(Murfreesboro, TN) -  The City Schools Foundation distributed over $62,000 in grants to teachers in October with an additional $5,000 grant for indigent care. Thirty-three grants were selected for funding for the 2022-23 school year. The Foundation asks educators from Murfreesboro City Schools to submit proposals for funding that will help them acquire resources not ordinarily provided by taxpayer dollars.

“It is always incredible to see the grant requests we receive each year. The grants ranged from ukuleles and cooking to sensory rooms and Legos,” says David Scott, Grant Committee Chair and Board Chair, The City Schools Foundation. “Reading the grants opens the eyes of our committee to the extraordinary learning happening within the classrooms.”

Grants are submitted anonymously and are judged on their merit by a committee. The funding for grants ranged from $154 for Pawz the Calming Pup to Coding at Future Jobs at $9,988. Winning grants included:

Black Fox Elementary 

• Sensory Room – Ashley Love
• Jessica Codispoti – Hands on Magnets
• Tori Hooten – Serious about Circuits

Cason Lane Academy 

• Strumming for Success – Carolene Goff
• Enriching Outdoor Play for Special Education Preschool Students – Anna Beth Phillips
• Classroom Calm Down Kits and Sensory Paths – Anna Johnson
• Low Tech: Big Impact – Zena Mohsen and Denise Perkins
• Inclusive Related Arts Programing for Special Education – Helen Belcher

Discovery School 

• Loopy Tunes – Dr. Kelley Kleppinger
• LEGO Math – Neely Embree

Erma Siegel Elementary 

• Do Re Mi – Rachel Friedman
• Building Bridges to English – Tara McCamey
• Creating the Future: Makerbot to the Rescue – Angela Pope
• Building Math Minds One Lego at a Time – Angela Pope

John Pittard Elementary 

• Sound Engineers Extraordinaire – Luke Hill
• Whiteboards and Dry Erase Markers for 5th Grade Math – Melinda Crook
• iPads for Multilingual Learners: Promoting Language Development through Technology - Whitney Dixon, Alma Salazar, and Moussa Saleh

Hobgood Elementary 

• Fun-dations in Reading – Barbara Arnold

Mitchell-Neilson School 

• The Hands-On Lab – Sarah Golden

Northfield Elementary 

• A School Designed for Regulation – Rachel Davenport

Reeves-Rogers Elementary 

• Coding for Future Jobs – Kathie Brown
• Digital Art Collaboration in a STEM classroom – Shannon Harvey
• Keep Calm and Learn On – Natalie Hardiman

Salem Elementary

• Social Emotional Learning – Taylor Draper
• Pawz The Calming Pup – Taylor Draper
• Expedition Unknown - Sarah Chumney
• Bridging the Gap - Lucie Abbott
• Here's Looking at You! - Kathy Latondress and Beth Wood
• "Weather" Come What May, I am Ready to Explore Today! - Kathy Latondress and Beth Wood
• SOUNDS Good to Me! - Kathy Latondress and Beth Wood

Scales Elementary 

• Life Skills (Cooking) – Charlotte Cruesoe
• Bridging the Gap: Ukuleles to Guitars – Ryan Stewart
• Big Band, Big Sound, Small Needs – Tony Hartman

The Foundation funded several grants this year focusing on social and emotional learning. Social and emotional learning aims to help students better understand their thoughts and emotions, to become more self-aware, and to help develop empathy for others. Developing these qualities helps students with their ability to handle stress and distractions.

Grants also covered many aspects of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math.) STEAM-based education teaches children more than science and mathematics concepts. STEAM teaching focuses on on hands-on learning with real-world applications including creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration.

Trustees for The City Schools Foundation include David Scott, Kimberly Robertson, Joe Faiz, Justin Burris, Stephanie Roach, Kimberly Robertson, Vicki Eastham, Ellen Slicker, Andrew Young, Essence Briscoe, James Calder, Katherine Layman and Robin Bayne. Additionally, Dr. Trey Duke and School Board Member Wesley Ballard serve as non-voting members of the Foundation.

The City Schools Foundation is a private, not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) organization. Chartered in 2005, the Foundation was created by volunteers from the community who wanted to supplement the resources available to the Murfreesboro City Schools System. More information can be found at www.cityschoolsfoundation.com.