The Reich College of Education (RCOE) Public School Partnership Mini-Grants Committee awarded $30,770.85 in mini-grants for the 2021-2022 academic year, helping make an impact in area schools.
The selected projects focused on equity, diversity, and inclusion and incorporated innovation, sustainability, and collaboration.
“The Public School Partnership Mini-Grant Committee has been thrilled to see the amount of interest and the number of applications increase over the past three years,” said Dr. Betsy Rosenbalm, director of the Public School Partnership.
“The Public School Partnership functions to support and increase capacity in our partnering P-12 schools,” noted Rosenbalm. “By increasing the number of resources and experiences our partnering schools receive through these mini-grants, we are truly able to provide that tangible support!”
The Public School Partnership includes district partners from Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Burke, Caldwell, Watauga, and Wilkes counties as well as Elkin City Schools, Newton-Conover City Schools, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, the North Carolina School for the Deaf, and the Appalachian State University Academy at Middle Fork.
Appalachian State University's Academy at Middle Fork's project incorporated creating a lemonade stand. Photo submitted.
The call for proposals and application evaluation for the 2022-2023 academic year will begin in August.
The projects are as follows:
Summer 2022
- Project: Ashe/ACES Partnership
- Amount: $1,000.00
- Recipient: Roy Putman, Director of Human Resources/Public Information Officer
- School: Ashe County Schools/ACES
- District: Ashe County Schools
- Project: Great Learning in the Great Outdoors
- Amount: $977.00
- Recipient: Olivia Boudwin, Pre-Kindergarten Teacher
- School: Bethel ES
- District: Watauga County Schools
- Project: Daily Living Revamp
- Amount: $380.00
- Recipient: Kristin Williams, Special Education Teacher, 9-12 grades
- School: Alleghany HS
- District: Alleghany County Schools
- Project: Mad About Math and Science
- Amount: $951.00
- Recipient: Sabrina Ehlenberger, Special Education Teacher, K-5 grades
- School: Blowing Rock ES
- District: Watauga County Schools
- Project: Pages for Ages
- Amount: $858.79
- Recipient: Taylor Hughes, K-2 Deaf Plus Teacher
- School: NC School for the Deaf
- District: DPI; ESDB
- Project: Get Tactile with It!
- Amount: $1,000.00
- Recipient: Heather Padilla Seaton, Pre-Math I & Math I Middle School Teacher
- School: Blowing Rock ES
- District: Watauga County Schools
- Project: Family Arts Night
- Amount: $650.00
- Recipient: Jill Bellia, Art Teacher
- School: Elkin ES
- District: Elkin City Schools
- Project: Future Difference Makers
- Amount: $927.85
- Recipient: Krista Dancy, 5th Grade Teacher
- School: Parkway ES
- District: Watauga County Schools
- Project: Decodable Readers
- Amount: $703.97
- Recipient: Courtney Bauguess, 1st/2nd Grade Teacher
- School: Rhonda Clingman ES
- District: Wilkes County Schools
- Project: School-Wide STEAM Program
- Amount: $950.93
- Recipient: Kelly Luna, 6th Grade ELA & Social Studies Teacher
- School: Glade Creek ES
- District: Alleghany County Schools
Spring 2022
- Project: Bring on the Good News!
- Amount: $999.66
- Recipient: Jordan Nemeth, 3rd Grade Teacher
- School: Mountain View Elementary
- District: Ashe County Schools
- Project: Teaching Climate Change through Picture books
- Amount: $963.00
- Recipient: Morgan Blanton, Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Reading Education and Special Education at Appalachian State University; Damiana Pyles, Associate Professor in the Curriculum & Instruction Department at Appalachian State University
- School: All partnership schools will be invited
- District: All partnership districts will be invited
- Project: Oh the Places We Can Go with Reading and Writing
- Amount: $993.25
- Recipient: Heather Houston, 5th Grade Teacher
- School: Taylorsville Elementary
- District: Alexander County Schools
- Project: Chick Flick
- Amount: $979.48
- Recipient: Jodi Blackwell, EC Teacher
- School: Hardin Park Elementary
- District: Watauga County Schools
- Project: Start Spreadin' the News about using Children's SEL Literature to Design Fantastic Elementary Music Classes
- Amount: $560.80
- Recipient: Mazie Sullivan, Music Teacher
- School: Westwood Elementary and Appalachian State University's Hayes school of music
- District: Ashe County Schools
- Project: Completing Our School's First-Ever Library
- Amount: $996.16
- Recipient: Olivia Van Buskirk, 10th Grade English Teacher
- School: Wilkes Early College High School
- District: Wilkes County Schools
- Project: Opening Doors for Special Learners
- Amount: $889.00
- Recipient: Shana Loudermelk, Special Education Teacher, K-5 grades
- School: Taylorsville Elementary and Alexander Central High
- District: Alexander County Schools
- Project: Making it Add Up
- Amount: $932.87
- Recipient: Jesse Carswell, 3rd-8th Grade Deaf Plus Teacher
- School: NC School for the Deaf
- District: Educational Services for the Deaf and Blind (DPI)
- Project: Meeting the Needs of our Gifted Learners in K-2
- Amount: $976.35
- Recipient: Sasha Murphy, 2nd Grade Teacher
- School: Elkin Elementary
- District: Elkin City Schools
- Project: Exploring Refugee Experiences, Identity, Representation, and Advocacy
- Amount: $913.89
- Recipient: Alyssa Parsels, 2nd Grade Teacher
- School: Valle Crucis Elementary
- District: Watauga County Schools
- Project: Flippin and Gaming in the New Age Class
- Amount: $771.07
- Recipient: Terry Gunnell-Beck, 5th Grade Teacher
- School: Watauga Virtual Academy
- District: Watauga County Schools
- Project: Mini Mountaineer Volunteers
- Amount: $1,000.00
- Recipient: Alix Shaver, 4th Grade Teacher
- School: Appalachian State's Academy at Middle Fork
- District: Lab School
- Project: Now We're Cooking!
- Amount: $839.46
- Recipient: Belen Ledezma, EC Teacher
- School: Sparta Elementary
- District: Alleghany Schools
- Project: Building Collective Efficacy in Integrating SEL into CORE Practices
- Amount: $991.20
- Recipient: Heather Freeman, Principal
- School: North Wilkes Middle School
- District: Wilkes County Schools
- Project: Self Awareness Through Movement
- Amount: $720.56
- Recipient: Taylor Hinrichs, 2nd Grade Teacher
- School: Westwood Elementary
- District: Ashe County Schools
- Project: Letterland for Literacy Learning
- Amount: $746.72
- Recipient: Tracy Hale, Kindergarten Teacher
- School: Mt. Pleasant Elementary School
- District: Wilkes County Schools
- Project: Yosef's Mini-Mountaineer Lemonade Stand
- Amount: $524.90
- Recipient: Cindy Hall, Speech Pathologist
- School: Appalachian State's Academy at Middle Fork
- District: Lab School
- Project: Enrichment Playwriting, Acting, and Videography
- Amount: $129.00
- Recipient: Shannon Rogers, Middle School Teacher
- School: Newton Conover Middle School
- District: Newton Conover City Schools
Fall 2021
- Project: Making Math Meaningful
- Amount: $872.00
- Recipient: Kaleb Redd, Middle Grades Math Teacher
- School: Sparta School
- District: Alleghany
- Project: Math Manipulatives for Deaf Students
- Amount: $678.00
- Recipient: Mikaela Shimko, Math Teacher, 9-12 grades
- School: NC School for Deaf
- District: NCSD/ESDB
- Project: Unique 3D ASL Sculptures
- Amount: $896.00
- Recipient: Jennifer Willet, Art Teacher, K-12 grades
- School: NC School for Deaf
- District: NCSD/ESDB
- Project: Classroom Design for Sensory Needs
- Amount: $956.00
- Recipient: Rachel Barefoot, K-1 Teacher
- School: NC School for Deaf
- District: NCSD/ESDB
- Project: Preparing Students for Hands-on, Lab-based Science in High School
- Amount: $976.00
- Recipient: Christopher McCollum, Physical Science Teacher
- School: Alexander Central High School
- District: Alexander
- Project: Culturally Responsive Leadership
- Amount: $999.00
- Recipients: Kori Trainor, Instructional Coach for School Improvement; Chantae Reynolds, Multilingual Learner Teacher
- School: Academy at Middle Fork
- District: App State
- Project: Fill the Genre Gaps
- Amount: $993.00
- Recipient: Olivia Van Buskirk, 10th Grade English Teacher
- School: Wilkes Early College High
- District: Wilkes
- Project: STEAM Education: Enhancing Critical Thinking Skills in Biology
- Amount: $1,074.00
- Recipient: Rebecca Dupuis, Biology and Instructional Coach
- School: Alexander Central High School
- District: Alexander
Lemonade Stand
