2024 Fall - Foundation Awards Over $25,000 in Impact Grants

On Thursday, October 24th, the Ray-Pec Public School Foundation Surprise Patrol awarded more than $25,000 in awards throughout the district!

Over $20,000 was awarded as Foundation Impact Grants to staff members for classroom improvements and enhancing education. An additional $5,000 was awarded towards Real World Learning projects for our students.

Foundation Executive Director Jodie Huston made the surprise presentations, along with Superintendent Dr. Mike Slagle and Foundation Board Members Eric Collins, Matt Davidson, Michelle Houston, Bryan Mallory, Jodi Price, Kristi Schumacher, and Cathy Wansing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc5la2OIFm4

Raymore Elementary School Art Teacher Kellee Clark received a grant of $486.64 to purchase two InvenTABLE Cardboard Cutters for use in art classes for students in grades 3-5.

Teacher Lindsay Bessmer at East Middle School received a $200 grant to purchase three stand up desks to provide alternative seating for students.

High School Art Teacher Ashleigh Easton received a $498 grant to purchase Giffin Grips, a tool to be used in the high school ceramics classes. A Giffin Grip is a centering and holding tool designed specifically for working with pottery or bisque ware.

High School Physical Education Teacher Dan Schwarz received a grant to purchase "9 Square in the Air," a new activity game for use by students during Recreation Activities classes or Panther Time.

South Middle School Art Teacher Rachel McClain received a grant of $629.93 to purchase print presses for printmaking. The presses will be able to be used for years in art classes.

Family and Consumer Science Teacher Grace Chapman received a grant of $1,000 to purchase a Shaken Baby Syndrome Simulator. The simulator will be used by approximately 280 students each year in Child Development classes at the Ninth Grade Center and High School.

Ray-Pec Academy Teacher Gina Riegert received a grant award of $315 to purchase supplies to transform the 120-gallon aquarium in the science classroom into a living freshwater ecosystem. Funds will be used for equipment, a filter, lights, plants, and more.

Parent Educator Katie Hamby received a grant of $570 to purchase three mobile audiometers for Parents as Teachers to use during screenings. The improved screening tools will allow for earlier intervention.

Shull Early Learning Center Principal Dr. Mary Shatford accepted the grant award.

Timber Creek Elementary School Music Teacher Zoe Brown received a grant of $938.84 to purchase ukeleles for use with fifth grade music classes. Playing the ukelele builds on knowledge from learning to play the recorder in fourth grade.

Neil Pedersen, Band Teacher at the High School and Ninth Grade Center, received a grant of $804 to purchase cymbal replacements. Approximately 25 students use the cymbals, but the replacements impact the entire band.

Family and Consumer Science Teacher Noah Anderson received a grant of $550 to purchase air fryers for use during the "Convenience Method" cooking unit. Approximately 220 students take FACS classes each year at the Ninth Grade Center.

Speech Language Pathologist Jennifer Welder received a $215 grant to purchase a giant PVC indoor/outdoor symbol communication board for the playground at Eagle Glen Elementary School. She received another grant to purchase a communication board for Stonegate Elementary School. These would be used by students who need it to communicate.

High School Family and Consumer Science Teacher Jennifer Waterfield received a grant of $355 for food garnishing supplies for students in the Panther's Den.

She also received a grant of $440 to purchase cake decorating tools for use by students in the ProStart culinary classes and students in The Panther's Den.

Early Childhood Teachers Lori Glenn, Laura Goodwin, and Sara Moner received a $479 grant to purchase camping learning center items for all classrooms at Shull Early Learning Center.

South Middle School Science Teacher Julia Parker received a grant of $514.22 to purchase solar system models to use during the "Earth and Space" unit. These would be shared for use with all 8th grade science classes at South Middle School.

Bridle Ridge Elementary Music Teacher Valerie Adams received a $335 grant to purchase children's literature for the music classroom.

Teacher Leanna Sisson received a grant of $599 to purchase a camera for the journalism classes at East Middle School. Approximately 100 students in the journalism classes use the school cameras.

Theater Teacher Jayme Overstreet received a $900 grant to purchase a track to hang curtains to block off areas of the stage in the Academy Theater at the High School. This allows the use of the stage for multiple purposes at the same time. This would be used by students in grades 9-12.

South Middle School Special Education Teacher Danielle Phillips received a $400 grant to purchase calming resources for students to use in a calming area of the Special Education classroom.

Timber Creek Elementary Kindergarten Teacher Bethanie Cummings received a $500 grant to purchase supplies to be used outside or on the playground for use by students who are physically unable to use the standard playground equipment. (This grant would fund items in addition to some inclusive structures already in place on the playground.)

South Middle School Teachers Joanna Clark and Angie Donaldson received a grant of $725.17 to purchase Here We Grow! supplies for seventh grade classes. The project is a collaboration between science and English classes and involves growing plants in a greenhouse.

Timber Creek Elementary Teachers Gigi Outlaw and Nicole Nowlin received a $150 grant to purchase "Artifacts in Action." This allows the teachers to create inquiry-based social studies artifact boxes for each unit. The boxes will allow students to have hands-on exploration with artifacts.

East Middle School Teacher Melinda Young and Principal Dr. Matt Showman received a $723 grant to purchase supplies for assemblies celebrating multi-grade level "houses." The houses are involved in academic goals, team building, school spirit activities, and accountability challenges.

Ninth Grade Center Teacher Laura Columbatto received a $340 grant to purchase Pip Decks. The Pip Decks include cards that outline real world learning strategies and assist students in real life scenarios.

South Middle School Teacher Lena Quinlin received a $100 grant to purchase LCD writing boards for students in the 7th and 8th grade Academic Skills classes. These are essentially updated white boards, with no need for dry erase markers or cleaning.

Raymore Elementary Library Media Specialist Kat Pogatshnik and Teacher Jennifer Moore received a grant of $171 to purchase tools to help the 5th Grade News Crew create better news videos.

East Middle School Teacher Zach Brady received a $365 grant to purchase vertical non permanent surfaces (i.e., wipebooks or wipeboards). The surfaces are used for collaborative learning.

East Middle School Teacher Hannah Brady received a grant of $301.50 to purchase updated atlases for 8th grade American History students.

Heather Poland, Library Media Specialist at Eagle Glen Elementary, received a $525 grant to purchase Ozobot interactive learning coding robots. Students can use the Ozobots to learn the basics of coding.

Success Academy Teachers Katie Fernandez and Cheryl Collins received a $674 grant to purchase decodable books and graphic novels.

In addition, Collins received a $330 grant to purchase vertical non permanent surfaces (i.e., wipebooks). The surfaces are used for collaborative learning.

Bridle Ridge Kindergarten Teachers Leeann Grace, Kim Rice, and Katie Mallory received a $415 grant to purchase supplies to create a butterfly garden.

Stonegate Elementary Teachers Simon Schupp, Lindsey Kidd, and Stacey Sturdevant received a $50 grant to purchase shoelace threading activities for use by second graders.

Peculiar Elementary Reading Teacher Katie Kiger received a $400 grant to purchase take home decodable books for students in the reading intervention program.

FACS Teacher Megan Armstrong received a $500 grant to purchase equipment for culinary arts classes. Teachers had been sharing equipment between two culinary classrooms. As additional foods classes were added to the schedule, the sharing of equipment became more difficult.

Raymore Elementary Kindergarten Teachers Melissa ODell, Ann Spiller, and Erin Zelinko received a $500 grant to purchase re-usable items and storage containers for STEM bins. These would be used by kindergarten students to help strengthen fine motor skills.

South Middle School Math Teacher Angela Stein received a $500 grant to purchase rolling whiteboards. These will be used for collaborative learning and project-based learning.

High School Vocal Music Teacher Stephen Rew received a grant of $842 to purchase choral folders for the Chamber Choir.

LEAD Center students received a grant of $1,216.12 to purchase restaurant supplies for their entrepreneurial project to create a pop-up restaurant.

High School Science Teacher Stephanie Dieker-Blanchard received a $799 grant to purchase two dissolved oxygen probes. These would be used in several labs over the year in the new Advanced Placement course Environmental Science. These would be used for multiple years.

Ninth Grade Center Counselor Whitney Mikkelsen received a $250 grant to purchase additional supplies for the school's calming room.

High School English Teachers Emily Craig and Gwen Huke received a grant of $465 to purchase supplies for the Senior DRIVE projects. Supplies include Legos and breakfast items for the mock interview day. Approximately 140 seniors participate in Senior DRIVE projects through their English 4 classes.