Education Foundation grants honor region’s innovative teachers
If you want clear and compelling evidence that North Central Washington has a plethora of creative and inspired teachers, I suggest you read through the 112 grant applications that were submitted to the North Central Education Foundation this fall.
Just being in close proximity to these innovative, energetic and passionate educators is enough to give you goose bumps. The grant ceremony is an event I greatly look forward to attending each year.
The North Central Education Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the North Central Educational Service District. The grants provide funding for hands-on learning opportunities in classrooms. In most cases, teachers fund these projects out of their own pockets.
In the nine years that the foundation has been in existence, the number of grants has grown from a few to more than 100, thanks to the generosity of a number of local businesses and individuals.
Here are a few examples of the projects being funded:
Brooke McPhee, a kindergarten teacher at Peshastin-Dryden Elementary, is going to use her grant to fund an art project that involves bringing local professional artists into the classroom. The program is built on the wildly successful program in the Wenatchee School District. It’s great to see that collaborative program expand into other communities.
At Cashmere Middle School, Jessica Guerin received a grant for her “Art with a Heart” program that was developed in the Seattle area to create opportunities for students to learn coping skills to deal with trauma-based experiences. The Cashmere district has been one of the leaders in the region in addressing toxic stress in their students and looking for creative ways to help them cope. Students who are toxically stressed have a dickens of a time focusing on learning.
Carissa Haug at Tonasket Middle School is using her grant to build a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) activity center. Kelsey Streeter, a K-2 teacher at Palisades School, is developing STEAM nights for students and their families. In all, the foundation funded 99 grants and at least three more grants were funded by personal donations.
To bring these teachers together to celebrate, network and receive their check made for a wonderful evening.
Funding for the grants came from North Cascades Bank, the Community Foundation of North Central Washington, Confluence Health, the Young Adult Consumer Education Trust, the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust, Wenatchee Rotary, Gene and Carol Sharratt and the Woods Family Music and Arts Fund.
Businesses or individuals who want to help support this grass-roots effort can contact Eldene Wall at the North Central ESD at [email protected].
Here are a list of the grants
Chelan-Douglas Land Trust Foothills
Robert Garretson, Wenatchee High School Lindsay Hilldorfer, Wenatchee High School
Eric Tiegel, Beaver Valley Elementary, Cascade SD Eric Vendrell-Lammerman, Orondo Schools
College Preparation
Jill Copenhaver, Quincy Junior High Darrin Ferson, Lincoln Elementary, Wenatchee
Susan Gubsch, Cashmere High School Dianne Stewart, Monument Elementary, Quincy
Luke Hall, Mansfield Schools
Financial Education (funded by YACET)
Jeff Leavitt, Wenatchee High School Carina Velazquez, North Elementary, Moses Lake
Jackie Floetke, Wilson Creek High School
National Board Support (funded by NCESD Board Members)
Dina Ashcraft, Alpine Lakes Elementary, Cascade Molly Ravits, Cascade High School
Andrea Whitney, Manson Elementary
Literacy
Zuly Arredondo, Washington Elementary, Wen. Kelly Grayum, Liberty Bell H.S., Methow Valley
Denise Hack, North Omak Elementary Sara Hausken, Pioneer, Quincy
Kristi Kriegel, Vale Elementary, Cashmere Sierra Morrison, Oroville Elementary, Oroville
Erin Oltman, Washington Elementary, Wenatchee Paige Patrick, Nespelem Middle School
Jennifer Polley, Morgen Owings Elem., Lake Chelan Mark Radocaj, Peninsula Elementary, Moses Lake
Roselyn Robison, Cascade High School Brandy Samson, Manson Elementary
Heidi Schroeder, Castlerock Early Learning, Wen. Michelle Stickel, Chief Moses, Moses Lake
Jana Sutton, Washington Elementary, Wenatchee Linda Zaccanti, Brewster Elementary
Terri Zahn, Bridgeport Middle School
Music/Fine Arts (funded by Woods House/Family Fund)
Brooke McPhee, Peshastin Dryden Elementary Sharlynn Parker, Beaver Valley Elementary
Jessica Guerin, Cashmere Middle School Marie Goulet, Mansfield Schools
Andrea Whitney, Manson Elementary Russ Elliott, Quincy Junior High
Marshall Bilodeau, Soap Lake High School Ciara Shuttleworth, Soap Lake MS/HS
Patricia Dagnon, Tonasket Elementary Noemi Bazan, Pioneer Middle School
Adele Caemmerer, Orchard Middle School Shawna Hawkins, Valley Academy
Maija Henderson, Foothills Middle School Tanya Iwaasa, Lincoln Elementary
Eric Link, Wenatchee Valley Technical Skills Center Trevor Sill, Quincy Junior High
Gail Morris, Tonasket Elementary Chelsea Freeman, Choice High School, Tonasket
STEM/STEAM
Eric Schmidt, Bridgeport High School Heidi Hartnell, Vale Elementary, Cashmere
Kathy Addleman, Eastmont High School Clarissa Fulkerson, Rock Island Elem., Eastmont
Caitlin Walters, Cascade Elementary, E. Wenatchee Dan Durr, Entiat Middle School/High School
Kate Schmuck, Ephrata Middle School Carrie Derr, Lake Roosevelt Elementary
Carolyn Burdick, Morgen Owings Elem., Chelan Teresa Jones-Coffman, Morgen Owings Elementary
Cheryl Sablan, Morgen Owings Elementary, Chelan Jessica Bowman, Mansfield Schools
Kendra Farnsworth, Manson Elementary Matt Hinckley, Liberty Bell Junior High
Bill Bertram, Knolls Vista Elementary, Moses Lake Anna Davis, Sage Point Elementary, Moses Lake
Kelwy El-Haj, North Elementary, Omak Jessica Prieto, Oroville Elementary
Linda Cashman, Palisades School Karlye Risdon, Palisades School
Kelsey Streeter, Palisades School Kimberly Bunch, Quincy Junior High
Mary Horning, George Elementary, Quincy Kimberly Fitzthum, Tonasket Elementary
Carissa Haug, Tonasket Middle School Kristen Callison, Lincoln Elementary, Wenatchee
Aaron Hansen, Foothills Middle School, Wenatchee Patty Iniguez, Pioneer Middle School, Wenatchee
Doug Merrill, Wenatchee High School Tina Nicpan-Brown, Lincoln Elementary, Wenatchee
Maia Parr, Washington Elementary, Wenatchee Heidi Ragan, Peninsula Elementary, Moses Lake
Nicole Wallace, Sage Point Elementary, Moses Lake
Other
Roxanna Jensen, Entiat Elementary Jody Stadelman, Columbia Ridge Elem., Ephrata
Kayla Helleson, Manson Elementary Shannon Hettetvedt, Sage Point Elem., Moses Lake
Jamie Olson, Longview Elementary, Moses Lake Jannette Serrano-Vasquez, Larson Heights Elem. ML
Cynthia Swan, Park Orchard Elementary, Moses Lake Jenny Woodall, North Elementary, Moses Lake
Cathy Meuret, School Nursing Corps, NCESD Roy Johnson, Okanogan County Juvenile Center
Julie Banken, Valley Elementary Nikki Buzzell, Wenatchee High School
Kyle Hurst, Foothills Middle School, Wenatchee Nicole Long, Joyful Scholars Montessori
Karlyn Mitchell, Mission View Elem., Wenatchee Jessica Sagerser, Valley Academy, Wenatchee
Stacy Lillquist, Mansfield Elementary
