket-Filling and giving thanks. The grant will purchase one book for each student in the school.
Rocking Kindness! $3700
IMAGINE! EXPLORE THE ARTS grant in memory of Joanna Pusti (funded $1300) EF grant (funded $2400)
BMMS – 1800 Students
Staff: Melissa Meyer & Jen Thomas
After reading Each Kindness, students will be exposed to the ripple effect of kindness (a rock dropped in water) and how it affects others. Each student will receive a rock that has the word YOU on one side and a blank side to paint. The painted rocks will represent students’ unique traits and personalities. As a culminating activity, students will place their rocks within a rock garden symbolizing the commUNITY at BMMS. Grant funds will purchase rocks and paint supplies for the project.
Team Grindstone $1377
Grindstone – 100+ Students
Staff: Kristen Johnson
In this program, staff and parents will collaborate and discuss issues that each face daily with their children. One book discussion per quarter will focus on topics to enhance and enrich the home and school experience. Working together to address the many needs of our students will help to support them in choices and problem solving. Grant funds will cover the cost of books for discussion.
Learning with Circuits $1110
Grindstone - 170 Students
Staff: Stephanie Cox
Learning with circuits is a hands-on approach where students explore the inner workings of electronics by building simple circuits from grant-funded kits. Students will have opportunities to construct series and parallel circuits with the actual tools and components of a circuit.
AVID - College Campus Visits / Career Exploration $347.60
BHS CLASS OF ’72 grant
BMHS – 100 Students
Staff: Kelly Baumgartner
This grant will fund taking AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) students to both large and small college campuses so that they can get a feel for what it might be like to attend college. It will also expose them to different career opportunities that can be attained with a college degree.
Chick Hatching Expansion Grant $635
Grindstone – 20 Students
Staff: John Kruggel
Students will learn about the basic needs of animals as well as how to care for them through firsthand experience. They will learn about all of the different stages of an embryo and what body parts develop each day during the incubation period. In addition, students will develop math skills by measuring and graphing the chicks’ growth. Grant funds will purchase supplies for the incubation and care of chicks.
Our 5P Evening! (Parents, Portfolios, Photos, Performances & Pizza!) $1000
Big Creek – 50 Students
Staff: Kristy Krajniak & Susan Ohlemacher
Children celebrate their first-grade year through a night shared with parents/caregivers. Parents participate in hands-on learning centers taught by students, enjoy looking through their art and work portfolios, and view personalized photo albums. Finally, they’ll be treated to a performance given by their children, a photograph slideshow of how they have grown, and pizza! The grant will fund photo albums and portfolios as well as picture processing costs.
Alternative Seating $500
BMMS – 13+ Students
Staff: Sarah DeBrock
This grant will provide alternative seating options for students who are identified with ADHD or just keep fidgeting during class. Sitting on exercise balls or using a pedal machine at their desks, will let students work off energy while being able to maintain focus on instruction.
Stability Balls and Discs for Seating $660
HESCHE WRITING/READING & PHYSICAL ED. Grant
BMMS - 90 Students
Staff: Sheryl Medvetz
This grant will provide alternative seating in the form of balance/stability balls and sit discs for a fifth grade classroom. Alternative seating will help students succeed academically, and aid in their physical well-being, both of which will help them become active, productive members of their community.
One Book One School $1000
Grindstone – 900 Students
Staff: Lori Mucha
This project was so successful last year and it helped create a community of readers all sharing in the same reading experience. Grant funds will purchase copies of Charlotte’s Web for all students to help them get excited about reading.
Ozobots for Robotics $3444
BMMS – 1000 Students
Staff: Lori Sveda
Students will experience hands-on exploration of robots performing real world applications using Ozobot kits purchased with this grant. They will be introduced to the intuitive, block-based coding foundation behind the robotic commands. As students advance, they will progress to leveraging more complex concepts like variables, functions, loops, logic and conditional statements. The robots will be used to integrate learning across subject areas and also for after school clubs to encourage a deeper level of inquiry and understanding.
The Sky is the Limit $600
BMHS – 120 Students
Staff: Dennis Kavran, Barb Gondasch, Loni Solomon, Carrie Rice, Theresa Hawn, Greg Soos
BMHS paired three honors math students with one special needs student in a build groups of four. Each group built, painted, and flew their own plane from grant-funded kits. Photography students documented the process and planes.
Chinese Culture: Exploratory & Enrichment $800
BMHS & BMMS – 80 Students
Staff: SuHsien Hsu
Students will experience authentic materials, participate in authentic activities, and learn from someone who grew up in a Chinese community. The plan includes guest speakers, field trips, and celebrating Chinese Lunar New Year: 3rd Annual Community Service at a local library. Grant funds will cover field trip and library service expenses.
Social Thinking Materials $3469
BPM – 500 Students
Staff: Kristin Brandyberry
At BPM, students learn about the Zones of Regulation and various social skills so that they can improve interactions, understand their own feelings and the feelings of others, and react appropriately. This grant will fund new materials for the program so that all classrooms will have the books they need.
Focus and Interaction 2.0 $300
IMAGINE! EXPLORE THE ARTS grant in memory of Joanna Pusti
Grindstone – 400 Students
Staff: Lea Pulizzi Smith
This program fosters focus and interaction through music class activities. Grant funds will purchase puppets and intriguing musical instruments to entice students to interact with visual focus and reactive language.
RUN 2 READ $2500
HESCHE WRITING/READING & PHYSICAL ED. grant (funded $1840) EF grant (funded $660)
Brookview – 400 Students
Staff: Gus Patouhas, Gayle Brusk, Deb Greaves, Tracey Krueger, Linda Lang, Shannon Mullins, Renee Nedoma, Rachel Simon, Deb Tittl
Students will have year-long opportunities to participate in running/walking laps around the playground. Using scanners to record laps, students will earn toe tokens based on every 10 laps, or one mile. They’ll also earn tickets for quarterly book prize drawings and a new shoe drawing. Grant funds will purchase tokens and prizes as well as scanner code tags.
