2024 TEACH Grant Awards
AUGUST 2024 — River Valley freshmen are about to experience the power of “YET.” A new program called Applied Brainology is being implemented this school year by intervention specialist Marsha Hammond to encourage a growth mindset in both their schoolwork and their lives.
The Applied Brainology program, purchased for the school by a TEACH Grant from Marion Community Foundation, is designed for ninth grade students to help them face the new academic and social challenges of high school. This is an age, according to Hammond, when teenagers need support for self-directed goal-setting and learning more than ever.
“Applied Brainology will help students learn that, when they make mistakes, they have not failed, rather they simply don’t have the skills or knowledge YET,” said Hammond. “It reinforces a mindset that intelligence and abilities can be developed and improved over time.”
Hammond said the science behind the program is based on the groundbreaking research of Dr. Carol Dweck, a professor of psychology at Standford University, whose work in this field spans nearly a decade. Hammond got interested in the topic when a similar program was being used at her own children’s school.
If there is one thing Hammond wants students to learn from Applied Brainology, it is “to trust in their own abilities,” she said. “Somewhere along the transition from elementary to high school, students often exhibit a decline in confidence regarding their abilities. I firmly believe that shifting this mindset can profoundly benefit students, not only academically, but also in navigating life’s challenges.”
Hammond has been in her role as a high school intervention specialist for five years and has experience, prior to that, as both a classroom teacher and intervention specialist working with elementary students. It is her personal experience in seeing this decline in confidence that sparked Hammond’s interest in bringing Dr. Dweck’s program to River Valley.
Hammond’s students will participate in the lessons beginning the first week of school, which starts August 14, and continue for the first nine-week period. The program includes videos, writing prompts, and assessments in which students complete planning and goal-setting activities, reflections, self-monitoring, and evaluations and teaches students to become more effective learners.
“The students will be able to look at their past achievements and see that when you want something and work for it, you get out what you put in,” said Hammond. “A growth mindset encourages students to be eager to learn.”
Applied Brainology is one of 17 TEACH grants being funded locally this year, announced Marion Community Foundation’s board chair, Jody Demo-Hodgins. The Foundation’s TEACH (Teaching, Educating, And Classroom Help) grant program awards grants to classroom teachers in Marion and Morrow counties.
Nicolle Willis, chair of the TEACH Grant committee, knows there is another “yet” — the ability to fund more teachers’ applications.
“We received 33 applications this year, totaling $42,256,” she said. “We were able to award grants to about half the applicants and there are so many interesting, stimulating, and impactful projects. The Foundation can always use more donors willing to support teachers in the classroom.”
TEACH grants are intended to support innovative curriculum ideas – beyond what typical school budgets allow – and are made possible by the following endowment funds at Marion Community Foundation: Pillar Credit Union Teachers’ Fund, Pillar Credit Union Morrow County Teachers’ Fund, Ray & Charlotte Baldauf Fund, Kit & Lori Fogle Family Fund, Virgil Jerome Nature Education Fund, Dean & Sue Jacob Family Fund, Marion Education Foundation Fund, Marion Speech and Hearing Fund, River Valley Teachers Fund, and numerous individual donors.
In addition to supporting the Applied Brainology program at River Valley High School, the 2024 TEACH Grant Awards are as follows:
2024 TEACH Recipients & Projects
JOG Imaginary Library | Northmor High School – The Imaginary Library will enable Northmor’s JOG (Jobs for Ohio’s Graduates) students to actively support literacy skills by giving students their own books to keep and share with other students and their families. The program helps to promote the value of community service and service within the school.
Math in Construction | River Valley Heritage Elementary School – This math program will allow River Valley 5th graders to be an active, designing part in a community improvement project.
Glowforge Designs | Elgin High School – The purchase of a Glowforge 3-D laser printer will encourage Elgin students to turn 2-D ideas into 3-D reality.
Books for Students | Highland Middle School – The grant will vastly broaden the availability of quality texts that Highland students will have to choose from for years to come. It will allow them to read independently for class or for their own enjoyment while also allowing for meaningful small and whole group units that further deepen student understanding and appreciation of reading.
Prexy Print Shop | MCS Harding High School – The Harding Art Department will purchase screen-printing supplies and equipment which students will utilize for the benefit of the Harding High School and Marion City Schools communities.
Percussion Improvements & Upgrades | MCS Grant Middle School – The Percussion Project will enhance the Marion City Schools band program by providing high quality percussion instruments, amplifying students’ musical potential, and enriching their learning experience.
Art in the Cloud | MCS Grant Middle School – Grant’s art students will be able to use technology to enhance traditional art concepts and share their creativity with others.
Reading Proficiency | Marion Preparatory Academy – This TEACH-funded program will help students become proficient readers, a skill that will help them succeed in breaking the cycle of poverty.
Bass Xylophones for Elementary Music | Pleasant Elementary School – The addition of bass xylophones will allow for students to better express their creativity through music performance and composition processes.
School Mosaic Project | Pleasant High School – Funding will provide supplies for a mosaic project and students to create a lasting legacy within the building, that will become an art focal point for years to come.
Glowforge for Innovation Lab | River Valley High School – The purchase of a Glowforge 3-D laser printer will offer students an opportunity to design, create, and build items of their own creations through inquiry-based learning.
Audiobook Listening for Struggling Readers | River Valley Heritage Elementary School – The grant will provide audiobook listening devices to make grade level books accessible for struggling readers.
Pollinator Garden | River Valley Heritage Elementary School – River Valley students will learn the importance of caring for our native plants and the vital role they play in our food chain.
Artbytes | River Valley Middle School – Artbytes is an introduction to digital arts for middle school. It will teach the basics of creativity beyond the regular classroom using original digital photography, and the background for becoming a creative digital designer.
Creating Innovative & Tactile Artists | Ridgedale Elementary School – This art program will encourage students to express themselves through the manipulation of clay and paint, giving them confidence, a sense of accomplishment, and fostering a love for art that extends beyond the classroom.
Live Translation Technology | St. Mary School – The grant funding will provide live translation technology to classrooms so that English Learners may hear instruction in their home languages.
The TEACH grant program is open to all classroom teachers, or groups of teachers, in kindergarten through grade 12 in Marion or Morrow counties. Applications are available annually in February and March for the following academic year.
The 2024 TEACH Grants Committee is made up of Nicolle Willis (Chair), Rhonda Detra, Christine Gibson, Theresa Lubke, Stan Nicol, and Tom Schifer.
Additional information on TEACH grants and other programs of Marion Community Foundation are available by calling 740-387-9704 or visiting www.MarionCommunityFoundation.org.
