LHSEF Commits Support For Eight Educational Foundation Grants

LEMONT, IL — The Lemont High School Educational Foundation has committed to supporting eight Educational Foundation Grants for nearly $38,000, according to a news release from the District. Grant proposals were submitted by Lemont High School faculty and staff, with the goal of enhancing educational opportunities for the school’s enrollment of approximately 1,400 students.

The LHSEF is funding in full or in part eight Educational Foundation Grants for a total of $37,945, with a stipulation that the funds provided for the projects must be used by the end of the 2023-24 school year, according to the District.

LHS provided information on the following proposals which received Educational Foundation grants:

• Breakfast Buddies, funded at $2,300 — proposal by Kelsey Eisele. Since 2006, Breakfast Buddies has helped with socializing for both students with diverse abilities and students who wish to be mentors, the District said. Breakfast Buddies is held before school twice a month and attracts dozens of students. Special education students gain confidence and acceptance, helping to make them feel more a part of the Lemont High School community, while their peer mentors gain expertise in working with individuals with diverse abilities.
• Cosmetology/Nail Tech Student Fees, funded at $2,000 — proposal by Counseling Department. The Wilco Area Vocational Center provides opportunities for Lemont High School students to receive career training and get a head start on their future. The school is able to cover the tuition for students, but course fees and lab kits are the responsibility of students and their families. This grant will offset the cost of the required $800 nail “kit” for students who have been granted fee waivers and are enrolled in either the Cosmetology or Nail Tech courses. Students who complete the course are able to graduate from a high school with a career credential.
• Incorporating Therapies into the ARC Program, funded at $1,850 — proposal by Stephenie Goostree & Kelly Lucio. Lemont High School will revamp its ARC Program (Academics, Resilience, Character) during the 2023-24 school year to serve as a therapeutic setting for the school’s special education students. Students will receive additional services to help address internalizing behaviors (school anxiety, school refusal, depression) that impact their ability to progress in traditional classroom settings. This grant will provide evidence-based treatments of art, music, and yoga therapy into students’ monthly schedules to help them develop healthy coping strategies, increase emotional regulation, and improve self-esteem and resilience to stress.
• Rosetta Stone Language Foundation for English Language Learners, funded at $5,995 — proposal by Tina Malak. Lemont High School’s English Language Learner population has increased by more than 50 percent over the last five years, and now includes nearly 50 students who speak more than 10 languages. Each student is at a different level of English proficiency and is tested annually in reading, listening, speaking and writing. This grant will make the Rosetta Stone Language Foundation program available for all ELL students, according to a release.
• Respect Week, funded at $1,000 — proposal by Meagan Drummond. During the 2023-24 school year, Lemont High School will debut “Respect Week”, which will be a spirit week focusing on inclusion for all students, regardless of differences. Various activities will get students involved to spread awareness and promote collaboration, which will help students build relationships with peers with whom they may not typically interact. This grant will offset the cost of some of the activities, which may include raffles, a unified basketball game, and fundraising for Special Olympics.
• SchooLinks College & Career Readiness Dashboard, funded at $20,000 — proposal by Student Services Department. The SchooLinks College and Career Readiness Dashboard features benefits for students, parents/guardians, and educators, and incorporates a complete set of tools to enable schools to improve student performance and to empower educators and parents/guardians. The platform monitors what students have done in real time (activities, assessments, etc.), and facilitates family engagement. This grant will establish the dashboard for all Lemont students for the 2023-24 school year, the District said.
• Uplifiting Lemont, funded at $500 — proposal by Meagan Drummond, Kelsey Eisele & Trisha Weber. The “Uplifiting Lemont” program, which will be established at Lemont High School during the 2023-24 school year, will allow for faculty and staff to catch students doing good things. Faculty and staff will identify students who deserve recognition (growing in academics, showing kindness to peers, etc.), and honored students will receive a postcard with information on why they stood out, as well as a small reward (token to the school’s Common Grounds coffee house, etc.).
• World Languages Earphone Sets, funded at $4,300 — proposal by Christie Entler.As many as 75 percent of Lemont High School students are enrolled in a World Languages class each year. During the pandemic, classroom sets of earphones that had been used in World Languages classes were repurposed across the building to facilitate remote and hybrid learning models. This grant will be used to purchase seven classroom sets of earphones, which will provide students the opportunity to practice listening skills in an individualized way, as well as the chance to record themselves speaking the language, according to a release from the District.

Since 2007, the LHSEF has supported more than $540,000 in grants to benefit Lemont High School, the district said.

In addition to funding for Educational Foundation Grants, the LHSEF pledged multi-year support for the transformation of the school’s Learning Resource Center into the CITGO Innovation Academy, which opened in 2018. This space facilitates student collaboration and encourages creativity, and is home to a Makerspace and the Common Grounds coffee shop, the district said.

The LHSEF already is gearing up for this fall’s “Taste of Lemont,” which will take place in downtown Lemont on Sept. 9. Ticket information will be available this summer.

The LHSEF provides revenue and support to Lemont High School in order to enhance educational opportunities and enrich the overall experience for its students, according to the district. It operates independently of the school.