The Community Foundation of NCW has awarded $43,000 in grants to teachers across North Central Washington for innovative classroom projects that engage students, especially the hard to reach learner.

Forty-three teachers across 14 districts each received a $1,000 Classrooms Can! grant to be implemented in the 2014-2015 academic year.

Awards are distributed in 5 funding areas: Arts Education, Field Trips, Literacy and Social Studies, STEM, or Wellness.

Each application is reviewed by a committee of community members with knowledge and expertise in the areas of funding.

The following are the schools and teachers awarded, or click here to view full award descriptions:

• Beaver Valley School, Eric Tiegel – Field Trip to Wenatchee River Institute 1^st-5^th graders students will enjoy direct, hands-on outdoor experiences on a 9-acre preserve featuring a rich diversity of plant and animal species and also utilize the green classroom equipped with microscopes, snowshoes, kick nets, live animals, and more.
• Bridgeport Elementary School, Mary Avalos – Hands on with Science Kindergarten students will learn about earth and space science by creating a recycled project for their bedroom using fabric technology skills.
• Eastmont High School, Dana Leming – Speechless Writing Project 10^th-12^th grade students will write narratives, poems, and song lyrics about their lives with the goal of publishing a book, giving them the ability to share their struggles, obstacles, and triumphs with other teens to spread hope, tolerance.
• East Omak Elementary, Leslie Clough – Eagles Orchestra Provide instruments (violins, flutes, clarinets, and tubas) for 3^rd-5^th grade students who are unable to purchase them so they can participate in the orchestra program.
• East Omak Elementary, Kathy St. Germaine – Art Room Art room for 3^rd-5^th grade students with integrated projects that complement the topics covered by each of the classrooms.
• Entiat High School, Bill Edwardson – Holocaust Museum Field Trip 11^th-12^th grade field trip to the Washington State Holocaust Museum in Seattle to view artifacts and see the exhibits while listening to guest speakers that have lived through the experience.
• Entiat Elementary School, Dana Cada – Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds Continuation and expansion of “healthy living” program for 1^st grade classroom that includes positive reinforcement tactics, daily healthy snacks with mini nutrition lessons, easy-reader books, audiobooks and high quality application for iPads.
• Foothills Middle School, Toby Johnson – Night of the Notables 7^th grade students will choose a positive world changer, read their biography, write a paper, and act at an event presentation for parents.
• Foothills Middle School, Kyle Hurst – Dynamic Review Games Various activities and games for the classroom to engage the learning experience and make it more fun.
• John Newbery Elementary, Connie Michael – MinecraftEdu 2^nd graders will experience a version of Minecraft software developed for educators that better engages students in STEM, History, and Art subjects through a video game based on scale-modeling and civilization development.
• John Newbery Elementary, Leslie Kiick – Masters of Measuring “Measurement Tubs” filled with a variety objects for Kindergarteners to measure and a collection of various tools to measure them, creating problem solving opportunity for children learn how to choose appropriately.
• Lewis and Clark Elementary, Maria Gonzalez – Classrooms Can Cook A year-long project for 1^st graders that connects cooking to healthy eating habits, teaching children about nutrition while using math and measuring skills.
• Liberty Bell High School, Lisa Monahan – HASPI Medical Biology Curriculum Health Sciences Pathway Initiative Program (HASPI) aims to provide accessibility and proficiency in STEM-related sciences through 19 health-based labs, available to 8^th-12^th graders.
• Lincoln Elementary, Tina Nicpan-Brown – STEM Field Experience: Snowshoe Through An Avalanche 5^th grade students will interact with a local biologist/environmental education director in the area of avalanche and mudslide control/identification and learn snowshoeing techniques needed in the field.
• Mansfield School District, Luke Hall – Advocate for Community Skate Park 7^th-12^th grade students will learn the process for making change in their community by advocating for a skate and bike park through various research methods and a presentation to city officials.
• Manson Elementary, Marcella Lindert – Imitating Artists 4^th grade students will read about a famous artist, learn their media and style, create art in that style, then write about their experience.
• Manson Elementary School, Jay Fox – Resistance Sets Purchase of resistance sets to complete and enhance the fitness program for K-5^th graders.
• Manson High School, Jennifer Koth – Exploring Social Ethics and Science Through Henriett Lacks In partnership with Erik Helleson’s class, 9^th-10^th grade students will read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and explore the social, racial, and ethical issues of this science while simultaneously with DNA and genetic studies in Biology.
• Manson High School, Erik Helleson – Laboratory Experiences of the HeLa cells of Henrietta Lacks In partnership with Jennifer Koth’s class, 10^th-12^th grade students will be able to clone genes, purify proteins, transform bacteria with genes from jellyfish to make them glow green and visualize the mitosis of cancer cells.
• Manson High School Extensions Program – Chase Pauly, Backpacking Field Courses 7^th-12^th grade science students will study biology and ecology in the field by participating in 1 of 3 offered 6-day/7-night backpacking field courses at the Watersheds of Washington (Olympic Peninsula), Ecology of Alpine Lakes (Leavenworth), Natural History of Glacier Peak Wilderness (North Cascades)
• Methow Valley Elementary School, Anne Andersen – Measurement Lab A school-wide Measurement Lab that would allow students to manipulate a variety of materials, explore different units of measurement and measuring tools, and determine the importance of varying degrees of accuracy.
•  Methow Valley Independent Learning Center, Kim Odell – Be ART! A program that connects at-risk youth with their community, self, and academics through various art projects that each provide a particular skill set such as math, science, public speaking, teamwork, problem solving, trade skill, as well as exposure to social services and needs of their community.
• Omak Early Childhood Programs, Lynnette Rose – Family Adventure and Literacy Activities A series of out-of-school family activities focusing on language development and science understanding that are fun and allow parents to see their young children as active learners.
• Orondo Elementary School, Carol Steichen – Field Trip to Wenatchee River Institute Kindergarten students will enjoy direct, hands-on outdoor experiences on a 9-acre preserve featuring a rich diversity of plant and animal species and also utilize the green classroom equipped with microscopes, snowshoes, kick nets, live animals, and more.
• Pateros School District, Scotti Wiltse – Scientist for a Day Field Trip 7^th-8^th grade students will be scientists for a day through 3 field trip experiences: Stonerose Interpretive Center, where students become archeologists, dig and identify fossils; Gardener Cave, where students learn about formation of cave, stalagmites, stalactites; and Boundary Dam, where students learn how dams are made and their important function in our world today.
• Pioneer Middle School, Sandra Lancaster – Audiobooks for Battle of the Books Continuation of successful program that increases reading engagement and improves literacy through audiobooks.
• Tonasket Elementary School, Megan Huckaby – Enhanced Literacy Center Enhance current literacy model in 2^nd grade classroom and improve reading performance by providing access to highly motivating, multi-level literacy materials.
• Tonasket High School, Emily Bjelland – The Robotic Engineering Design Challenge 9^th-12^th grade students will apply their knowledge of mechanics to robot design and be introduced to computer programming and the research design loop.
• Tonasket Outreach Program (Homeschool), Carol Lanigan – Washington State Exploration 4^th-8^th grade students will study the regions of Washington State throughout the year including geography, map reading, and diverse environments culminating with a 4-day/3-night field trip to the North Cascades National Park, Padilla Bay, and Seattle to enrich our study of WA state.
• Tonasket Elementary School, Rose Corso – Tonasket School Garden/ Compost Project A permanent, covered composting structure that will support expansion of the composting program and provide K-5^th grade students exposure to the benefits of recycling, waste reduction, and sustainable stewardship through conservation awareness through the composting cycle.
• Robert E. Lee Elementary, Lisa Snyder – Preschool Math in a Box A collaboration between preschools and the Kindergarten team, “Math in a Box” addresses one of the four domains of math literacy including; counting and cardinality, geometry, operations and algebraic thinking, and data and measurement and provides a total of 20 boxes available to our early learning providers to check out through our school library to help bridge the gap entering public school.
• Vale Elementary, Kristin Umbarger-Keene – Mexican Folk Dances The addition of Mexican Folk Dancing to current six-weeks school-wide dance instruction program including costumes.
• Vale Elementary, Devera Sharp – Art: It’s Elementary Support a current art enrichment program for 1^st-4^th grade students for students to study and explore art history, culture, techniques, and connections with nature.
• Vale Elementary, DeAnn Kruiswyk – A Garden So Kids Can Grow Building a new school-wide student garden in a currently unused, concrete space using the “square foot gardening” method which requires installation of raised beds, a watering system, and materials for initial installation.
• Vale Elementary, Kappy Schoening – Lifetime Swimmers Swimming lessons for 1^st and 3^rd grade students to increase the swimming abilities and safety.
• Virginia Grainger Elementary School, Marilou Baker – Salmon Studies 4^th grade students study salmon and ecosystems, designing and carving block prints, and participate in a riparian restoration project on Salmon Creek near the school.
• Virginia Grainger Elementary School, Amy Sullivan – Animal Studies 3^rd grade students will participate in an in-depth inquiry into animal characteristics, behavior, and habitat, write a detailed research paper, culminating with a 3D art project.
• Virginia Grainger Elementary School, Susan Brown – Library Theater Enhance reading/literacy skills and English acquisition through a moveable puppet theater and puppets designed and built by students to use in the school library.
• Washington Elementary School, Amy Kerker – Create Your Own Instrument 1^st-5^th grade students will create a variety of musical instruments (such as drums, flutes, xylophones, rain sticks, guitars) using simple materials.
• Washington Elementary School, Monika Christensen – Geocaching Field Trips 5^th grade students will learn geography, technology, and math skills while exploring their local community for hidden treasures through Geochaching Field Trips.
• Washington Elementary School, Jill Reinfeld – Salmon Festival Field Trip 5^th grade students will discover and appreciate the complexities of the natural world and the significance of the salmon ecosystem through hands-on activities and “edutainment”.
• WestSide High School, Peg Ronhovde – WestSide’s Got Talent  Instruments and costumes for a student-directed peer-mentoring program that expresses itself through the fine arts.
• WestSide High School, Heidi Monroe – WestSide Presents A portable stage and sound equipment to use in conjunction for new performing arts program, focused on building on student talents to build personal wellness and a positive school environment.

Classrooms Can! is a partnership between the Community Foundation of NCW and the United Way of Chelan and Douglas Counties and is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Learn more about all of our grant programs at here.