12 Teacher Grants Awarded By District 113 Education Foundation

From the District 113 Education Foundation:

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — The District 113 Education Foundation has awarded twelve teacher grants to support innovative educational opportunities for students, teachers and staff at both Highland Park and Deerfield high schools. The 2020 awardees address myriad programs including agriculture, computer science, technology, the arts and more. Two grants have been designated as Linda Gordon Grants. Celebrating innovation in the areas of math and science, this grant was named to honor the passing of a beloved math teacher at Highland Park High School who shared her passion for math and science with countless students.
The Foundation will award recipients nearly $30,000 through its annual grant program. Now in its 13th year, the program was launched to in an effort to provide needed funds in support of teacher initiated ideas that are not covered by the district budget.

“The twelve grants in this giving cycle help enrich and enhance educational opportunities for students, teachers and staff. They support innovation in learning inside and outside the classroom and among a wide variety of student interests. We are grateful we can help support teacher initiatives that would not otherwise be funded by the school district budget and can positively impact the lives of everyone at our District 113 high schools,” said Yumi Ross, co-president of the Foundation.

Awardees include the following:
Flex Farm, Jeff Hoyer and Julie Blanche, Deerfield High School — Enables students to learn how food is produced through a self-contained growing system for lettuce and other vegetables. Increases exposure to farming, which is one of the largest industries in the U.S. Linda Gordon Award Winner

Genocide Commemoration Day, Niki Antonakos and Staci Schachter Studnitzer, Deerfield High School— Speakers and a mini-museum at Deerfield High School will help raise awareness during a comprehensive day of honor and education about genocide and mass atrocity in all its forms, past and present. Teachers

Poetry Club, Robyn Corelitz, Deerfield High School — Focusing on building community through hip hop poetics and foundations of spoken word as a genre, and providing a safe space for any student wishing to explore personal and societal issues centered around belonging, race, culture, gender, and identity.

Tablet Compound Microscope, Michelle Newman, Deerfield High School — Students gain exposure to 21st century skills, creating opportunities for group learning and interactivity, regardless of physical ability. This equipment features an integrated tablet, offering the latest in digital imaging and allows students to view live images.

Closing the Gender Gap in Computer Science “Girls Code Club”, Tesa Edwards and Deb Wilson, Highland Park High School — Creating opportunities for all students to engage in computer science through hosting code-a thons, and providing new technology for teaching purposes. This club continues with it’s initial mission to transform all students from creative thoughtful students to entrepreneurs, coders, developers and business people. Linda Gordon Award Winner

Peardeck, Premium Version, Julia Kapelnikova, Highland Park High School — This powerful tool will be available to ALL teachers in District 113. The program furnishes classroom teachers with a quick, hassle-free way of getting accurate and useful data on what kids actually know in just seconds. District 113 Education Foundation Signature Grant

Breakout Boxes, Alex Mak, Highland Park High School — Innovative ways for students to directly apply and practice skills and concepts they have learned using creativity, collaboration, communication and critical thinking. Students actively engage in a scavenger hunt/escape-room-style educational challenge designed to get kids to work together and apply what they’ve learned in class.

Curriculum, Devices and Supplies, Melissa Zientara, Highland Park High School — Providing curriculum, devices and supplies to help provide a safe space and “Circle of Courage” for students who may feel emotionally dysregulated.

EdPuzzle, M. Sachin J. Jhunjhunwala , Highland Park High School — Video-based homework tool creates opportunities for teachers to assess students understanding of concepts before class so that teachers can differentiate instruction and be responsive to student’s learning needs by pre-assessing students’ knowledge and comprehension before they get to class.

Flexible Seating for Inclusion Classrooms, Allison Lewin and Rachel Alongi, Highland Park High School — Providing alternative seating options, this prototype classroom better meets the needs of students with varied learning and emotional challenges.

Shakespeare Project of Chicago, Lenny DePasquale , Highland Park High School — English honor students will have the opportunity to interact with the Shakespeare Project of Chicago whose members will both coach and act out scenes enabling students to receive an authentic learning experience.

Smart Cart Advanced Data Collection Equipment, Brian Scane, Highland Park High School — Used by physics students in dozens of new innovative lab experiments. Provides instant communication with student Chromebooks for real-time data collection and analysis.

Vinyl Printer/ Cutter, Lindsay Meyer, Highland Park High School — Adding to the Makerspace experience, students will be able to create and print stickers, signs and more for clubs and classrooms.

The grant program relies on generous donations from the community as well as fundraising initiatives including Honor an Educator, Broadway in Chicago, the Pizza Bowl and Bakery Showcase, and an annual campaign. For more information on how to donate to the Foundation and learn more about all grant recipients visit District 113 Education Foundation.

About the District 113 Education Foundation
The District Education Foundation awards grants supporting the performing arts, STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math), humanities, language arts, social and emotional wellness, leadership and diversity. In addition to grants that affect innovations within specific classes, programs and clubs, the Foundation also supports Signature Grants which cover a broader part of the District 113 population.

This release was produced by the District 113 Education Foundation. The views expressed here are the author's own.