WGU Missouri Awards $8,700 in Grants to 14 St. Louis-Area Teachers

Fourteen K-12 teachers from the St. Louis area were recently awarded grants, totaling $8,726, through WGU Missouri’s “Fund My Classroom” initiative. The grants will be used to fund innovative classroom projects that foster learning in new, unique ways. The teachers who received the funding include:

• Sarah Swanger, a fourth-grade teacher at Highcroft Ridge Elementary School in the Parkway School District, who received a $2,000 grant to obtain 200 books, 48 circular floor cushions and 48 pockets that will attach to the backs of students’ chairs to store the cushions when not in use.
• Shyla Wadlington, a newly appointed librarian at Aspire Academy – part of Confluence Charter Schools in St. Louis City – who received a $1,016 grant to help rebuild the school library, which has been closed for the past five years. She plans on obtaining a variety of multicultural books and puppets for the school library and acquire a school mascot costume as well.

• Lauren Martinez, a science teacher at Forth Zumwalt North High School in the Fort Zumwalt School District, who received an $890 grant to obtain gel electrophoresis kits and DNA kits to create a hands-on CSI lab in her classroom that will allow her students to study elephant poaching in Africa.

• Christie Unland, an instructional coach at Mason Ridge Elementary School in the Parkway School District, who received an $805 grant that will be used to purchase a variety of Whole Phonics structured literacy program book sets, each containing 15 books geared toward beginning readers in first grade or kindergarten.
• Courtney Dwyer, a special education teacher with Pathways School of Belleville area special service cooperative in St. Clair County, who received an $800 grant to obtain materials needed to create a store-front center where students can stock shelves, rotate items based on expiration dates, fill orders and bag items. The hands-on simulator will enable her special education students to learn vocational skills needed for future employment.
• Kelly Aquino, a second-grade teacher at Fairmount Elementary School in the Francis Howell School District, who received a $695 grant to revamp her classroom library by adding a variety of new books, floor cushions, book stands, posters and bookshelves that feature sitting nooks.

• Trista Sargent, a special education teacher at Ridgewood Middle School in the Fox C-6 School District, who received a $600 grant that will be used to create a comprehensive life skills center for her students, focused on hygiene routines, cleaning, organizing and cooking.

• Katie Mills, a kindergarten teacher at Fairmount Elementary School in the Francis Howell School District, who received a $520 grant that will be used to purchase essential classroom supplies, books and organizational bins, as well as fun and engaging manipulatives and play items that will enrich her kindergarten students’ learning experience.

• Karen Hoover, a K-5 counselor at Wohlwend Elementary School in the Mehlville School District, who received a $500 grant to add an AI-powered Bird Buddy camera feeder to the school’s outdoor space, providing students in grades K-5 with a unique opportunity to observe, identify and learn more about local birds through live and recorded video footage.
• Jenecia Sims, an ELA teacher at Sumner High School in St. Louis Public Schools, who received a $350 grant to update teaching materials, provide headphones for independent reading time, offer fidget items to assist with concentration and add a variety of games to her classroom. Additionally, she plans on adding a soft shag carpet, bean bag chair, LED lights and other décor to create a defined destressing area in her classroom.

• Christine Eckstein, a third-grade teacher at Mason Ridge Elementary School in the Parkway School District, who received a $175 grant to obtain readers with decodable texts, which are specifically designed to help young students learn how to read by focusing on phonetic patterns and sight words.
• Andrea Medley, a third-grade teacher at Pevely Elementary School in the Dunklin R-5 School District in Jefferson County, who received a $150 grant to provide her third-grade students with the materials needed to learn phonics effectively, including a sound wall, phonogram cards and decodable readers.
• Crista Bahr, a sixth-grade social studies teacher at Ridgewood Middle School in the Fox C-6 School District, who received a $125 grant to continue a “pen pal” program she started, providing her students with the opportunity to connect with peers from diverse cultures and societies worldwide.

• Kim Weible, a special education teacher at Pevely Elementary School in the Dunklin R-5 School District in Jefferson County, who received a $100 grant to implement concepts outlined in Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics, by Peter Liljedahl, in her special education resource classroom, with the goal of enhancing learning and further engaging students.

The innovative classroom projects were among 44 across Missouri chosen by WGU Missouri to receive funding. The nonprofit, fully online university issued a call in early March for K-12 teachers across the state to nominate proposed classroom projects by April 14 for the opportunity to receive full or partial funding through its “Fund My Classroom” initiative. Nearly 200 nominations were received statewide. Most grants were awarded during Teacher Appreciation Week, which ran from May 8-12.

“This is the fifth consecutive year we have been able to offer grant funding to deserving teachers across the state through our ‘Fund My Classroom’ initiative, and we were so moved by all the nominations we received,” said Jessica Denham, Regional Director of WGU Missouri. “While we aren’t able to support all the projects that were nominated, we are excited to award funding to dozens of teachers who have come up with unique and innovative ways to improve their classrooms in order to promote learning and provide an enriching experience for their students.”

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.

About WGU Missouri

WGU Missouri is a competency-based, online university created to expand access to higher education for Missouri residents. The university offers more than 80 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the fields of business, K-12 teacher education, information technology, and health professions, including nursing. WGU Missouri faculty members serve as mentors, working one-on-one with students, offering guidance, support, and individualized instruction.

Established in 2013 through a partnership with nationally recognized Western Governors University, WGU Missouri is open to all qualified Missouri residents. The university is nonprofit and self-sustaining on flat-rate tuition of about $7,600 per year for most programs.

Degrees are granted under the accreditation of Western Governors University, which is accredited through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). Nursing College programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE*), and the Health Informatics program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM).

More information is available at missouri.wgu.edu or by calling 855.948.8493.

*Western Governors University offers nursing programs that are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 5380, Washington DC 20036, 202-877-6791).