The Foundation received 85 applications this year, and our Grants Committee was able to fully or partially fund a total of 51 grants. A total of $96,250.06 has been awarded to 29 schools or programs across Highline Public Schools, including funding for interactive technology, fine arts, STEM initiatives, special education, mental health, books and eBooks, college & employment preparation, cultural heritage, and adventures outside of the classroom. We awarded 42 Excel Grants and 9 Impact Grants this year. We are also putting aside $3749.94 for special projects addressing the specific needs of LGBTQ+ students in Highline, to be awarded in the new year. Continue reading below for details on all grants awarded in this cycle.
EXCEL GRANT AWARDS
42 awards for a total of $47,248.48
Beverly Park Elementary
Quynh Chau Phan “Sensory Room” $1,237.58
Big Picture School
Adrea Kunkle “Big Picture Tool Library” $1,500
Steve Uydess “Big Picture’s 301 “Excel”-lent College Adventure” $1,500
Bow Lake Elementary
Melissa Cook “Belonging through Books” 1,489.81
Ani Mesropian “Art Literacy and Reference Library” $1,500
Cascade Middle School
Alexa Wayman “Emotional Empowerment Project” $1,000
Lauren Tran “Self-Regulation Zones for Classrooms” $500
Nancy Trang “Good Grief” $1,499.12
Community Based Services
Luke McPhee “Harmony in Learning: Providing Musical Instruments for Students with Significant Disabilities” $960
Des Moines Elementary
Brenda Martin “Engaging Decodable Readers” $1,325.80
Glacier Middle School
Karen Gunn “7th Grade Field Trip” $1,500
Stephanie Kuborssy “Hard Cello Cases for Protection and Longevity” $912
Edward Tompson “Wolf Tank” $1,500
Gregory Heights Elementary
Hailey Wharton “Project Make Music” $626.32
Shawn Will “Igniting Young Minds: Fostering Critical Thinking in Third Graders” $400.58
Hazel Valley Elementary
Courtney Clark “Just Right Readers for Early Literacy Development” $1,438.80
Health Services
Naisha Erickson “Stop the Bleed Training” $1,400
Highline High School
Jacqueline Wong “Lion Dance Instruments” $644.70
Highline Virtual Academy
Cyri Edlao “Engaged Reading” $1,330.31
Innovation Heights Academy
Tamara Nedell “Innovation Heights Academy welcomes Writers in the Schools” $1,100
Shauna Pierson “Art with Heart- Ink about it!” $1,020
Madrona Elementary School
Michelle Brees “Aesop’s Fables in Action” $924
Michael Heckinger “Turn the Page” $1,239
Rosa Sanchez “Field Trip to PacSci!” $653.50
Maritime High School
Rosalind Echols “Building ROVs” $1,495.24
Wauren Ochs and Braelen Lewis “Rainbow Friends Debate Club” $1,500
Marvista Elementary
Julie Rice “Silence is Golden” $500
Marci Anderson Youngstrom
“Flexible seating options for primary learners” $1,488.56
McMicken Heights Elementary
Martina Clymer “Art with Heart” $550
Mount Rainier High School
William Freeman “Senior Gown Loaning Program,” $1,466.52
Hirut Mamo “Black Graduation Ceremony” $1,493.70
Mount View Elementary
Erin Enquist “Listening Stations to Give Inclusive Reading Access to ALL” $1,246
Alex Marial “Real World Enrichment Field Trips for 2nd Grade Student” $888.62
Jose Rivera “Enhancing Language Acquisition through Play” $800
Trina Samson “We love to read en Espanol” $1,028.39
Aubrey Scheffel “Developmental Preschool Playground Upgrades” $1,500
North Hill Elementary
Leah Stephens “Feeling the Music” $330.59
Puget Sound Skills CenterÂ
Joanna Rodriguez: “Dive into Innovation: Team Octobots Take on the ROV Challenge!” $1,500
Realistic Transition Program
Theresa Ognoskie’s “Let’s Connect the Dots” $767.75
Seahurst Elementary
Martina Clymer “Art with Heart” $550
Shorewood Elementary
Kyle Hutchison: “Inclusion Resources- Helping All Students Belong” $1,441.59
Sylvester Middle School
Brenda Phelps “Building Strong Readers: Expanding Book Resources for the Read Right Program” $1,500
IMPACT GRANT AWARDS (over $1500)
9 awards for a total of $49,001,58
Big Picture School
Chelsea Ilarde: “Big Picture Design Lab” $2,000
Bow Lake Elementary
Eleanor Cho “BIPOC Authors Visit and Writer’s Workshop” $4,032
CTE and Digital Transformation
Elizabeth Palow “eSports” $9,969.58
Highline Virtual Academy
Calvin Allen “Trip to Junior Achievement Finance Park” $2,000
Hilltop Elementary
Tierza Clerc: “I really want to focus and do my work but my body needs to move!” $5,000
Inclusive Education
Courtney Wiley “Unified Track Meet” $3,000
Mount Rainier High School
Ashley La “Drum Beats for School Spirit” $10,000
Sylvester Middle School Bev Pecroaro: “The Library is for Everyone!” $3,000Â
Waskowitz Outdoor Education Center
Meredith Von Trapp “Living History at Waskowitz for all HPS 4th Graders” $10,000