The Appleton Education Foundation has approved grants totaling more than $26,000 to support creative programs and projects that enhance the education of Appleton Area School District students.

Twenty requests received funding. All grants were awarded from the Appleton Education Foundation Fund – an unrestricted endowment – unless otherwise noted.

Appleton Area School District –

• $7,040 will help fund keynote speakers for the Every Child Every Day Summer Institute – a multidisciplinary, four-day professional development program expected to serve more than 800 AASD staff members.
• $1,500 to bring John Dau, author of “Lost Boy, Lost Girl,” to Appleton. All seventh-grade students will read his book and participate in an interdisciplinary unit, culminating with the author’s visit.
• $1,291 to provide access to training opportunities for AASD’s occupational and physical therapists.
• $745 to purchase materials for use by all kindergarten-2^nd grade teachers to help identify students who could benefit from gifted education programming.

 Appleton Central – $762 to purchase alternative seating options for students. Central staff expect students to increase productivity and accelerate course completion by 25%.

Appleton Public Montessori – $1,500 to offer a two-day professional development opportunity for paraprofessionals.

 Berry Elementary School – $167 from the Connie Pitt Memorial Endowment Fund to purchase exercise equipment to help students with autism.

 Columbus Elementary School – $579 for exercise peddlers – a new movement option for students who have high anxiety.

$750 to purchase ukuleles for use by students at Columbus Elementary and Appleton Bilingual schools.

East High School – $1,000 toward the purchase of an automatic sprinkler system for the school’s garden. Over the summer staff and students grow and harvest food and donate it to St. Joe’s Food Program.

$690 for new furnishings and equipment for the LMC’s Makerspace.

Ferber Elementary School – $1,939 to expand access to hands-on STEM learning materials, part of Project Lead the Way.

Houdini Elementary School – $1,939 to expand access to hands-on STEM learning materials, part of Project Lead the Way.

Johnston Elementary School – $296 to purchase equipment and supplies for the school’s sensory room.

Kaleidoscope Academy – $1,825 to purchase virtual technology goggles and accessories. This will allow students to learn math and science concepts in new and exciting ways.

$1,750 for a CNC router. Students will have hands-on opportunities to explore careers in several cluster areas, including manufacturing, STEM, architecture, and IT.

$1,200 to purchase sewing machines. The new machines will be used in 7^th and 8^th grade family and consumer science classes and projects, including one where students will plan, design, and create dolls and give them to a local organization for young children.

McKinley Elementary School – $742 for materials to provide hands-on opportunities for students to learn STEM concepts.

West High School – $567 for a forge, which will help students better understand the relationship between metals and alloys. West and Appleton Technical Academy students will benefit.

Wilson Middle School – $750 to purchase sewing machines. Students will participate in a service learning project to benefit a local charity, all while learning sewing skills and applying math skills.

 

The Appleton Education Foundation, a supporting organization of the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region, has awarded more than $4.3 million in grants since its founding in 1997.  Grants provide accessible, flexible funding for creative and innovative programs not covered by the school budget.  For more information, please call (920) 832-1517 or visit www.appletoneducationfoundation.org