WGU Missouri Awards Grants to 15 Kansas City-Area Teachers

Fifteen K-12 teachers from the Kansas City area have received grants totaling $6,000 through WGU Missouri’s “Fund My Classroom” initiative. The online, nonprofit university announced last month that it was awarding $15,000 to schools throughout Missouri and Kansas City, Kan., to celebrate teachers who have worked diligently to adapt to new ways of educating and connecting with students amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The grants will be used to fund innovative classroom projects that foster learning in new, unique ways. The 15 teachers who received the funding from the Kansas City area include:

· Dr. Ummuhan Malkoc Geyik, a chemistry and AP chemistry teacher at Frontier STEM High School, who received a $500 grant to purchase a 3D printer, which will allow students to learn many abstract chemistry concepts and provide them with real-life, hands-on experience

· Marcia Grimes, a kindergarten teacher at Martin City Elementary School in Grandview, who received a $275 grant to purchase materials she will use to create manipulative kits as a fun way for the kindergarteners to learn addition, subtraction, subitizing and comparing numbers during math time

· Daniel Huffman, a second-grade teacher at Martin City Elementary School in Grandview, who received a $415 grant he will use to purchase 50 engaging trade books from the Fountas & Pinnell Interactive Read-Aloud Collection to promote literacy in his classroom.

· Katie Hendricks, a science teacher at Brookside Charter Middle School, who received an $80 grant to purchase a dissection kit, animal models and a variety of specimen for her students to dissect in her classroom

· Octavia Curtis, a seventh-grade English language arts teacher at Grandview Middle School in Grandview, who received a $500 grant that will allow her to purchase books and create an after-school book club

· Sarah Welborn, a first-grade teacher at Grandview Elementary School in Lafayette County, who received a $500 grant to create an outdoor classroom – complete with a garden, a sensory path and other resources – for the school’s K-5 students.

· Doug Evans, a math teacher at Heritage Middle School in Liberty, who received a $100 grant to implement weekly math escape rooms and provide online learning resources for students and parents to use at home.

· Christine Anderson, a library and media specialist at Liberty High School in Liberty, who received a $300 grant to purchase materials for the “Real World Wednesday” workshops the school is hosting to help students learn necessary skills that will allow them to live independently post-high school.

· Lori Riedel, a library and media specialist at Liberty High School in Liberty, who received a $300 grant to teach students in her Digital Media Management class entrepreneurial skills by allowing them to create products and market them to their peers, staff members and the community. The funds will be used to purchase materials that students will need to make their products and kickstart production.

· Kaleigh Bearce, a third-grade teacher at Longview Farm Elementary in Lee’s Summit, who has received a $150 grant she will use to purchase videoing accessories – including microphones, ring lights and stands and a green screen – to allow her students to create green screen videos as an innovative way to share what they’ve been learning in class

· Bailey Carter, a first-grade teacher at Lone Jack Elementary School in Lone Jack, who received a $230 grant to purchase flexible seating options for her energetic students.

· Kathleen Aylward, a K-2 special education teacher at Oak Grove Primary School in Oak Grove, who received a $250 grant that will allow her to purchase materials to create sensory stations for her students – most of whom have been diagnosed with Autism and have accompanying sensory difficulties – to access while in her classroom

· Susan Liddell, a business and technology teacher at Mill Creek Campus in the Olathe School District, who received a $400 grant she will use to create a small business incubator, designed to promote entrepreneurship, real-world learning and 21st century skills in her classroom

· DeAnna Morgan, an art teacher at Paola High School in Miami County, who has received a $500 grant to purchase high-quality paint and supplies so that her students in the Paola High School Art Club can team up with third, fourth and fifth grade students at Sunflower Elementary School and create and paint a large mural on the retaining wall near the elementary school

· Nicholette Klamm, a sixth-grade English and history teacher at Lexington Middle School in Lexington, who received a $1,500 grant that will allow her to take Lexington Middle School students on a field trip to the Kansas City Mavericks’ “Kids Day” hockey game next season

The innovative classroom projects were among 29 chosen by WGU Missouri to receive funding. The nonprofit university issued a call in March for K-12 teachers across the area to nominate proposed classroom projects for the opportunity to receive full or partial funding through its “Fund My Classroom” initiative. More than 100 nominations received. All grants were awarded throughout May.

“We are happy we can bring so many of these innovative projects to life through our ‘Fund My Classroom’ initiative and give the impacted teachers something to look forward to in the midst of all the uncertainty COVID-19 is causing for schools across the region,” said Dr. Angie Besendorfer, Chancellor of WGU Missouri. “This initiative is an opportunity for WGU Missouri to celebrate teachers and is a great way to thank them for the lasting, positive impact they have on their students. We were excited to hear from so many great teachers with excellent ideas that will enhance learning both in and out of the classroom.”

To learn more about the “Fund My Classroom” initiative and the work WGU Missouri is doing to help teachers advance their careers, visit Missouri.wgu.edu.