Fall 2023 Grant Recipients
Spring 2024 Grant Recipients

      

FAIRVIEW PARK EDUCATION FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES SPRING 2024 GRANT AWARDS

Fairview Park, Ohio – On April 25, 2024, the Fairview Park Education Foundation Board of Trustees approved $6,476 in grant awards for teachers and staff of the Fairview Park City Schools.  The awarded grants include:

  • $2571 was awarded to Matt Dunlap, Chris Kaminski, and Ryan Graff at Fairview Park High School to purchase a Shaper Origin CNC System. The system will enhance the design and fabrication capabilities of art students in the Innovation Center. “The purpose of this project is to provide students with hands-on learning experiences in digital fabrication, fostering creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurial skills.”
  • $489 was awarded to Laura Toner, Robin Schlesinger, and Meredith Schulte at Gilles-Sweet Elementary School for classes, certification, and equipment for a school therapy dog program.  Mrs. Toner would be the dog’s handler and leader of the program. The program’s purpose would be to offer the students “an additional opportunity for learning how to regulate emotions, express feelings, build social skills, build confidence, and overall reduce anxiety in needed cases.
  • $573 was awarded to Elizabeth Ptaszek-Templeton and Lisa Sobera at Gilles-Sweet Elementary School for “Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics”. This is to purchase materials to engage in a program “which emphasizes student collaboration, inquiry-based learning, and problem-solving.”
  • $468 was awarded to Dan Maeder at Fairview Early Education Center to purchase books for a study of holidays around the world.  The students will learn “what holidays are, why they are celebrated, and that each person is unique because each family celebrates different holidays.”
  • Up to $2000 was awarded to Kevin Buehner at Fairview Early Education Center to build a “HugelKultur Garden” during the summer program to be carried on into the regular school year. The purpose of building the garden is so that the students can learn about planting, maintaining a garden, and how a garden becomes successful.
  • $375 was awarded to Samantha Brancatelli, Heidi Kensick, and Marielis Rojas for a gaga pit and soccer nets for the playground.  The purpose of this grant is to “provide equipment for our students to help promote physical and social-emotional wellness.”

FAIRVIEW PARK EDUCATION FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES FALL 2024 GRANT AWARDS

Fairview Park, Ohio – On November 14, 2024, the Fairview Park Education Foundation Board of Trustees approved $7,591.76 in grant awards for teachers and staff of the Fairview Park City Schools. The awarded grants include:

● $1,000 was awarded to Jenifer Sposit at the Early Education Center to purchase books for a Little Learners Library. “Children exposed to library preschool programs showed a greater number of emergent literacy behaviors and pre-reading skills.”

● $290.70 was awarded to Emily Kenney and Elizabeth Ptaszek Templeton at Gilles-Sweet Elementary School for a Theme Park Project. “Using the game Roller Coaster Tycoon”, 4th graders will learn about force, motion, and the types of energy while engaging with concepts like budgeting, supply, and demand as they design and manage their own theme park.”

● $549.18 was awarded to Dana Reuter, Allison Klodnick, and Nate Kull at Gilles-Sweet Elementary School for a “Sensory Path”. This is to purchase materials to create a sensory hallway of “interactive, movement-based stations.” This sensory path “will create a safe, stimulating, environment for students to refocus their attention, manage sensory overload, and improve their overall ability to engage in classroom learning.”

● $1435.16 was awarded to Nicole Crum, Dana Reuter, Keri Laughlin, Jill Lackey, Katie Kellner, and Madison Flagg at Gilles-Sweet Elementary School to purchase Social-Emotional Learning Educator’s Starter Kits for all of the kindergarten teachers. These kits are designed to “help the children identify their emotions and work through them to create a safe learning environment in our classrooms.”

● $1,259.75 was awarded to Matt Dunlap and Graham Codney for the purchase of the Infento Talent Kit. This kit is an add-on to kits already used very successfully to construct mechanical objects. The students “learn about mechanics, realizing and designing a plan, assembling tools,…learn to work together in teams and will develop skills such as patience, troubleshooting, critical thinking, and problem-solving for students to be successful.”

● $1280 was awarded to Janice Frygier, Lisa Zeszotek, Andy Bruening, Chris Kaminski, Lisa Delong, and Lori Oxley. This proposal is to enhance the Sources of Strength program involving students from Mayer Middle School and Fairview Park High School and to introduce the program to 5th graders at Gilles-Sweet Elementary School. Their mission “is to empower Fairview Park students, staff, and community members by helping them utilize their strengths to improve their mental health.”

● $1,000 was awarded to Claire Kohl, Connie Obrycki, and Kait Ryan at Mayer Middle School for a Culinary Arts Around the World program. A chef will teach students life skills using culinary arts, such; as washing dishes, cleaning as they cook, and comprehending and following recipes. The teachers will help the students shop for the ingredients using the students’ math skills, and discuss “the background knowledge of the cultures surrounding where the food/recipes are coming from.”

● $376.97 was awarded to Jennifer Sheridan at the Early Education Center for a Baby Doll Circle Time Program for the DAP classrooms. The purpose of this program is to “increase self-regulation, sense of safety, connection, empathy, and intrinsic motivation” through guided lessons using the baby dolls.

● $400 was awarded to Samantha Smith at Gilles-Sweet Elementary School to start a Lego Lunch Club. The materials would allow the third graders to foster a sense of community while being creative and having fun. The activity would also help students with problem-solving, teamwork, and motor skills, and build confidence while integrating STEM learning.

The Fairview Park Education Foundation provides grants for the staff of the Fairview Park City Schools for the enrichment of the school curriculum, the enhancement of instruction, and the implementation of other appropriate activities to achieve specific education goals.  The grants are funded through individual donations and proceeds from fundraisers.