On December 16, 2024, the District 45 Foundation for Excellence in Education visited several schools and awarded Mini-Grants for the 2024-25 school year.
With giant checks in hand, Foundation Board members Peg Egan, Linda Nystrom, and President Rae Rupp Srch, along with Superintendent Dr. Brian Graber, arrived at schools to surprise each Mini-Grant recipient with news of their award. Five mini-grants totaling over $2,900 were awarded.
One of the Mini-Grants awarded was to Stevenson Elementary Kindergarten Teachers Gabriela Manzano and Melissa Loconte.
Their proposal, “Equitable Kindness – An SEL Project,” will provide every teacher at Stevenson Elementary School with items to help enhance their current “calm-down corners,” which are utilized to teach students social-emotional learning skills and strategies in the classroom.
The grant will benefit every K-2 student at Stevenson, approximately 172 students. Loconte and Manzano will dedicate time to helping teachers set up their calm-down corners with new items, including a bean bag chair, lavender plant, calming pillow, yoga mat, and sensory toys.
With these resources, students will have additional tools to help them navigate their feelings, regulate their emotions, and build relationships with their peers.
In October, the Foundation invited District 45 staff to apply for Mini-Grants and fire up their creativity for new and innovative projects that were not within District 45’s normal operating budget. Then, in early December, the Foundation’s Board of Directors carefully reviewed the Mini-Grant applications they received and arrived at five winning proposals.
These awards included mini-grants of no more than $1,000. The Foundation offers Mini-Grants this year in addition to its regular grant program each spring.
D45 staff will be able to apply for the regular grants beginning in February of 2025, with program implementation in the 2025-26 school year.
Mini-Grants were awarded to:
Ardmore’s Indoor Plant Nursery
Luciana Romeo & Anne Blyth, Ardmore Elementary
Amount: $886.00
There’s No Time to Be “Board,” Let the Games Begin!
Tracy Shockey, Stevenson Elementary School
Amount: $325.00
Equitable Kindness – An SEL Project
Gabriela Manzano & Melissa Loconte, Stevenson Elementary School
Amount: $970.37
Early Childhood Gardening Project
Joy Trostle, D45 Early Childhood Center
Amount: $279.96
Multimedia Club
John Ross, York Center Elementary School
Amount: $500
Throughout the year, the District 45 Foundation for Excellence in Education raises funds for regular grants and Mini-Grants. Donations to the Foundation can be made online or by mail anytime.
