Twenty-eight awarded for innovative programs in Libertyville Elementary District 70

More than 50 Libertyville Elementary District 70 teachers and staff members have been awarded Partners for Excellence in Education grant monies this year to enhance education through innovative and creative new programs in their classrooms.

Twenty-eight grants totaling more than $10,000 were awarded to progressive teachers in all five schools. There were a record number - 53 applications for the grants.

The grants are sponsored by Partners for Excellence in Education, a group of local business representatives who offer their time and financial donations to District 70. This is the 24th year for the partnership's "Mini-Grant Awards" program, which has awarded more than $200,000 over the years for direct use in the classrooms.

This year's grants will go to fund such programs as students making stress balls, worry dolls and blankets to give to others to show compassion, creating a sensory/motor room for students with autism, buying alternative seating for the classroom, having an entire school read the same book, creating a free book lending library, learning how to play Spikeball, bringing robotics to STEAM, improving reading and augmented reality. "We continue to value the commitment of the Business Partners who review and support these endeavors," said Supt. Dr. Guy Schumacher. "Staff has become increasing imaginative and creative, offering innovative and unique opportunities that build upon learning standards, diverse learner needs, and offer additional educational opportunities for the children of our schools."

Copeland Manor School Principal Lori Poelking and Highland Middle School Assistant Principal Elizabeth Davis presented the winning grants at a recent board of education meeting.

While Schumacher and administrators support the business group with the grant applications, they step out of the decision-making process. The business partners make all the final decisions based on 21st Century core criteria set up for the grants.

The individual grants range from $127 to $500.

The recipients are:

Adler Park School

Teresa Gasick. Ashley Zeinz. Can You Hear Me? Using gaming headsets with microphones for students to record their thinking and voice.

Erin Carr. Compassionate Makers. Workshops where students will make stress balls, greeting cards, pet toys, blankets to give to others as a way to improve the world.

Butterfield School

Karen Forkner, Sarah McPherren, Megan True. Educational Software for Guiding Instruction: Assessing Electronically, Saving Time & Saving Trees. Online subscription to help assess student data.

Krista Panock, Holly Simon. Let Me Pack Your Parachute. Supports school mentoring program for students and staff called Buddy's Buddies to build scarecrows, make blankets and plant flowers.

Kim Jenkins, Carmen Kutsch. Sensory/Motor Room. Create a sensory/motor room to provide a therapeutic environment for children with autism.

Janine Hogan, Erin Koehlhoeffer, Mindy Ovaska. Flexibility, Freedom and Fun in a 21st Century First Grade Classroom. Students use alternative seating options like wobble chairs, story time cushions.

Kathy Dierckens, Crysta Easer. Stools as Tools! Buy adjustable stools for students to use.

Copeland Manor School

Sara Griffin. Folk Music & Ukuleles. Buy nine ukuleles for students to learn to play.

Teresa Crandell, Max Dolinko, Kelly Edelsberg. Q Ball. Students use Q Ball, a "throwable" microphone that amplifies student voices and increases engagement.

Keri Johnson. One Book, One School: Growing a Community of Readers. Students, parents and teachers read the same book, Wishtree by Katherine Applegate and plant red oak seeds.

Beth Alvarez, Jen April, Anne Marie Grote. Hip, Hip Hooray. It's Time for Purposeful Play! Students will make magnets, marble runs, and creative activities to develop problem solving, imagination, STEAM.

Meriann Negovetich, Keri Johnson. Together We Learn More: Improving Reading Fluency & Comprehension with Shared Reading Experiences. Using "We Both Read" books to improve reading fluency and comprehension.

Highland Middle School

Robin Van Dyke. Augmented Reality. Students use a Virtual Reality headset to learn about nutrients in foods and the human body.

Caren Kimbarovsky, Melissa Rosen. Collaborative Audio Editing. Students use microphones, online accounts to capture audio for STEAM, animation projects.

Lori Benjamin, Carey Fox, Julie Fievet, Erin Wyatt. Good Vibe Tribe. Posting positive messages to empower students.

Priya Varghese. Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say. Bringing in a college communications professor to talk about the importance of verbal and nonverbal expression to help students with public speaking.

Erin Wyatt, Linda Mitchell, Tara Oshinski, Sara Raymond, Brianne Smith. Design to Make a Difference at Highland. Students will use Design Thinking to create projects to enhance community life at the middle school.

Caren Kimbarovsky, Melissa Rosen. Robotics in STEAM. Buy programmable Edison robots to allow students to learn coding.

Mike Rumpf. Sustainable Outdoor Garden. Students design, plant and maintain a garden.

Caren Kimbarovsky, Melissa Rosen. The Power of Game-Based Learning. Buy Minecraft accounts for the Tech Club.

Linda Mitchell. What's In Your Brain File? Building Vocabulary, Word Sense, and Language Skills Through Interactive Games. Use word games to improve communication skills.

Rockland School

Cheryl Crenshaw, Michelle Salm, Val Plebanski Becky Johnson, Alicia Howell, Katie Nyland, Becky Wickboldt. BreakOut EDU Mission Possible: Unlocking the Applications of Learning. Buying more Breakout EDU boxes to teach problem solving, communication, tech, connections working on teams and self-direction.

Danya Sundh, Chris Vipond. 3D Printer for a 3D World. Students use a 3D printer for projects.

Becky Johnson. Don't Press Your Luck. Teach Design Thinking to create t-shirts with a T-Shirt Press.

Danya Sundh. Peer Helpers Lend a Helping Hand at Rockland. Use blue vests to distinguish Peer Helpers as they work on the playground.

Laura Williams, Danya Sundh. Headsprout. Improve reading and assessment with online subscription to Headsprout program.

Mike Kolar. Spike Ball Y'all. Teach Spikeball, a unique game like Four Square and volleyball mashed together.

Danya Sundh. Little Lending Library at the Little Rockland Schoolhouse. Students will create their own free lending library.

District Partners

The award money is derived from local businesses belonging to District 70's Partners for Excellence in Education program. Local companies working as partners include A Village Green Montessori School, Arpino Orthodontics, Blast Entertainment, C&E Solutions, Café Pomigliano, Inc., Cluckers Charcoal Chicken, Code Ninjas, Core Martial Arts & Fitness, Culvers Frozen Custard, David Adler Music & Arts Center, Dax Adventures Series Books, Eye Level Learning, Ganello's Pizza Co., Grach, Masini, Hazan & Gurysh, LLP, Honey Baked Ham & Café, Improv Playhouse, Jersey Mike's Subs, Libertyville Bank & Trust, Libertyville Cooperative Nursery School, Lifestyle Cycle, Lifetime Treasure Photography, Marjo Graphics, Max's Dawg House, Northshore Academy of Martial Arts, Picolo Soccer School, Sunset Foods, The UPS Store, Vernon Hills Dental Center, Youth & Family Counseling, and Zizic & Salata Family Dental.