Wow! From students impacted to buildings touched, our grants for the 2023 - 2024 school year were record-breaking in more than one way:
Let's look at these grants* and how they impact our students and staff!
Extended Core teacher Kylee Wilson pursued a grant to set up a grocery store simulator in her classroom at East High. This would give her students a space to learn and practice work, life, and community skills while being in an environment that is familiar and allows for mistakes to be made comfortably.
This project is expected to be in full force this school year!
James Knight, a junior at West High, attended the National Student Leadership Conference at Johns Hopkins to explore aerospace engineering this summer. James experienced technical (engineering-focused) and leadership (career-focused) workshops.
While being immersed in the engineering world, James was able to face the unique environment of being on an urban campus and immersing in college life.
Lego printmaking is building a design out of Lego blocks and using paint and a provisional press unit to print and duplicate the design. With this grant, the four middle school art teachers purchased supplies and taught their students using familiar objects (Legos) to learn an unfamiliar process (printmaking).
We supported Amiyah Shavers, an East High senior, to attend a youth forum in Washington D.C. this summer where she experienced the criminal justice world. Experiences included a mock crime scene, learning about criminology careers, and how to profile someone when investigating.
Amiyah is now one step closer in her journey to becoming a Criminal Behavioral Analyst.
NYLF Explore STEM offered Trice Scott hands-on immersive simulations, workshops, and competitions in forensics, robotics programming, medicine, and civil engineering while planning a mock mission to Mars.
With STEM in high demand across the country, Trice now has experience under his belt that will further his academic excellence as he enters high school.
George Washington Carver Academy 7th grade math teacher Jordan Beltz sought a grant to implement thinking classrooms and promote new methods of teaching and learning to 7th grade math.
Ms. Beltz started a student-centered approach to learning and observed that students were engaging more through this method!
West High journalism teacher, Nicole Goodman, and East and West journalism students attended a conference all about journalism. Alongside learning from industry professionals, West High yearbook won 13 awards and West High newspaper was recognized as All Iowa News Team of the Year.
Shoutout to our students for journalism excellence!
In February, 8 Waterloo Youth City Council members attended a Close-Up High School program in Washington D.C. This week-long conference brought together like-minded students to experience our government in action.
From a debate to mock congress workshops to examining current world issues, students took home invaluable experience. Read an in-depth blog about this program.
What are our rights and responsibilities regarding extirpated plants and animals? Orange Elementary ELP teacher Stacey Snyder explored this question with her students through a grant.
After implementing the curriculum, students visited an active buffalo ranch in Northeast Iowa. Learn more about the innovative experience these students had.
Creating a conducive learning environment was the drive behind Lincoln Elementary teacher Dawn Boone applying for a grant from us. She strived to build a space where each student felt valued, respected, and empowered to learn.
Ms. Boone did just that with our funds to create a home-style seating area in her classroom! Students can work innovatively in a unique environment, together.
When Abby McKee inquired about a grant to purchase an interactive floor for her special education classroom, we were ecstatic to support a project that provided a new way to engage students and support them in academics and social-emotional behaviors.
Fifth-grade students at Dr. Walter Cunningham School for Excellence now have the opportunity to join the Camera Club and help document the happenings at Cunningham through their own eyes.
Because of Abigail Bries's initiative for this project, our joint passion has allowed students to succeed in just a few short months. Learn more about this exciting project.
Hannah Gates at Highland Elementary was awarded a grant to fund the publishing of poetic "I Am" books by each of her 2nd graders. This project's goal was to build intrinsic motivation in literacy and increase their desire to become stronger readers and writers,
A hands-on, immersive guitar club, overseen by music teacher Lucas Overton, launched this past spring thanks to a grant we gave to purchase guitars and accessories.
Students were able to get involved in a nontraditional music offering, at no cost to the student. We couldn't be more proud to help provide our Hoover students with an invaluable creative outlet.
After Bailey Kestel saw the locational limits Career Center students had to coffee, she set out to solve the problem by creating a coffee cart IN the WCC. She created a business plan, found a local business to partner with, and secured funding from us to guarantee success for her dream.
In partnership with the Volunteer Center of the Cedar Valley, Amanda Harris's students at Orange Elementary determined there were families in the WCSD who are not able to purchase basic school supplies.
We were able to provide backpacks that accompanied donated school supplies to all elementary schools in Waterloo, thanks to the initiative of these students!
Esports in Waterloo combines East, Expo, and West students and offers a safe space to come after school where they can share their hobbies, overcome adversity, work as a team, and experience successes and failures.
A grant to purchase three PCs is helping bridge the gap between the number of students and available PCs to practice. Learn more in this post.
Attending the Journalism Education Association National High School Convention allowed five West High journalism students to learn invaluable skills that will be passed down to future journalism students for years.
From photography skills to theme development, skills gained have shaped these students for their future work. Students returned eager to apply their outlets to the Wahawk Insider. Read about these student's passion.
Highland Elementary was filled with readers this year as they received a grant for 3rd - 5th graders to participate in Battle of the Books. This is a collaborative reading competition for strong readers at the upper elementary level.
Students were engaged in reading a diverse variety of texts and authors they normally wouldn't have access to.
We are proud to champion these students and teachers as they continue furthering academic excellence in Waterloo. Curious to see what else we funded this past year? See an overview of our 2023 funding in this blog.
*Some funded projects are not completed yet or not mentioned above. This includes the projects One Book/One School, Highland Mascot, Amazing Waterloo Women, Waterloo Virtual Academy PBIS, Dorian Music Camp, West High AFJROTC, and Heartland of America Summer Yearbook and Newspaper Workshop.