Spring Foundation Grants
All Bexley Middle School students will benefit next school year from the "Finding Your Voice and Sharing Your Stories" grant that was approved at the foundation’s May 15 Board Meeting. The $20,000 grant will create opportunities for students to creatively learn to express themselves. Each grade level will work with a published author in addition to participating in several creative writing workshops. Eighth graders will work with Donte Woods-Spikes and his Voices of Empathy workshops. He also will guide students on building leadership/mentorship skills within the school/community setting. Seventh grade students will work with renowned historical fiction writer Alan Gratz and sixth graders will work with graphic novelist/script writer Grace Ellis. Sixth and Seventh grade students will also attend Thurber House writing workshops.
Other grants approved for teacher-initiated projects this spring include::
A $1,500 grant to the Maryland Elementary School team to develop an Ohio Native Pollinator Garden
Students will select plants, install garden fixtures, and then plant and maintain the garden scape for many years to come. This project will be a permanent fixture at Maryland, providing students an opportunity to observe an ecosystem right out their window. Students will learn about the needs of living organisms, they will learn about the impact of the sun and seasons on plant growth, about the role plants play as producers in a food web and the many ways plants support other complex organisms.
A $600 grant to create the Ability Bites Cafe where you can “Savor the Flavor and Embrace the Diversity” in the Family Consumer Science classroom. The “pop-up” style cafe project provides real-world opportunities for high school students with disabilities to practice occupational skills like greeting customers, taking and packing orders, and handling money.
A $900 grant to support 8th grade Spanish students reading the book “el Ekeko.” The book is about a magical talisman that is important in Bolivian culture. In Bolivia, the las Alasitas festival celebrates abundance and during the festival families visit markets to purchase miniature items to put on their Ekeko. The items they purchase are what they wish for in the upcoming year. Students will make their own Ekeko and mini-objects out of clay.
