2024 TEACH Grant Awards
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More than $22,000 in grants will support local classroom teachers this fall. The 2024 TEACH Grants Program will make 17 awards, announced Marion Community Foundation’s board chair, Dr. Chuck Speelman.
Now in its fifth year, the Foundation’s TEACH (Teaching, Educating, And Classroom Help) grant program at Marion is awarding grants to local classroom teachers seeking to add innovative and motivational programs to their classrooms in the upcoming 2024-25 academic year.
“The programs and projects funded are selected based on their ability to make area classrooms interesting, stimulating, and impactful for students,” he said.
TEACH grants to local classroom teachers are intended to add innovative and motivational programs to local classrooms – beyond what typical school budgets allow – and are made possible by the following endowment funds at Marion Community Foundation: Ray & Charlotte Baldauf Fund, Pillar Credit Union Teachers’ Fund, Pillar Credit Union Morrow County Teachers’ Fund, Marion Education Foundation Fund, Dean & Sue Jacob Family Fund, Marion Speech and Hearing Fund, Virgil Jerome Nature Education Fund, River Valley Teachers Fund, Kit & Lori Fogle Family Fund, and numerous individual donors.
2024 TEACH Recipients & Projects
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JOG Imaginary Library | Ellie Donahue, Northmor High School – The Imaginary Library will enable Northmor’s JOG (Jobs for Ohio’s Graduates) students to actively support young reader’s literacy skills by giving them 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.
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Math in Construction | John Wickersham, 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.
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Glowforge Designs | Danielle Luikart, 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.
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Books for Students | Jennifer Reid, 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.
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Prexy Print Shop | Adam Hanke, 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.
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Percussion Improvements & Upgrades | Jacob Hartman, MCS Grant Middle School –Our 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.
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Art in the Cloud | Courtney Wood, 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.
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Reading Proficiency | Suzanne Christian, Marion Preparatory Academy – My TEACH program will help our students become proficient readers, a skill that will help them succeed in breaking the cycle of poverty.
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Bass Xylophones for Elementary Music | Scott Snyder, Pleasant Elementary School – The addition of bass xylophones will allow for students to better express their creativity through music performance and composition processes.
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School Mosaic Project | Kirsten Jordan, 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.
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Glowforge for Innovation Lab | Katie Isler, 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.
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Audiobook Listening for Struggling Readers | Amanda Russell, River Valley Heritage Elementary School – The grant will provide audiobook listening devices to make grade level books accessible for struggling readers.
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Pollinator Garden | Sally Deem, 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.
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Applied Brainology | Marsha Hammond, River Valley High School – Applied Brainology is a program which encourage teens to embrace challenges, persist in the face of setbacks, and see effort as a path to mastery fosters a growth mindset.
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Artbytes | Laura Carey, 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.
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Creating Innovative & Tactile Artists | Cheryl Shumaker, 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.
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Live Translation Technology | Jared Tedrick, 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 TEACH Grants Committee is made up of Nicolle Willis (Chair), Rhonda Detra, Christine Gibson, Theresa Lubke, Stan Nicol, and Tom Schifer.
Click HERE to view the 2023 TEACH Grant awards.
Additional information is available by contacting Cheryl Wickersham at Marion Community Foundation by calling 740-387-9704 or cherylwickersham@marioncommunityfoundation.org.
The TEACH Grants program supports local education and is made possible by the following endowment funds at Marion Community Foundation:
Pillar Credit Union Teachers’ Fund
Pillar Credit Union Morrow County Teachers’ Fund
River Valley Teachers Fund
Ray & Charlotte Baldauf Fund
Dean & Sue Jacob Family Fund
Marion Education Foundation Fund
David K. Miller Teachers’ Fund
Phil & Sonia Haas Teachers’ Fund
Joan Zucker Milner Memorial Teachers’ Fund
Stephen J. & Mary “Sally” Byrnes Memorial Fund
Steven Family Education Fund
and numerous individual donors.
Additional support is always encouraged, and donations may be made to any of the funds by clicking on the links above.