EXCEL & Impact Grants

Excel and Impact Grants

Students learn when they are engaged. Excel and Impact grant funding gives teachers and school staff the ability to provide innovative learning opportunities to students at all grade levels — experiences like field trips: transporting students offsite for real world learning, like visiting Seahurst Park to learn about salmon habitats or the University of Washington and Renton Technical College for career exploration; building on to existing learning tools, like outfitting a library with books in many languages, with characters who look like the students who read them; advanced tools such as robotics equipment to immerse students in math, coding, and engineering. Excel and Impact grants make these experiences possible for all students in Highline.

2023-2024 Excel & Impact Grant Awards Announced

Highline Schools Foundation is thrilled to announce the 2023-2024 Excel & Impact Grant awards to support classroom innovation, enhance educational opportunities, and experiential learning. The Foundation received 58 applications requesting nearly three times the funding awarded last year, and the Excel & Impact Grant Committee was able to fully or partially fund 43 grants. In total, grants totaling $75,494.99  have been awarded to 24 schools or programs across Highline Public Schools, including funding for interactive technology, literary arts, STEM initiatives, special education, mental health, books and eBooks, and adventures outside of the classroom.

“We’re thrilled to be able to support so many creative projects supporting innovation in classrooms and schools across the district and a culture of belonging,” said Fred Swanson, Executive Director of Highline Schools Foundation, adding, “the students, families, and educators that make up Highline Public Schools deserve this investment, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to support our communities in this way.”

This year, we offered Excel grant awards of up to $1,500 and Impact grant awards of up to $10,000. We awarded 36 Excel Grants and seven Impact Grants. Continue reading below for details on all grants awarded in this cycle.

All Excel & Impact Grant Awards by School

Excel Grants
     36 Grants totaling $45,523.86

Beverly Park Elementary
Samantha Minatti, Seattle Weather Forecast Field Trip – $528

Big Picture
Angie Erdman, Climbing to the Top (field trip to Camp Long) – $1,500
Barbara Abbott, More Than Just a Game (Dungeons & Dragons Club) – $1,491.60
Chelsea Ilarde, 101 Project Fund – $1,500
Andrea Kunkle, Soap Making Class – $1,243.77
Leib Sutcher, Big Picture College Trip – $1,500

Cascade Middle School
Ai Vo, Vietnamese Cooking with Math – $852.90
Alexa Wayman, Art with Heart Therapeutic Group – $1,000
Ingebjorg McGrady, Self-Regulation Tools for Counseling Spaces – $1,375

Cedarhurst Elementary
Meghan Stewart, Disney Musicals in Schools: The Lion King – $1,251.14

Des Moines Elementary
Chris Schultz, West African Drumming – $1,413.80

Evergreen High School
Jill Wilson-Zahn, Teen Grief Support Group for EHS – $1,500
Zach Hermson, Accelerometer for EHS Weight Training – $1,329

Glacier Middle School
Karen Gunn, 7th Grade WA State History Field Trip – $1,479.50

Highline High School
Jacquelaine Wong, Lion Dance Club – $1,500

Hilltop Elementary
Tierza Clerc, I Want to Join Circle Time, I Just Can’t Sit Still (OT chairs) – $1,500

Madrona Elementary
Michele Brees, Reading is Intriguing in All Languages (books) – $1,498.15
Leonor Lopez Munoz, Living History Field Trip to Camp Waskowitz – $1,058.90
Jennifer Reese, Living History Field Trip to Camp Waskowitz – $1,440
Amelia Swinton, Bilingual 3rd Graders Go to the Theater! (field trip) – $1,118.10

Maritime High School
Danielle Jones, Social Justice Explorers on Olympic Campus (podcasting equipment) – $343.89

Marvista Elementary
Kristianna Person, Playground Art – $1,000

McMicken Heights Elementary
Vivienne Alcantara, Beyond Lions, Tigers, and Bears: Oh My! (nonfiction books about animals) – $1,500

Mount View Elementary
Erin Enquist, Multilingual Multicultural Books to Create Belonging (equity library) – $1,144
Thera Cooper, Equitable Access for Elementary Instrumental Music Education (musical instruments) – $1,435

North Hill Elementary
Leah Stephens, Xylophones to Increase Student Independence – $1,262.36

Raisbeck Aviation High School
Eli Schwimmer, Tailwinds – Elevating Aviation Photography
(photography equipment) – $1,500

Realistic Transition Program
Theresa Ognoskie, RTP Adventure (field trip) – $780.75

Virtual Program at Seahurst Elementary
Franli Newman, BreakoutEDU (virtual learning subscription) – $1,070

Sylvester Middle School
Brenda Phelps, The Literacy Initiative: Opening Doors for Every Reader (books) – $1,500
Sheri Brown, Math Counts! (math team and competition) – $1,500
Stephanie Detweiler, Wildcat Writers at Cavalcade of Authors West (field trip) – $1,490

Teen Parents Program/Innovation Heights
Jennifer Montufar, Baby Pantry & Multilingual Beginnings – $1,500

Tyee High School
Karly Feria, Tyee Community Day – $1,500

White Center Heights Elementary
Shoshanna Cohen, Creating a Safe Space in an Indigenous Garden (garden project) – $1,500

Impact Grants
     Seven Grants totaling $29,971.13

Beverly Park Elementary
Kristi Suznevich, WeVideo for Project Based Learning (Multimedia tool) – $1,650

Bow Lake Elementary
Kiyomi Mozley, Sensory Room for Bow Lake Elementary – $1,879.55

Cedarhurst Elementary
Bianca Longbucco, Hoping to Be Heard (Sound system/equipment) – $2,545.08

Evergreen High School
Jeremiah Lubin, EHS Maker Space (3D printers and other digital creation tools) – $6,994.23

Innovation Heights Academy
Anne Marie Littleton, Promoting a Culture of Belonging with the Alternatives to Violence Project (non-violence and communication project) – $3,000

North Hill Elementary
Jennifer Ferry, And the Winning Book Is… (eBooks) – $2,226

Shorewood Elementary
The Challenger Learning Center Spacecraft Simulation Program (field trip) – $2,500

Special Education
Aubrey Scheffel, Adapted Bikes – $9,176.26

Excel & Impact Grant Final Reporting - Due May 17th, 2024

Your final purchases and final report are due no later than May 17, 2024. Your report will include both financial and program information, as well as a narrative account of what was accomplished by the grant, a description of progress made toward achieving the goals, and assurance that the activities under the grant have been conducted in conformity with the terms of the grant. We use your stories to help us secure funding for next year, so please share the same excitement you included in your grant application and attach photos of your grant in action! Photos are a crucial element in our storytelling.

Excel Grants

The Excel Grant program was created in 2002 to support classroom innovation in Highline Public Schools, and to provide teachers the resources they need to help our students succeed. This year, we are offering Excel grants in amounts of up to $1,500 to fund projects to enhance learning opportunities and experiences for students in the classroom or school program. Past examples of funded projects have included the purchase of musical instruments, science and robotic kits, field trips, books and art supplies and more.

Impact Grants

Impact Grants award up to $10,000 for a projects of a larger size and scope, often benefiting a whole school or district-wide project. Past examples include: Funding an Aquaponics for Sustainability system at Sylvester Middle School, investing in a program called Young Women in Computer Science in the College & Careers Readiness Program, and helping create a Virtual Reality learning program at New Start High School (now Innovation Heights Academy) titled KeniHana Entrepreneur Technology Cooperative.

More Excel & Impact Grant Details

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