2021-2022 Teaching Grants

The Dickinson Education Foundation awarded $149,952 in teaching grants for Fall 2021. Teachers write grants in hopes of starting new innovative programs, purchasing new equipment or instructional materials for their classrooms.

Dickinson High School: 1,000

Hi-Low Books for Classroom - $1,000

(Laura Mai)

Special education students in the WAVE department will now have access to an increased selection of books better aligned to their reading level.

Dickinson High School: $9,880

Choral Sight Reading Library - $9,880

(Zachary Foster)

Choral students in Mixed Choir, Men's Choir, and Women's Choir will be equipped with UIL-regulation sight reading materials to practice and prepare for annual evaluations and competitions. Not only will students be able to physically practice with the materials, but this new library will create opportunities to hone their sight reading skills and assess choral readiness.

Dickinson High School: $665.25

STEM Engineering - $665.25

(Carl Bergman)

This project will support the robotics study of parametric motion and aerodynamics. Students will have the opportunity to explore electronics, physics, inertia, gravity, weight balance, and gear ratio calculations.

Dickinson High School: $2,125

Art For ALL - $2,125

(Jennifer Sumrall)

In the mentor art class at Dickinson High School, mentor students work one-on-one with fellow students with special needs. This project will provide adaptive tools and supplies to enhance the sensory and physical possibilities that will make art accessible for all.

Dickinson High School: $758

Dickinson Amateur Radio Club - $758

(Brandon Rathke)

The amateur radio club is designed to encourage students to pursue amateur radio certifications, meet and work with the NASA JSC Radio club members and other local radio clubs, and ultimately expose students to STEM fields through hands-on education.

Dickinson High School: $5,000

Gator Q&A - $5,000

(Omar Cobo)

This initiative seeks to create a safe space for students in the LGBTQIA+ community. In partnership with the Gator Wellness Center, this group meets weekly to discuss successes and challenges, seek guidance, advice, and resources, and learn the skills to become self-advocates and resilient members of the Dickinson community.

Dickinson High School: $5,000

GKR Bundle Grant - $5,000

(Cristin Branham)

The Gotta Keep Reading - or GKR - initiative will enable the Dickinson High School library to reach the student body, faculty, and staff by creating a wider variety of audio visual literacy choices that meets the needs of the campus-wide literacy initiative.

Dickinson High School: $9,590

Ninth Grade Research Center for Project- Based Learning - $9,590

(Deanna Williams)

The goal of the Ninth Grade Research Center is to create an environment where students can develop learning, literacy, and like skills that will help them stay competitive and face the challenges of advanced education.

Kranz Junior High: $4,900

Microgravity, Manufacturing, and Rocket Innovation - $4,900

(Jason Fontaine)

Microgravity, Manufacturing and Rocket Innovation will bring Kranz Junior High closer to the high-yield career offerings of NASA and the Houston Spaceport by providing students the training required to build foundations in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Partnering with NASA Education, the University of Houston-Clear Lake and College of the Mainland, this program will align students with specific skills actively being pursued by industry.

Kranz Junior High: $2,325

Augmented Reality Sandbox- $2,325

(Elizabeth Valenzon)

This project's short-term goal is to build an augmented reality sandbox for hands-on, engaged learning for students in the SAILS special education program. The program's long-term goal is to make SAIL students the experts of the AR sandbox and deploy them to show other students across the campus how to utilize the tool.

Kranz Junior High: $1,600

8th Grade Class Set of Headphones- $1,600

(Mary Dugie, Hannan Whelton, Justin Martin)

This class set of headphones will allow the entire 8th grade history team to increase student-directed learning options.

McAdams Junior High: $1,000

Conquering Readers- $1,000

(Mayra Torres-Jimenez)

This initiative will increase the Spanish-language book library.

McAdams Junior High: $4,960

The Diversity and Equity Library Plan - $4,960

(Cheryl Tippit)

The Diversity and Equity library plan will update the quantity and quality of the MJHS library collection to reflect the school's diverse student population.

McAdams Junior High: $4,200

Swivl Into Learning - $4,200

(Debra Fowler)

Bringing Swivls to campus will afford each content area the ability to record their lessons for teacher self-reflection and assist with the flipped classroom model.

McAdams Junior High: $1,000

Look! We Wrote a Book! -- Everyone's an Author - $1,000

(Jennifer Rigdon, Christina King, Karsha Lynch-Muse)

This project will supply kits to guide students, with teacher and support and supervision, to create and publish their own literary pieces.

McAdams Junior High: $4,200

Learning in Space -- Discovery Dome - $4,200

(Stephanie Grimes)

The Discovery Dome will enhance the student learning experience through presentations covering the solar system, earth science, ancient history, the human body, and more, taking students on incredible adventures that are immersive, engaging, and realistic.

McAdams Junior High: $5,000

Us In Style - $5,000

(Tara Jones)

The scan-to-print poster design system will allow the performing arts department to promote events and programs by easily creating full color classroom and hallway visuals of upcoming performances and productions.

Barber Middle: $850

Skins and Skulls Animal Adaptations - $850

(Erika Lacey)

This project will allow 5th grade science students to investigate the various skins and skulls of some animals native to Texas. Students will explore the adaptations between predators and prey, identify the common structures of animal skulls, and determine their functions. The skins will help illustrate how animals camouflage themselves.

Barber Middle: $1,225

Innovation in a 3D World- $1,225

(Crystal Pilcher)

This project will afford students in the Brainiac Block 3D printing course the opportunity to create prototypes of their projects using 3D pens. The pens will allow students to use their critical thinking skills as well as the engineering design process to design and customize the prototype.

Dunbar Middle: $10,000

Campus Wide Mobile Document Cameras - $5,000

(Nathan Robinson)

With the lightweight and portable document cameras, teachers can share objects and documents and record video and photos from anywhere within Wi-Fi range from their desks. Wireless document cameras give teachers mobility in all classrooms, with a battery life that will last an entire school day.

Dunbar Middle: $1,000

Memory & Cognitive Skills - $1,000

(Sharon Boudreaux)

Playing stimulates brain areas that are responsible for memory formation and complex through processes. Funds will be used to purchase equipment to incorporate outside yard games for 5th and 6th grade PE students.

Dunbar Middle: $5,000

Growing Young Readers - $5,000

(Haley Jackson)

The Growing Young Readers project will aid in equipping the library with books that align with student interests -- specifically increasing the collection for Spanish language readers, nonfiction, and other high-demand titles.

Lobit Middle: $975

STEM in the Library - $975

(Sheri Howard)

The STEM in the Library initiative seeks to increase the collection of STEM-related titles to better align with students interests and the new STEM programming at Lobit Middle School.

Bay Colony Elementary: $15,000

Books That Make Gators Chomp!- $10,000

A Nuevas Experiencias Por Favor - $5,000

(Brook Morgan)

Both initiatives will increase the quantity and quality of the library's collection to better support student demand for English and Spanish-language titles.

Calder Road Elementary: $1,754

Step-Up For Fitness - $1,754

(Sommerlyn Paschal)

DrumFIT and Step Aerobics incorporate music and fitness and allows students to dance on beat while exercising. Students workout while learning different skills; each song is based around a different skill including listening, movement, and percussion techniques. Funds will be used to purchase DrumFit equipment and programming.

Calder Road Elementary: $1,185

Wireless Interactive White Pens - $1,185

(Jazz Kristensen, Shelley Shaw, Melissa Rojas, Bailey Penny, Meg Treadwell, Marisha Ausmus, Alex Hernandez)

Funds will be used to purchase a wireless pen and projector attachment. This will allow the kindergarten team to plan interactive, engaging lessons and activities for students across all subjects.

Hughes Road Elementary: $3,880

Technology in the Art Room - $3,880

(Rebecca Thomas)

This project will help students create Stop Motion Animated Videos in the art room. The technology can also be used to research artist and artwork, with the hope of inspiring students to understand and create amazing art projects across all grade levels.

Hughes Road Elementary: $5,000

STEM for ALL - $5,000

(Brian Hopkins)

The STEM for All initiative seeks to provide educational tools for every preschool, ECSE, and kindergarten class on campus that focus on teaching STEM. Funds will be used to purchase Cubetto, a coding robot, and other STEM-based tools geared toward increasing problem solving, math, science, and writing skills.

K.E. Little Elementary $9,800

Gator Learning Bags! - $9,800

(Jenny LeBlanc)

Funds will be used to create students learning backpacks focused on growing confident learners and addressing the individual needs of students who receive targeted intervention. Each individualized learning bag will target specific academic goals and will be utilized throughout the school year.

Lobit Elementary $1,360

Portable Laptop Monitor for ARD Meetings - $1,360

(Shannah Sauers)

Funds will be used to purchase a portable laptop monitor, providing the ARD facilitators easier access to holding high quality meetings consistently across all campuses.

Silbernagel Elementary $5,000

Sing, Dance, and Play All Day! -$5,000

(Kelsey Scheuerman -- accepted by Principal Leslie Burke)

The elementary music room is a place of joyful noise. Funds for this project will provide age-appropriate instruments to be used both in the classroom and during performances on campus and throughout the community.

Silbernagel Elementary $5,860

Libros para Lectura Independiente -$5,860

(Samantha Battleson)

Funds will be used to expand the Spanish-language and bilingual book selection.

San Leon Elementary $5,000

Title Wave -$5,000

(Erin Chapman)

This initiative seeks to facilitate a refresher of both individual audio books and print titles. Playaways not only give access to higher level novels and nonfiction to students with reading disabilities, but they also have the potential to spark the interest of reluctant readers and open them up to the world of stories and information -- hopefully creating lifelong readers!

San Leon Elementary $5,000

Dual It Today, Proficient Tomorrow! -$5,000

(Denise Daniel)

As the dual language population grows, so too should the bilingual section of the library. Funds will be used to purchase dual language books for Spanish and English-speaking students.

San Leon Elementary $5,500

Reflections of Me: Authentic, Diverse Classroom Libraries - $5,500

(Rocio Marquez, Diana Lobato, Carla Vasquez, Marcela Arciniega)

This project will build authentic Spanish classroom libraries in kindergarten and first grade classrooms to support DISD's bilingual initiative.

San Leon Elementary $3,360

Creating Mathematical Thinkers, Not Calculators - $3,360

(Cassidy Dill)

Funds will be used to purchase Guided Math Grade-level kits aimed at meeting K-4th grade students where they are, filling in any potential gaps, and enriching their overall math learning experience.