SPRING LAKE SCHOOLS FOUNDATION FUND
Awards from the Spring Lake Schools Foundation endowed fund are given annually to K-12 educators from the Spring Lake Public Schools who apply for money to bring innovative academic programs into their classrooms and school buildings. Over the years, grants have been awarded for everything from collection nets for exploring rivers and book club books, to 3-D printers and robotics programs.
In 2008, the Spring Lake Rotary President presented Spring Lake Schools Foundation with a check for $10,000. In accepting the donation, Jonas Saunders announced that the Spring Lake Schools Foundation was using the occasion to kick off its "Ladders to Literacy" Capital Campaign to increase its endowment to the $500,000 level. That year, additional donations from the JSJ Corporation, Shape Corporation, Marion A. and Ruth K. Sherwood Foundation, Saunders Winter McNeil Law Firm, Harbor Industries, the members of the Spring Lake Schools Foundation Board, and an anonymous donor, brought the total contributions to the fund to the half way mark of $250,000.
Since that time, many contributions from community donors, the Buy A Brick campaign, and a very significant bequest from the estate of Lynne Sherwood, have sent the fund totals well over the $750,000 mark. The endowment is held at the Grand Haven Area Community Foundation.
In 2008, the Spring Lake Rotary President presented Spring Lake Schools Foundation with a check for $10,000. In accepting the donation, Jonas Saunders announced that the Spring Lake Schools Foundation was using the occasion to kick off its "Ladders to Literacy" Capital Campaign to increase its endowment to the $500,000 level. That year, additional donations from the JSJ Corporation, Shape Corporation, Marion A. and Ruth K. Sherwood Foundation, Saunders Winter McNeil Law Firm, Harbor Industries, the members of the Spring Lake Schools Foundation Board, and an anonymous donor, brought the total contributions to the fund to the half way mark of $250,000.
Since that time, many contributions from community donors, the Buy A Brick campaign, and a very significant bequest from the estate of Lynne Sherwood, have sent the fund totals well over the $750,000 mark. The endowment is held at the Grand Haven Area Community Foundation.
2021 - 2022 Grant Awards
This endowed fund awards annual grants to K-12 educators within the Spring Lake Public School system. Each year, the grants are reviewed by the foundation board members and awarded according to their alignment to our goal to educate and inspire each student to live, learn, and lead with excellence. This year, $46,045 was awarded to teachers in varying grades and subject areas. There were many applications received, and the projects continue to grow in impact, longevity, and overall scope. We are pleased to announce the following grant recipients:
Executive Functioning Support
Anne DeJong
Creatively designed lessons that have been designed to support executive functioning skills, as well as tools to help students focus in class.
Movement
Stacey Peterson
This program will help students with IEPs/504s have the opportunity to move even while doing their classwork. This can help aid with focus and work completion.
TI-Nspire Navigator System
Becky Johnson
These funds would cover the purchase of a classroom set of TI-Nspire Navigator Systems to be used with student or school owned graphing calculators. This Navigator system allows the teacher to monitor activity on graphing calculators, to share existing documents with students, and to make students the "presenter" by showing their screen to the class. This software will allow classes to take an already amazing device to the next level by encouraging student engagement and meaningful class discussions.
Literacy Intervention at SLIS
Scott Ely
By supporting struggling readers, and helping them reach their potential, we are fostering personal excellence. In addition, one of the core values within the district vision statement includes "perseverance." This whole intervention program is about perseverance, both on the part of the students and the team that surrounds them.
Learning Ally
HS Special Education Staff
This project is to see how students with reading disabilities can improve their grades and reading comprehension if they have audiobooks available. The money will be used to buy licenses for the Learning Ally program.
Behavior Intervention and Financial Literacy
Amy Hendrickson
The grant money will be used to fund materials in order to teach the students in the intensive resource room money skills in order to develop financial literacy. The money will also be used to purchase items for the Laker Store in the classroom.
Feeling Fine all the Time!
Heather Akers
Educational tools that help promote fine motor skills and helping students with problem solving, questioning, using vocabulary and building background knowledge as they work together to build things and problem solve.
Marvelous Music Making with a Moog Theremini
Nancy Ireland, Mike Rotman, Courtney Callaghan
This grant request is for a specific adaptive musical instrument for use with the SXI students at Holmes Elementary and Spring Lake Intermediate School. The Moog Theremini is a musical instrument that can be played without any physical contact and would give accessibility to students with physical impairment. This project inspires the SXI learners to create musically in an active rather than a passive role. Music creation can inspire the children to reach new heights in self esteem and engagement with learning.
Book Purchasing and Replacement
Tracy Olsen
Replacement books for books beyond repair and also for new books that teachers and students have requested be added to our collection, providing students with the best and most up to date collection to promote excellent reading and literacy skills.
Spring Lake Nature Club
Carrie Andrews, Heather Brewer, Lauren Thompson, Lisa Schanhals, Sarah Peterson, Amy Berry, David Theune, Karl Sineath
A district-wide nature club that runs from K-12.The club will help students connect with nature--enhancing their well-being, improving their understanding of the natural world, and helping them make connections between the SL curriculum and the world around them. The diversity of supplies we have requested we will provide many students with the opportunity to participate, whether they are most interested in birds, butterflies, or native plants.
Astronomy Club
Jonathan Reinhard
This program is designed to increase students’ interest in Astronomy. The night sky, space, and “what is out there” have fascinated people for centuries. By teaching students how to observe and appreciate the night sky, students will gain an appreciation for this field of study and also develop their skills as amateur astronomers. Specialty tools such as constellation binoculars and telescopes are needed to observe harder-to-see objects and to develop the set of skills needed to achieve the goals of the program.
Differentiated Seating Options
Cassidy Hazekamp & Anne Dejong
"Big enough to challenge, small enough to care." With the differentiated learning styles of our students in Special Education, also comes the challenges of helping them focus. With smaller classrooms, we are able to give them opportunities for movement within their seating arrangements in our classrooms. Research suggests that differentiated seating for students with focus challenges allows them movement without distracting other students. In our classes we currently have wobble stools, standing desks, yoga balls, and wiggle seats. These high top tables would add an additional seating arrangement for students to have controlled movement during learning. These high top tables have a place for students feet to swing and allows them to stand and continue working if needed.
Outdoor Classroom
Alex Talmadge
Our Outdoor Classroom will provide students with real world applications across K-12 curriculums. It will allow students to have a sense of stewardship and by fostering and caring for this land. By cleaning up the current space and making it safe, classrooms will have a new location for learning. This learning environment will be truly innovative and new to our area.
Substitute Teacher Gift Bag Pilot Project
Bridget Fogel
Funds awarded to this grant will be used to purchase items of appreciation that will be shared with our hard working and dedicated substitute teachers. The growing demand for finding substitute teachers is at an all time critical level. We want to offer every substitute teacher a gift bag on the first day that he or she works in our building for the first time. Our hope is that this warm welcome helps that teacher feel some gratitude for working at a Spring Lake School. We also want to offer an additional gift bag for those substitute teachers that work in our building for the 5th and then again for the 10th time. We would also like to award an end of the year award for the top two substitutes for their year long commitment. These dedicated individuals should continue to feel our appreciation as they continue to work in the building. It is our hope that this practice becomes part of our culture and continues for years to come.
Fine Motor Skill/Purposeful Play Items
Jenna Visniski
This program fulfills the mission and vision of the SLFS and SLPS by enhancing our existing routine of purposeful play/ intervention time by intertwining specific fine motor skill activities. The different methods and uses for these tools will strengthen their fine motor skills while students are engaged and motivated!
Bringing Fine Motor into Purposeful Play
Ashley Hamilton
Purposeful play items that will help the students to have access to a wide variety resources, which will help them to grow and strengthen their fine motor skills. This project will help to challenge students to think creatively, use problem solving and critical thinking skills, as well as help them learn to work collaboratively with others.
Checkbook Math
Stacey Peterson
They money will be used to pay for food supplies the students can buy in the checkbook program. Students will earn a paycheck, pay bills, and decide if they want to save or buy items. Each item (for example laffy taffy candy) costs a different amount based on their credit score. The better the credit score the cheaper the cost. Different items vary in cost, full size candy bars cost more than tootsie rolls. The larger items students needs to save for (like saving for a trip or buying a car in real life). It teacher students about choices, budgeting money and how credit score can effect the amount of money you have.
Books for PBIS Book Vending Machine
Jen Myaard
To encourage positive reading and H.E.A.R.T Smart behaviors, we purchased a book vending machine and need books to fill it! Students will be able to purchase books with tokens from our book vending machine. Students will earn tokens by being H.E.A.R.T Smart. H.E.A.R.T. Smart expectations are: Helpful, Empathy, Attitude, Respectful, Thinker. These skills will help our students lead with excellence and have empathy for others.
Social Studies Alive
Mathew Keller
Providing materials for projects that encourage academic excellence and promotes group collaboration where student leaders can shine. These funds would allow our students to be engaged in educational experiences in the classroom that allows them to share their creativity, imaginations, and foster a love of learning through project based activities.
iPads for MS iReady intervention
Heather Brewer, Greg Brown, Keli Olson and Nick Zacek,
Through growing students’ literacy skills, we are fulfilling the mission of SLFS to use innovative resources (technology) and practices in order to increase student achievement. Each year, SLPS has goals related to literacy improvement in our School Improvement reports. The project will allow us to reach those goals.
Hot Water Bath
Lisa Schanhals
This piece of equipment is a basic biology lab must. With it we will be able to do many labs with better results. Controlled water bath temperatures allow for better, more consistent results.
Brianna Bayles - National Youth Leadership Forum
This endowed fund awards annual grants to K-12 educators within the Spring Lake Public School system. Each year, the grants are reviewed by the foundation board members and awarded according to their alignment to our goal to educate and inspire each student to live, learn, and lead with excellence. This year, $46,045 was awarded to teachers in varying grades and subject areas. There were many applications received, and the projects continue to grow in impact, longevity, and overall scope. We are pleased to announce the following grant recipients:
Executive Functioning Support
Anne DeJong
Creatively designed lessons that have been designed to support executive functioning skills, as well as tools to help students focus in class.
Movement
Stacey Peterson
This program will help students with IEPs/504s have the opportunity to move even while doing their classwork. This can help aid with focus and work completion.
TI-Nspire Navigator System
Becky Johnson
These funds would cover the purchase of a classroom set of TI-Nspire Navigator Systems to be used with student or school owned graphing calculators. This Navigator system allows the teacher to monitor activity on graphing calculators, to share existing documents with students, and to make students the "presenter" by showing their screen to the class. This software will allow classes to take an already amazing device to the next level by encouraging student engagement and meaningful class discussions.
Literacy Intervention at SLIS
Scott Ely
By supporting struggling readers, and helping them reach their potential, we are fostering personal excellence. In addition, one of the core values within the district vision statement includes "perseverance." This whole intervention program is about perseverance, both on the part of the students and the team that surrounds them.
Learning Ally
HS Special Education Staff
This project is to see how students with reading disabilities can improve their grades and reading comprehension if they have audiobooks available. The money will be used to buy licenses for the Learning Ally program.
Behavior Intervention and Financial Literacy
Amy Hendrickson
The grant money will be used to fund materials in order to teach the students in the intensive resource room money skills in order to develop financial literacy. The money will also be used to purchase items for the Laker Store in the classroom.
Feeling Fine all the Time!
Heather Akers
Educational tools that help promote fine motor skills and helping students with problem solving, questioning, using vocabulary and building background knowledge as they work together to build things and problem solve.
Marvelous Music Making with a Moog Theremini
Nancy Ireland, Mike Rotman, Courtney Callaghan
This grant request is for a specific adaptive musical instrument for use with the SXI students at Holmes Elementary and Spring Lake Intermediate School. The Moog Theremini is a musical instrument that can be played without any physical contact and would give accessibility to students with physical impairment. This project inspires the SXI learners to create musically in an active rather than a passive role. Music creation can inspire the children to reach new heights in self esteem and engagement with learning.
Book Purchasing and Replacement
Tracy Olsen
Replacement books for books beyond repair and also for new books that teachers and students have requested be added to our collection, providing students with the best and most up to date collection to promote excellent reading and literacy skills.
Spring Lake Nature Club
Carrie Andrews, Heather Brewer, Lauren Thompson, Lisa Schanhals, Sarah Peterson, Amy Berry, David Theune, Karl Sineath
A district-wide nature club that runs from K-12.The club will help students connect with nature--enhancing their well-being, improving their understanding of the natural world, and helping them make connections between the SL curriculum and the world around them. The diversity of supplies we have requested we will provide many students with the opportunity to participate, whether they are most interested in birds, butterflies, or native plants.
Astronomy Club
Jonathan Reinhard
This program is designed to increase students’ interest in Astronomy. The night sky, space, and “what is out there” have fascinated people for centuries. By teaching students how to observe and appreciate the night sky, students will gain an appreciation for this field of study and also develop their skills as amateur astronomers. Specialty tools such as constellation binoculars and telescopes are needed to observe harder-to-see objects and to develop the set of skills needed to achieve the goals of the program.
Differentiated Seating Options
Cassidy Hazekamp & Anne Dejong
"Big enough to challenge, small enough to care." With the differentiated learning styles of our students in Special Education, also comes the challenges of helping them focus. With smaller classrooms, we are able to give them opportunities for movement within their seating arrangements in our classrooms. Research suggests that differentiated seating for students with focus challenges allows them movement without distracting other students. In our classes we currently have wobble stools, standing desks, yoga balls, and wiggle seats. These high top tables would add an additional seating arrangement for students to have controlled movement during learning. These high top tables have a place for students feet to swing and allows them to stand and continue working if needed.
Outdoor Classroom
Alex Talmadge
Our Outdoor Classroom will provide students with real world applications across K-12 curriculums. It will allow students to have a sense of stewardship and by fostering and caring for this land. By cleaning up the current space and making it safe, classrooms will have a new location for learning. This learning environment will be truly innovative and new to our area.
Substitute Teacher Gift Bag Pilot Project
Bridget Fogel
Funds awarded to this grant will be used to purchase items of appreciation that will be shared with our hard working and dedicated substitute teachers. The growing demand for finding substitute teachers is at an all time critical level. We want to offer every substitute teacher a gift bag on the first day that he or she works in our building for the first time. Our hope is that this warm welcome helps that teacher feel some gratitude for working at a Spring Lake School. We also want to offer an additional gift bag for those substitute teachers that work in our building for the 5th and then again for the 10th time. We would also like to award an end of the year award for the top two substitutes for their year long commitment. These dedicated individuals should continue to feel our appreciation as they continue to work in the building. It is our hope that this practice becomes part of our culture and continues for years to come.
Fine Motor Skill/Purposeful Play Items
Jenna Visniski
This program fulfills the mission and vision of the SLFS and SLPS by enhancing our existing routine of purposeful play/ intervention time by intertwining specific fine motor skill activities. The different methods and uses for these tools will strengthen their fine motor skills while students are engaged and motivated!
Bringing Fine Motor into Purposeful Play
Ashley Hamilton
Purposeful play items that will help the students to have access to a wide variety resources, which will help them to grow and strengthen their fine motor skills. This project will help to challenge students to think creatively, use problem solving and critical thinking skills, as well as help them learn to work collaboratively with others.
Checkbook Math
Stacey Peterson
They money will be used to pay for food supplies the students can buy in the checkbook program. Students will earn a paycheck, pay bills, and decide if they want to save or buy items. Each item (for example laffy taffy candy) costs a different amount based on their credit score. The better the credit score the cheaper the cost. Different items vary in cost, full size candy bars cost more than tootsie rolls. The larger items students needs to save for (like saving for a trip or buying a car in real life). It teacher students about choices, budgeting money and how credit score can effect the amount of money you have.
Books for PBIS Book Vending Machine
Jen Myaard
To encourage positive reading and H.E.A.R.T Smart behaviors, we purchased a book vending machine and need books to fill it! Students will be able to purchase books with tokens from our book vending machine. Students will earn tokens by being H.E.A.R.T Smart. H.E.A.R.T. Smart expectations are: Helpful, Empathy, Attitude, Respectful, Thinker. These skills will help our students lead with excellence and have empathy for others.
Social Studies Alive
Mathew Keller
Providing materials for projects that encourage academic excellence and promotes group collaboration where student leaders can shine. These funds would allow our students to be engaged in educational experiences in the classroom that allows them to share their creativity, imaginations, and foster a love of learning through project based activities.
iPads for MS iReady intervention
Heather Brewer, Greg Brown, Keli Olson and Nick Zacek,
Through growing students’ literacy skills, we are fulfilling the mission of SLFS to use innovative resources (technology) and practices in order to increase student achievement. Each year, SLPS has goals related to literacy improvement in our School Improvement reports. The project will allow us to reach those goals.
Hot Water Bath
Lisa Schanhals
This piece of equipment is a basic biology lab must. With it we will be able to do many labs with better results. Controlled water bath temperatures allow for better, more consistent results.
Brianna Bayles - National Youth Leadership Forum
2018 - 2019 Grant Awards
This year, $29,419 was awarded to teachers in varying grades and subject areas. There were 22 applications received, and the projects continue to grow in impact, longevity, and overall scope. We are pleased to announce the following grant recipients:
This year, $29,419 was awarded to teachers in varying grades and subject areas. There were 22 applications received, and the projects continue to grow in impact, longevity, and overall scope. We are pleased to announce the following grant recipients:
College Guest Speaker “Carrot”
Lisa Schanhals
This programs aims to assist high school teachers develop partnerships with science departments at surrounding colleges to funnel guest speakers to SLHS. The inspiration for this program comes from the national “Skype a Scientist” program and will provide SLHS students with role models and connections with college-level speakers to further develop interest and explore education in the sciences.
Summer Reading
Scott Ely, Sandra Smits, and Shelley Peets
“Summer slide” as it pertains to reading ability is a problem for many elementary students. Research has shown that accessibility to books is a major factor in summer reading programs. This summer reading program will provide a minimum of nine books to every SL student in grades K-3 for the summer of 2019. Students will leave school with new books in their hands and receive books in the mail periodically throughout the summer months!
Therapeutic Riding
Whitney Mitchell Krusniak
Therapeutic riding not only engages students socially and emotionally, but also supports students academically. Research supports the connection between the rhythm in riding a horse and the nervous system, which, in turn, positively impacts cognitive abilities. This program will benefit students in pre-school and grades K-1 who are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and students from the grades K-4 Intensive Resource Room. Weekly sessions will help students with physical needs, psychological needs, and social needs.
Workforce Readiness Research
David Theune
Students who know they want to go into the workforce immediately following graduation will be elevated through innovative educational opportunities derived from this research. Successful programs from the Netherlands will be studied to examine what programs might be used at SLPS to promote workforce readiness. Expanded experiences outside the traditional classroom, including enhanced training programs, will be implemented.
Digital Interactive Devices
Lauren Thompson
With these robotic programming kits, students at SLHS will experiment with building and coding robots and devices. This is a unique opportunity for our students to “build a world that doesn’t exist” and to participate in the global community of computer programming. The kits will be used in the Girls Who Code Club (after school) as well as in computer science and coding classes offered at the high school.
Title 1 Reading Program
Keli Olson
These funds will be used to implement a specific ELA program that can be used for RTI in the middle school grades. The Reality Central program includes reading and writing and encourages students to make connections between what they read and their own life experiences. This program will help students improve their vocabulary, their ability to make connections between background knowledge and what they read, and increase opportunities for writing and discussion.
Reading Refresh and Recharge
Lesley Reed and Heather Brewer
Based on changing interests of the student body, additional varied titles will be added to the IS and MS media center. Included will be books that concentrate on STEM principles, current social issues for both the fiction and non-fiction collections, graphic novels and other books for reluctant readers, alternating viewpoint novels, and verse fiction.
Lisa Schanhals
This programs aims to assist high school teachers develop partnerships with science departments at surrounding colleges to funnel guest speakers to SLHS. The inspiration for this program comes from the national “Skype a Scientist” program and will provide SLHS students with role models and connections with college-level speakers to further develop interest and explore education in the sciences.
Summer Reading
Scott Ely, Sandra Smits, and Shelley Peets
“Summer slide” as it pertains to reading ability is a problem for many elementary students. Research has shown that accessibility to books is a major factor in summer reading programs. This summer reading program will provide a minimum of nine books to every SL student in grades K-3 for the summer of 2019. Students will leave school with new books in their hands and receive books in the mail periodically throughout the summer months!
Therapeutic Riding
Whitney Mitchell Krusniak
Therapeutic riding not only engages students socially and emotionally, but also supports students academically. Research supports the connection between the rhythm in riding a horse and the nervous system, which, in turn, positively impacts cognitive abilities. This program will benefit students in pre-school and grades K-1 who are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and students from the grades K-4 Intensive Resource Room. Weekly sessions will help students with physical needs, psychological needs, and social needs.
Workforce Readiness Research
David Theune
Students who know they want to go into the workforce immediately following graduation will be elevated through innovative educational opportunities derived from this research. Successful programs from the Netherlands will be studied to examine what programs might be used at SLPS to promote workforce readiness. Expanded experiences outside the traditional classroom, including enhanced training programs, will be implemented.
Digital Interactive Devices
Lauren Thompson
With these robotic programming kits, students at SLHS will experiment with building and coding robots and devices. This is a unique opportunity for our students to “build a world that doesn’t exist” and to participate in the global community of computer programming. The kits will be used in the Girls Who Code Club (after school) as well as in computer science and coding classes offered at the high school.
Title 1 Reading Program
Keli Olson
These funds will be used to implement a specific ELA program that can be used for RTI in the middle school grades. The Reality Central program includes reading and writing and encourages students to make connections between what they read and their own life experiences. This program will help students improve their vocabulary, their ability to make connections between background knowledge and what they read, and increase opportunities for writing and discussion.
Reading Refresh and Recharge
Lesley Reed and Heather Brewer
Based on changing interests of the student body, additional varied titles will be added to the IS and MS media center. Included will be books that concentrate on STEM principles, current social issues for both the fiction and non-fiction collections, graphic novels and other books for reluctant readers, alternating viewpoint novels, and verse fiction.
2017 Grant Awards
This year, $22,171 was distributed to 8 different projects from the SLSF endowed fund. The grant requests totaled $72,000 so there was much diligence in awarding projects that best suited the goals of the fund. We are pleased to announce the following winners
This year, $22,171 was distributed to 8 different projects from the SLSF endowed fund. The grant requests totaled $72,000 so there was much diligence in awarding projects that best suited the goals of the fund. We are pleased to announce the following winners
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Gone Boarding
Aaron Andres Gone Boarding is an exciting program linking curriculum to real world applications utilizing disciplines from Mathematics, Science, Engineering, Arts, and Physical Education. This cross-curricular project will start with the class collaboratively designing and producing a snowboard, longboard, and surfboard/stand up paddleboard. After the design and production stage; students will engage in learning and developing the physical skills involved in snowboarding, longboarding, and surfing/stand up paddling. Gone Boarding is a project-based, experiential, cross curricular, and service-based learning curriculum centered on action sports and will be the first STEM course offered in our High School. Thinking Out Of The Bloxels Abe Overway The Bloxels curriculum lets students work on the other end of video gaming; creating the game itself. Bloxels incorporates building backgrounds and character designs using boards like the “Light Bright” of old. Students turn their game concepts into reality and their video games can be played by kids around the globe. Truly a technology based innovative opportunity, the Bloxels program will be targeting 5th grade STEM students affording them the opportunity to link their passion of video games to their real-world career opportunities. Imaginative thinking and teamwork build tomorrows innovators! Blast Off with STEM Abe Overway Blast Off with STEM is part of our 4th grade curriculum learning about energy; the types of energy, the pathway of energy, and how energy moves from one thing to another. A real-life example of energy transfer (state standard curriculum), fourth graders will have the opportunity to learn and apply their knowledge through a collaborative and educational experience designing, assembling, and launching rockets while recording lessons learned. This project is a chance of a lifetime for students to build their own rockets! The Laker Anchor Joseph Sinn The Laker Anchor is a long-running extracurricular activity available to all Spring Lake students in grades 9-12. Students who participate in the club are responsible for interviewing, writing, and publishing stories about school, local, and national events. Students take pictures, write the articles, edit the copy, and complete the layout and design of each issue. In addition, students market and distribute the copies of the Laker Anchor during the school year. A fully student-operated publication, the Laker Anchor allows students to learn about being part of a fast-paced newsroom and to explore potential career opportunities in the field of journalism. |
QPR Training
Shana Woodwyk QPR stands for “Question, Persuade, Refer” and is a suicide prevention training. This comprehensive training will assist the Spring Lake staff in having an effective strategy when talking with individuals that may be suicidal. The key components covered in training are understanding the common causes of suicidal behavior, the warning signs of suicide, how to get help for someone in crisis, and how to Question, Persuade, and Refer someone who may be suicidal. Student responses to the most recent Youth Assessment Surveys make it clear that this training is both beneficial and necessary. Speak by Design Dennis Furton The ability to communicate effectively in conversations, meetings, and presentations can be a significant differentiator for our students. Whether we are teaching our students to perform better on college/ job interviews, presentations in class, or as a future executive, the ability to speak effectively is critical in influencing one’s success. Speak by Design is a 3-day course providing 8th graders and high school students the opportunity to learn effective means of communication in terms of style, structure, and strategies. The Share Chair Podcast David Theune The Share Chair Podcast is a vehicle used to elevate understanding and empathy by interviewing students, teachers, and parents to find out what makes them passionate - or nervous - in their lives. This unique program is a podcast that is accessible for all community members to review on Soundcloud and iTunes. By sharing stories and having people listen, it allows our student community to understand, confirm they are not alone, and appreciate different viewpoints, which is a great lesson for their future. Words Have Power David Theune WORDS HAVE POWER is an essay contest using curriculum--the persuasive research essay--to connect to community. Each student will be tasked with selecting a local non-profit organization to support. They will gather research about their organization, write a persuasive essay, and create a presentation explaining why their selected organization is so beneficial to the community. After the essay receives its revisions and edits, the students will vote to determine the top three essays, and donations will be made to the winning non-profit groups. This project allows students to fully engage in the great work that happens in our community and allow the community to see the great work that happens in the schools. |
2016 Grant Awards
This year, $18,063 was awarded to 10 different projects from the SLSF endowed fund. The submitted grant requests totaled nearly $60,000, so making these selections was a difficult and painstaking process for the Grant Committee. We are pleased to announce the following winners:
This year, $18,063 was awarded to 10 different projects from the SLSF endowed fund. The submitted grant requests totaled nearly $60,000, so making these selections was a difficult and painstaking process for the Grant Committee. We are pleased to announce the following winners:
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The Whole Child Initiative
Laurie Draeger, Jennifer Boodt Spring Lake offers the highest level of academics to its students. The focus of this grant is on how to maximize each student's opportunity to take full advantage of their academic classes by minimizing the the struggles so often faced by teens related to stress, bullying, lack of acceptance, gender issues, and the distorted expectations so widespread through social media. Whole school activites, assemblies, and culture change experts will be provided by this grant. This grant will impact every student in the High School. Every Classroom A Rich and Literate Workshop Mary Cotterall The goal of this grant is to create literacy experts by having every elementary teacher at both Holmes and Jeffers attend Teacher's College at Columbia University in New York City, home of the internationally acclaimed Lucy Calkins' Reading and Writing Project. Teachers who attend Teacher's College Summer Institutes gain the strong background and philosophy that the teaching of reading requires. This project was funded through both the SLSF Fund and the Carol Martin Fund and will impact every elementary teacher and elementary student in the district. Reading Charts and Maps Across Curriculum Tammy Kuhlman, Sarah Peterson Our society is now a global society and having a more complete understanding of other countries helps students understand what is occurring around the world. This grant is designed to help students not only get some basic geography, but to also learn how to analysis different types of charts. Some charts including reading demographics maps, physical maps, pictographs, bar graphs, line graphs, and many more. All of this in an updated format with current data from around the world. This grant will impact the 7th grade social studies classes. Robotics in Technical Education Eric Kipling Imaginative thinking and teamwork build tomorrow’s innovators! Students will design, build, and program a robot using a kit, then compete on a table-top playing field. It all adds up to tons of fun while they learn to apply science, technology, engineering, and math concepts (STEM), plus a big dose of imagination to solve a problem. By making a robotics curriculum available to our students, we are introducing students of varying academic abilities to the world of engineering and computer programming. Additionally, this increases awareness with young ladies, who have been typically less likely to consider STEM fields as a career option. Words Have Power Essay Contest David Theune Each student will select a local non-profit, research the organization and talk with its executive director, then write a persuasive research paper about the organization. Through a series of classroom votes, two essays that best represent their organization will be the winners and donations will be made to those charities. This contest gives a real, outside audience to students and shows that WORDS HAVE POWER. Their writing REALLY matters--emotionally and financially--to the organizations. It's interesting to see what relevance does to student work. Instead of forcing grammar down students' throats, they ASK if they are doing something correctly. When the work truly matters, they want to be good. |
Increasing Engagement in 7th Grade Science
Bree DeWeerdt This grant will improve our current science curriculum by adding hands on, exciting activities for the energy and weather unit, as well as the cells unit. Less boring memorization - more fun and games! Using games and manipulatives will engage students in the learning process and help to achieve the goal of inspiring students to pursue a career in science. This will impact all 7th grade students. Elevate Empathy - The Movement David Theune Elevate Empathy is a movement to "Learn From Listening." Throughout the first year of the SHARE CHAIR PODCAST, students interviewed a transgender student, a mother battling breast cancer, our superintendent, our state representative, a vegan student, and so many more--each with his or her own story which can connect to a greater audience. This grant helps cover the costs of SoundCloud, various website licenses, better recording equipment, and the advertising to expand this county-wide. This project impacts the students who create the podcast, as well as the students who listen to the podcast. Learning Algebra With Video Games Bree DeWeerdt The award-winning math learning game, DragonBox, will let students have fun playing what they think is a video game, while learning algebraic concepts. The game was created by Jean-Baptiste Huynh, a math teacher who was frustrated because he felt he was failing his students. Traditional teaching methods were simply not working so he decided to innovate. His research lead him to a simple, but powerful learning strategy: play! This project looks to add some innovation to typical algebra, and bring math to students in a different, more engaging and fun way. Students go home and play video games, and they love them. Why not learn math in the form of a video game? This grant impacts 7th and 8th grade students. The River Project Lisa Schanals Aquatic barrier screens, or ‘kick’ nets, are useful for collecting hellgrammites, stonefly nymphs, crane fly larvae, and other insects which cling to stones in swiftly running water. When stones are kicked or disturbed, dislodged insects are trapped downstream in the screen. For 20 years the Biology A classes have been sampling the Grand River behind the football field. Students collect macro-invertebrates with Kick Nets and then use the Illinois and % Feeder tests to determine water quality, which is an issue that is very relevant to our community. The River Project is a hands on, real, not contrived research project. They follow up the data collection with analysis, writing and research. New kick nets are needed to keep up this engaging, real-world project. Every high school student will use these nets when they take Biology A. Parent QPR Training Shana Woodwyk, Ben Lewakowski, Aaron West The Youth Assessment Survey given to Ottawa County 8th, 10th and 12th grade students indicate that many of our students are struggling with potential depression and suicidal ideation. > 25.8% of SLPS students who responded had “stopped doing some usual activities during the past 12 months because they felt so sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more in a row.” > 13.5% of our students seriously thought about attempting suicide within the past 12 months. > 10% of our students made a suicide plan within the past 12 months. > 4.4% of our students attempted suicide at least once within the past 12 months. In order to help prevent suicide, all staff was recently trained in QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) which is a strategy to be used when talking to an individual that may be suicidal. Most parents have not been trained (or have even heard of) QPR. This grant will help train 60 middle school parents in the QPR technique. |
