Genoa Middle School Melia Stock, Kathy Kosinski, Krista Mathews and Laura Miller Create a calming space in the school office that will be dedicated to student wellness.

Bethany Hendricks, Minerva Park Middle School Provide yoga mats for a new school yoga club.

Hailee Cook, Minerva Park Middle School Provide resources and materials for building-wide poetry slam at Minerva Park as well as a district-wide event across all five middle schools.

Jennifer Cole, Heritage Middle School Provide food associated with the countries and cultures sixth-grade students learn about in their social studies lessons.

Tina Shirey and Danielle Whitehead; Cherrington Elementary Provide learning resources to help EL students build and strengthen their language acquisition skills in the classroom.

Heather Scheurer, Mark Twain Elementary Create a sensory space at Mark Twain to help students of all ages and all cognitive abilities self-regulate. WEF awarded funding for the sensory equipment.

Bryan Johnson, Minerva France Elementary School Cup Stacking Fun: Building Skills for Success aims to enhance hand-eye coordination, agility, and focus among students through the engaging activity of cup stacking. This grant provides funding for purchasing stacking sets, organizing workshops for teachers, and facilitating inter-school competitions, fostering a fun and inclusive environment for physical development in young learners.

Maureen Hogarth, Erin Holloway, Hillary Thompson; Hawthorne Elementary School Readers are Leaders! Students at Hawthorne Elementary listen to reading on their new Tonieboxes from their favorite characters. This will help students with listening comprehension and reading comprehension while having fun and building their stamina!

Evan McIntyre, McVay Elementary School The goal of “Arts for All: Enriching Community Engagement and Creative Pathways to Learning” is to enrich the learning experiences and to ensure that unique arts opportunities are accessible to all K-5 learners at McVay Elementary. The materials requested as part of this project will help to enrich community engagement and foster a multitude of creative pathways to arts-based learning. Providing all students with these art-based experiences will hopefully inspire a life-long appreciation of the arts and have a positive impact on the community.

Matt Wolfe, Westerville South This grant aims to make theatre more accessible to deaf and hard of hearing community members by having ASL interpreters at select Westerville South Theatre performances in the 2024-25 school year.

Gifted Ed Department Angie Heath Provide games for enrichment sessions with gifted students.

Cass Lawson, Best of Both Worlds Provide non-perishable food and racks for a mock grocery store to create a job training experience for students before they enter an authentic job coaching environment.

Heather Sunday, Minerva France Elementary Provide materials and workbooks for new weekly after-school practice language sessions with English Learner (EL) students and families.

Lee Rutherford, Blendon Middle School Supports the district’s annual African-American Read-In event. The National African American Read-In (AARI) is a groundbreaking effort to encourage communities to read together, centering African American books and authors.

Julie Koontz, Monica Thuman and Sarah Davis; Westerville City Schools’ preschool program Purchase alternative communication boards for the program’s outdoor and indoor spaces to support exploration and increased ease of access for students with severe speech/language impairments, lack of fine motor control and delays in motor planning. The proposal was fully funded by the Dr. George Tombaugh Fund, which was established in honor of the former Westerville City Schools superintendent as part of the WEF’s competitive grants program. It is dedicated to supporting innovative classroom and instructional initiatives submitted by WCSD educators.

Cynthia Shimovetz, Blendon Middle School The Growing Greatness Project will enable students to explore the concept and benefits of sustainable gardening by using hydroponics. Through this project, students will have the opportunity to apply their knowledge in a real-word setting as they work to sell their produce to the broader community.

Dr. Garrett Carter, Minerva Park Middle School Minerva Park Middle School's "Top P.R.O.W.L.ers of the Quarter!" is a PBIS incentive program that recognizes students in a comprehensive way and encourages them to set and achieve long-term goals. To qualify, students must follow our school's P.R.O.W.L. principles, achieve merit roll (3.0-3.49) or honor roll (3.5 and higher), and cannot receive more than 4 lunch detentions for the quarter (and no ALC or OSS). Student awards and incentives include: certificate, letter home, school swag items (bracelets, pencils, pens, etc.), one "free" period of recess with shaved ice and popcorn, and a morning recognition program (Pancakes for P.R.O.W.L.ers) in which parents are invited to celebrate their child's success!

Brandi Young, Westerville South High School Thanks to a grant from WEF, Westerville South High School students are now able to travel to different countries, visit ancient history, take apart and explore molecules, paint in 3D and so much more all without leaving South’s library! Through the installation of our virtual reality system, students will be able to have these experiences to help them dive deeper into subject content, learn hands-on skills, and stay easily engaged in their active learning through this fully immersive VR experience.

Serena Casale, Mark Twain Elementary School Our grant is designed to empower students' creativity and well-being by using innovative technology to personalize vinyl stickers and buttons that promote self-regulating strategies and inspire a positive school culture. Through artistic design, students will develop vital socio-emotional skills while spreading positivity and resilience throughout the Mark Twain school community. Join us in fostering a culture of self-expression and support for student success.