The Sky’s Not the Limit!

Cycle: Q1 – 2025-2026

• Applicant Name: DeLacy Humbert
• School: Capital High School ([365])
• Email: AP Physics
• Cell Phone: 406-594-4664
• Work Phone: 406-324-2564

• Funds Requested: 459.95
• Number of Students Served: 50
• Number of Schools Served: 1
• Grade Levels to be Served: 10,11,12

• Principal/ Support Service Signatures: Download

Summary Grant Description

Our AP Physics students are ready to take learning to new heights, literally! This project will allow students to design, build, and launch model rockets while applying Newton’s laws, energy conservation, and momentum in an exciting, hands-on way. Funding will provide materials such as rocket kits, engines, launch pads, and safety equipment, enabling students to explore real-world engineering challenges and collect experimental data. By combining creativity with scientific precision, this project will help students experience the thrill of discovery, teamwork, and the true meaning of “rocket science.”

Briefly describe your project and how you would use the funds (include project timeline):

Following the AP Physics examinations, students will participate in a comprehensive rocketry project designed to reinforce and extend their understanding of physics concepts through hands-on application. Students, organized into small teams, will design, construct, and launch model rockets, investigating principles of thrust, momentum, energy transfer, and aerodynamics. They will make quantitative predictions for flight parameters, collect experimental data during launches, and analyze results to compare theory with practice. This project promotes rigorous scientific inquiry, collaboration, and problem-solving, providing students with an applied learning experience that bridges classroom instruction and real-world physics.

Timeline:

Week 1: Introduction to rocketry principles, safety protocols, and project planning

Week 2: Design phase—development of rocket plans and preliminary calculations, additional guest speakers and engineers.

Week 3: Construction of rockets and preparation of launch materials

Week 4: Rocket launches and systematic data collection

Week 5: Data analysis, reflection, and presentation of findings

How will the project improve student experience/opportunities?

This project will transform traditional physics lessons into immersive, hands-on experiences. By designing, building, and launching rockets, students will apply theoretical concepts to real-world challenges, deepening their understanding of motion, forces, and energy. Beyond the science, they’ll develop critical skills in teamwork, problem-solving, and data analysis, mirroring the work of real engineers and scientists. The project will also spark curiosity in STEM careers, giving students opportunities to experiment, innovate, and take pride in their accomplishments. Ultimately, it turns abstract physics into an unforgettable, high-flying learning adventure that inspires confidence and excitement about science.

Total Budget: $459.95

Learning to Soothe: Emotional Regulation in Kindergarten

Cycle: Q1 – 2025-2026

• Applicant Name: Anna Alger
• School: Jim Darcy ([365])
• Email: Kindergarten
• Cell Phone: 4064598165
• Work Phone:

• Funds Requested: 478.25
• Number of Students Served: 20
• Number of Schools Served: 1
• Grade Levels to be Served: Kindergarten

• Principal/ Support Service Signatures: Download

Summary Grant Description

Help my kindergarteners build emotional regulation by providing sensory tools like weighted items, blankets, gum and ice for calming strategies and heavy movement breaks.

Briefly describe your project and how you would use the funds (include project timeline):

My project will provide my kindergarten students with sensory tools that support emotional regulation and heavy movement breaks. Funds will be used to purchase weighted items, blankets, gum, an ice maker, and other calming materials that give students the sensory input they need to manage big feelings. These tools will be available in our classroom calm-down space and during movement breaks, helping students reset their bodies and return to learning more quickly. I would be purchasing these items ASAP from Amazon and School Specialty.

How will the project improve student experience/opportunities?

This project will give my students access to sensory tools that help them regulate their emotions and bodies throughout the school day. When young children become overwhelmed, they often need movement, weight, or oral input before they are able to focus and learn. Weighted items, blankets, gum, and ice will provide calming strategies and heavy work opportunities that reduce stress and anxiety, increase focus, and support healthy self-regulation skills. By having these tools available, students will be able to return to learning more quickly, stay engaged longer, and build independence in managing their emotions. This will lead to a more positive classroom experience for all students and create more opportunities for social, emotional, and academic growth.

Total Budget: $485.74

Back Together, Time to Play

Cycle: Q1 – 2025-2026

• Applicant Name: Sarah Dramstad
• School: Four Georgians ([365])
• Email: Music, PK-5
• Cell Phone: 406-465-1882
• Work Phone:

• Funds Requested: 459.36
• Number of Students Served: 480
• Number of Schools Served: 1
• Grade Levels to be Served: PK-5

• Principal/ Support Service Signatures: Download

Summary Grant Description

This grant will purchase materials that will encourage playfulness and togetherness that our students and communities need. Finger puppets will bring out joyful, childlike wonder in my students from age 4 to 11. Canopy scarves will encourage social cooperation and coordination. A wireless transmitter for ukulele will help me help my students rock out when we return to having music performances this December.

Briefly describe your project and how you would use the funds (include project timeline):

I would use these grant funds to purchase: a wide variety of finger puppets; three large canopy scarves; and a wireless transmitter to use with my electric/acoustic ukulele at school performances.

In the classroom setting, a veritable menagerie of finger puppets encourage little kids to be brave, find their voice, and be heard; meanwhile, these same puppets encourage my big kids to be playful, childlike, and silly in ways that fifth graders especially forget they need. I have enjoyed using finger puppets with my younger students for a while now, but quite by accident my fourth and fifth graders discovered them and have loved using them. We use finger puppets as movement exploration prompts, vocal exploration guides, and as the framework of rhythmic compositions. Expanding my inventory of finger puppets expands the options for those endeavors.

I currently have and use two canopy scarves in my classroom and the students seem to really love them. Two is not enough for a full class, so purchasing three more will give me better flexibility to use these for full-class lessons as well as integrating them into grade-level performances. I think the white canopy scarves requested in the grant will be particularly appropriate for our upcoming December concerts.

During student performances, I frequently accompany my students on my ukulele, strumming or plucking along. In the past, I have been tethered to a 25ft cable. This year, my grand aspirations for my December concerts would benefit from me being a bit more agile. This wireless transmitter would allow me to accompany on my instrument from anywhere in the gym, without the safety hazard of dragging a cable around with me.

How will the project improve student experience/opportunities?

The soft materials purchased in this grant (puppets, canopy scarf) encourage student imagination, exploration, and social cooperation. These are props that serve a variety of playful, expressive, and rhythmic purposes. I am noticing that there are some cohorts of students who really struggle to play together or, in some cases, struggle to be playful in a school appropriate way. I notice that fifth grade especially becomes “too cool for school.” Imagine my surprise when my fifth graders reverted to purely joyful little kids when I pulled out my current collection of puppets. I would like to expand and build on that success as both an instructional tool and as a way for those kids to have some time that is not about pretending to be all grown up and cool.

The wireless transmitter would allow me to be more mobile while I accompany students during a school performance. Aside from the convenience, it is also safer to not drag a cable around where any one of my nearly 500 students could trip on it.

Total Budget: $459.46

Fine Motor Bins

Cycle: Q1 – 2025-2026

• Applicant Name: Holly Westerber
• School: Jim Darcy ([365])
• Email: Kindergarten
• Cell Phone: 406-788-2797
• Work Phone:

• Funds Requested: 455.37
• Number of Students Served: 17
• Number of Schools Served: 1
• Grade Levels to be Served: Kindergarten

• Principal/ Support Service Signatures: Download

Summary Grant Description

This grant will fund items purchased to promote hand strength and fine motor skills for my young learners. The items included are fun and engaging but allow students to build strength in hands in fingers to build fine motor movement. The items included is a variety of fine motor activities to keep students engaged and practicing building dexterity in a number of different ways, to keep the skill practice exciting and inviting.

Briefly describe your project and how you would use the funds (include project timeline):

I plan to use the items in this project for daily morning tubs. Students will start their day by picking a fine motor bin that they can use independently. This will allow all students to get to work the different activities and materials eventually. Having these materials from the start of the year would not only give students a great start with building hand muscle strength, it would also create structured and consistent mornings. Students would be able to start their day building independence and community by learning to work with each other, whether it’s to share the materials or collaborate to build or create using the materials. This project is so much more than building fine motor growth among students, it’s a start in classroom collaboration and community while promoting autonomy.

How will the project improve student experience/opportunities?

This project will help students improve dexterity in order to perform precise movements. Strengthening finger and hand muscles will allow students to be independent while building confidence. This project will not only help students improve hand motor control, but will also build hand-eye coordination which is a crucial aspect of fine motor skills. Due to the increase of technology, I have seen a drop in dexterity among young learners. When it comes to writing, coloring, cutting and any other fine motor activity, many students struggle, become frustrated and lose confidence because they have not had the opportunity to build hand strength. This skill will be carried on throughout their lifetime and is imperative in the classroom. I want to build independent learners with confidence and it starts with fine motor control at a young age.

Total Budget: $482.17

Game on for Math

Cycle: Q1 – 2025-2026

• Applicant Name: Jilyn Chandler
• School: CRA ([365])
• Email: 7th Grade Math Lab (a support class for regular math)
• Cell Phone: 4064315664
• Work Phone:

• Funds Requested: 500
• Number of Students Served: 60
• Number of Schools Served: 1
• Grade Levels to be Served: 7

• Principal/ Support Service Signatures: Download

Summary Grant Description

Game On for Math will provide students with engaging, hands-on opportunities to strengthen essential math skills through the use of educational math games. With grant funding, we will purchase a variety of board games, card games, and digital activities that reinforce concepts such as fractions, multiplication, problem-solving, and logical reasoning. These games will be integrated into small-group instruction, intervention time, and math centers to provide meaningful practice in a fun, low-stress environment. By making math interactive and enjoyable, this project will boost student engagement, build confidence, and support academic growth across grade levels.

Briefly describe your project and how you would use the funds (include project timeline):

Game On for Math is designed to help middle school students recover and strengthen key math skills through engaging, hands-on games. The project will provide students with meaningful practice in fractions, multiplication, division, decimals, integers, and problem-solving, while also building confidence and enjoyment in math.

Grant funds will be used to purchase a variety of middle school–appropriate math games, such as Prime Climb, Integer Operations Bingo, Equate: The Equation Thinking Game, Fraction War, and 24 Game: Algebra/Integers Edition. These games target essential concepts and encourage students to practice skills in a collaborative, low-stress environment. Materials will be stored in classrooms and math labs so they can be used regularly during small-group instruction, intervention, and math center time.

Timeline:

Fall 2025: Purchase and organize all math games and materials. Teachers will receive training and planning support on how to integrate games into instruction.

Winter 2025–2026: Implement games during math centers, small groups, and intervention blocks. Collect teacher feedback and student reflections on engagement and progress.

Spring 2026: Continue classroom use and track student growth in targeted math skills. Adjust game use based on student needs and expand access to after-school math clubs.

End of Year: Evaluate project effectiveness using student achievement data and engagement surveys, and prepare recommendations for ongoing use.

By making math practice interactive and enjoyable, Game On for Math will increase student motivation, improve skill mastery, and create positive experiences with mathematics that extend beyond the classroom.

How will the project improve student experience/opportunities?

The Game On for Math project will transform math practice into an engaging, interactive experience that helps students recover essential skills while building confidence and excitement about learning. Traditional practice can sometimes feel repetitive or overwhelming, especially for students who struggle. By incorporating math games into instruction, students will have opportunities to explore concepts in a hands-on, enjoyable way that reduces stress and increases motivation.

Games will be carefully selected to reinforce core skills such as fractions, multiplication, division, problem-solving, and logical reasoning. These activities will be used in small groups, math centers, and intervention settings to provide targeted practice that meets students where they are. The playful structure of games allows students to make mistakes, try again, and learn from peers in a collaborative setting. This not only builds stronger math understanding but also improves communication, teamwork, and critical thinking.

For many students, math can feel abstract or intimidating. Games provide a different pathway to mastery by connecting math to real-world strategies, decision-making, and fun competition. As students experience success through play, they develop a positive mindset about math, which is crucial for long-term growth.

Ultimately, Game On for Math expands learning opportunities by creating an environment where all students—whether struggling or excelling—can engage meaningfully with math. Students gain confidence, strengthen foundational skills, and discover that math is not only accessible but also enjoyable. These experiences will prepare them for future academic challenges and open the door to greater opportunities in school and beyond.

Total Budget: $494.01

Fine Motor Bins

Cycle: Q1 – 2025-2026

• Applicant Name: Holly Westerber
• School: Jim Darcy ([365])
• Email: Kindergarten
• Cell Phone: 406-788-2797
• Work Phone:

• Funds Requested: 455.37
• Number of Students Served: 17
• Number of Schools Served: 1
• Grade Levels to be Served: Kindergarten

• Principal/ Support Service Signatures: Download

Summary Grant Description

This grant will fund items purchased to promote hand strength and fine motor skills for my young learners. The items included are fun and engaging but allow students to build strength in hands in fingers to build fine motor movement. The items included is a variety of fine motor activities to keep students engaged and practicing building dexterity in a number of different ways, to keep the skill practice exciting and inviting.

Briefly describe your project and how you would use the funds (include project timeline):

I plan to use the items in this project for daily morning tubs. Students will start their day by picking a fine motor bin that they can use independently. This will allow all students to get to work the different activities and materials eventually. Having these materials from the start of the year would not only give students a great start with building hand muscle strength, it would also create structured and consistent mornings. Students would be able to start their day building independence and community by learning to work with each other, whether it’s to share the materials or collaborate to build or create using the materials. This project is so much more than building fine motor growth among students, it’s a start in classroom collaboration and community while promoting autonomy.

How will the project improve student experience/opportunities?

This project will help students improve dexterity in order to perform precise movements. Strengthening finger and hand muscles will allow students to be independent while building confidence. This project will not only help students improve hand motor control, but will also build hand-eye coordination which is a crucial aspect of fine motor skills. Due to the increase of technology, I have seen a drop in dexterity among young learners. When it comes to writing, coloring, cutting and any other fine motor activity, many students struggle, become frustrated and lose confidence because they have not had the opportunity to build hand strength. This skill will be carried on throughout their lifetime and is imperative in the classroom. I want to build independent learners with confidence and it starts with fine motor control at a young age.

Total Budget: $482.17

Fine Motor Bins

Cycle: Q1 – 2025-2026

• Applicant Name: Holly Westerber
• School: Jim Darcy ([365])
• Email: Kindergarten
• Cell Phone: 406-788-2797
• Work Phone:

• Funds Requested: 455.37
• Number of Students Served: 17
• Number of Schools Served: 1
• Grade Levels to be Served: Kindergarten

• Principal/ Support Service Signatures: Download

Summary Grant Description

This grant will fund items purchased to promote hand strength and fine motor skills for my young learners. The items included are fun and engaging but allow students to build strength in hands in fingers to build fine motor movement. The items included is a variety of fine motor activities to keep students engaged and practicing building dexterity in a number of different ways, to keep the skill practice exciting and inviting.

Briefly describe your project and how you would use the funds (include project timeline):

I plan to use the items in this project for daily morning tubs. Students will start their day by picking a fine motor bin that they can use independently. This will allow all students to get to work the different activities and materials eventually. Having these materials from the start of the year would not only give students a great start with building hand muscle strength, it would also create structured and consistent mornings. Students would be able to start their day building independence and community by learning to work with each other, whether it’s to share the materials or collaborate to build or create using the materials. This project is so much more than building fine motor growth among students, it’s a start in classroom collaboration and community while promoting autonomy.

How will the project improve student experience/opportunities?

This project will help students improve dexterity in order to perform precise movements. Strengthening finger and hand muscles will allow students to be independent while building confidence. This project will not only help students improve hand motor control, but will also build hand-eye coordination which is a crucial aspect of fine motor skills. Due to the increase of technology, I have seen a drop in dexterity among young learners. When it comes to writing, coloring, cutting and any other fine motor activity, many students struggle, become frustrated and lose confidence because they have not had the opportunity to build hand strength. This skill will be carried on throughout their lifetime and is imperative in the classroom. I want to build independent learners with confidence and it starts with fine motor control at a young age.

Total Budget: $482.17

Rainy Day Play

Cycle: Q1 – 2025-2026

• Applicant Name: Amber Byrd
• School: Broadwater Elementary ([365])
• Email: All Grades
• Cell Phone: 4068715568
• Work Phone:

• Funds Requested: 479.78
• Number of Students Served: 260
• Number of Schools Served: 1
• Grade Levels to be Served: K-5

• Principal/ Support Service Signatures: Download

Summary Grant Description

Rainy Day Play is a project seeking funding for indoor recess activities that encourage creativity, collaboration, and fun. Recess indoors doesn’t have to limit imaginative play.

Briefly describe your project and how you would use the funds (include project timeline):

As we know, bad weather can hit anytime here in Montana. If awarded this grant, my goal will be to order materials right away this fall. Once the materials arrive, I will get them organized and distributed to our indoor recess carts. We have two carts that serve the upper and lower levels. The materials I am asking for include snap circuits, fort building kits, coloring books and coloring utensils, and some cases to help organize materials. The cases are helpful so that student groups can just grab a case and go, and it provides a place to return all materials to increase longevity.

How will the project improve student experience/opportunities?

When the weather keeps children inside, structured games and activities ensure they still enjoy movement, social interaction, and fun. While indoor games may not provide the same level of movement, they can build creativity, problem solving, and communication – just to name a few. Imaginative play, such as building, role-playing, and creative games, nurtures problem-solving, empathy, and language skills while also reducing stress. Coloring helps children develop fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and focus. It also provides a calming, creative outlet that supports self-expression and emotional regulation. Snap Circuits offer a hands-on way for students to explore STEM concepts, helping them learn about electricity, circuits, and problem-solving through experimentation. Together, these experiences help students return to class more focused, engaged, and ready to learn.

Total Budget: $479.78

Words with Friends

Cycle: Q1 – 2025-2026

• Applicant Name: Katie , Christina Merritt, Rogers
• School: Warren Elementary ([365])
• Email: Reading K-5
• Cell Phone: 4064312339
• Work Phone: 4063241622

• Funds Requested: 5000.00
• Number of Students Served: 324
• Number of Schools Served: 324
• Grade Levels to be Served: K-5

• Principal/ Support Service Signatures: Download

Summary Grant Description

Many students at Warren Elementary students return to school with underdeveloped reading skills. As a school we are always searching for new innovative, engaging ways to develop reading skills while having fun. Words with Friends is a great game that is engaging and fun for all peers. We wanted to take the concept of the game Words with Friends and apply it to the activities our students do with their class buddies. We wanted to purchase word work boards to help create a love of learning new words while applying their knowledge of age-appropriate phonics.

Briefly describe your project and how you would use the funds (include project timeline):

The Words with Friends project is a way for every grade to use the game concept of sharing ideas and foundational reading skills to make words together. Letter tiles are a versatile, re-useable resource that can support a wide range of literacy skills including phonemic awareness (blending, segmenting, substituting sounds), word building and decoding, spelling and word pattern recognition, vocabulary expansion, and cooperative learning and communication skills.
Classrooms can get together and have upper and lower grades work together to help develop reading skills within individual words. As the words are created and developed students get to be both the teacher and the student as their skills grow. Students will then get to take their words that they acquire an apply them into their daily writing and collaborated writing projects. Students always have the deepest sense of pride when knowledge and skills are shared. They love helping one another grow in their skills. The funds will help purchase word work mats that allow for kinesthetic movement of letters to create a variety of words from small CVC words to larger multisyllabic words for the upper elementary. Once funds have arrived mats can be purchased immediately and be implemented into the already established classrooms and their collaboration of upper and lower classrooms.

How will the project improve student experience/opportunities?

This project will allow teaching and learning to happen not only from teachers but through peers. Often students can learn more through their peers and apply their skills in a game format. Students will then be able to apply their foundational reading skills in a kinesthetic word work board and build more words as their knowledge increases. The skills built within the word work boards include Cross-grade level activities have proven benefits in fostering mentorship, increasing student engagement, and reinforcing core academic skills through peer teaching. By using letter tiles, students from different grade levels can engage in interactive ways, with hands on literacy tasks that promote collaboration and deeper understanding of word construction and phonemic awareness. The work will also increase vocabulary and word usage as the classmates share ideas with one another. The ideas can then be shared in writing samples completed at various grade levels.

Total Budget: $5,040.00

An Adventure to Lewis and Clark Caverns

Cycle: Q1 – 2025-2026

• Applicant Name: Dene & Bailey Mech & Penninger
• School: Warren Elementary School ([365])
• Email: 4th
• Cell Phone: 4064385353
• Work Phone: 14063241603

• Funds Requested: 694
• Number of Students Served: 51
• Number of Schools Served: 1
• Grade Levels to be Served: 4th

• Principal/ Support Service Signatures: Download

Summary Grant Description

This grant will provide funding for entry and bus fees for two 4th grade classes to take a field trip to Lewis and Clark Caverns to provide a real-world experience that connects to our Montana History, science, and reading curriculums.

Briefly describe your project and how you would use the funds (include project timeline):

$8 student entry x 51 students = $408
$12 adult entry x 3 adults = $36
estimated $250 bus fee
Total: $694

timeline dependent on reservation time slot

How will the project improve student experience/opportunities?

A trip to Lewis and Clark Caverns will provide 4th graders with a hands-on, interdisciplinary learning experience that connects directly to multiple areas of our curriculum. As we study Montana history, the caverns give students a real-world connection to the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Native American history, and the unique geography that shaped our state. Students will see firsthand the dramatic rock formations created over thousands of years, enhancing their understanding of the rock cycle, weathering, and erosion from our science curriculum. Exploring the caverns allows them to witness how natural processes shape the land, linking directly to stories in our reading curriculum about Earth’s features and rock formations.

The caverns also provide an opportunity to study Montana’s wildlife. Since our class has adopted bats as our Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks species this year, students will be able to observe these animals in their natural habitat and learn about their roles in the ecosystem.

Overall, the field trip integrates history, geography, geology, science, and reading into one engaging experience, helping students make strong connections between classroom learning and the natural and cultural world of Montana.

Total Budget: $694.00

Listen and Learn

Cycle: Q1 – 2025-2026

• Applicant Name: Jennifer Schaefer
• School: Jim Darcy ([365])
• Email: Kindergarten
• Cell Phone: 406-459-2063
• Work Phone:

• Funds Requested: 500.00
• Number of Students Served: 17
• Number of Schools Served: 1
• Grade Levels to be Served: Kindergarten

• Principal/ Support Service Signatures: Download

Summary Grant Description

This grant will fund a listening center for my classroom. I spend a lot of time teaching phonics and how to read. I want to spend time this year focusing on developing a love of reading while developing comprehension skills. I’d like to purchase a Tonie player, headphones, and a variety of books that my students can listen to during our center time.

Briefly describe your project and how you would use the funds (include project timeline):

These funds would be used immediately. I would like to use the money to purchase a Tonie player, 2 sets of headphones, a Tonie wall display holder and then the remaining funds would be used to purchase a variety of Tonie books for students to use. I plan to use my scholastic points I have collected to find the matching book for many of the Tonie books for students who are ready to start reading along.

Once the materials arrive, students will spend time first learning how to care for it and how to listen to a book. We also spend time trouble shooting what to do if something goes wrong.

As students become confident in using the center materials, I will move it into our daily center rotation for student to be able to use. Skill opportunities will be woven into whatever skill we are currently working on.

How will the project improve student experience/opportunities?

Developing comprehension skills in the early grades is done primarily through read aloud books. My students love to listen to stories at carpet and then spend time looking at books we’ve read together. As we become more aware of students spending time on screens, I am looking for a screen free listening opportunity for my students to practice this skill.

I see this as being a center for my classroom where my students are able to choose a story they’d like to listen to and a matching book for them to follow along with. As they listen to the story I will have a specific activity to support literacy skills that we as a class are working on. For example, when working with characters, students will be asked to draw and label the main character. As we learn different elements of stories, students will be able to build story maps through pictures and written language. This gives students the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of skills independently.

As students become more confident as writers, they can transfer some of their skills to share their opinions about if they liked the story. They can also choose non-fiction stories and write about facts that they learned. Both of these are skills that we often work on together, but I would like to give them the opportunity to practice more independently.

The second piece of this grant is to support young children in developing a love for books, words, and reading. Allowing students to self select books that they can enjoy independently allows them to discover what they enjoy reading/listening to. By providing a variety of books for students to listen to students have the opportunity to explore different genres that they may not naturally be drawn to.

Total Budget: $498.27

Listen and Learn

Cycle: Q1 – 2025-2026

• Applicant Name: Jennifer Schaefer
• School: Jim Darcy ([365])
• Email: Kindergarten
• Cell Phone: 406-459-2063
• Work Phone:

• Funds Requested: 500.00
• Number of Students Served: 17
• Number of Schools Served: 1
• Grade Levels to be Served: Kindergarten

• Principal/ Support Service Signatures: Download

Summary Grant Description

This grant will fund a listening center for my classroom. I spend a lot of time teaching phonics and how to read. I want to spend time this year focusing on developing a love of reading while developing comprehension skills. I’d like to purchase a Tonie player, headphones, and a variety of books that my students can listen to during our center time.

Briefly describe your project and how you would use the funds (include project timeline):

These funds would be used immediately. I would like to use the money to purchase a Tonie player, 2 sets of headphones, a Tonie wall display holder and then the remaining funds would be used to purchase a variety of Tonie books for students to use. I plan to use my scholastic points I have collected to find the matching book for many of the Tonie books for students who are ready to start reading along.

Once the materials arrive, students will spend time first learning how to care for it and how to listen to a book. We also spend time trouble shooting what to do if something goes wrong.

As students become confident in using the center materials, I will move it into our daily center rotation for student to be able to use. Skill opportunities will be woven into whatever skill we are currently working on.

How will the project improve student experience/opportunities?

Developing comprehension skills in the early grades is done primarily through read aloud books. My students love to listen to stories at carpet and then spend time looking at books we’ve read together. As we become more aware of students spending time on screens, I am looking for a screen free listening opportunity for my students to practice this skill.

I see this as being a center for my classroom where my students are able to choose a story they’d like to listen to and a matching book for them to follow along with. As they listen to the story I will have a specific activity to support literacy skills that we as a class are working on. For example, when working with characters, students will be asked to draw and label the main character. As we learn different elements of stories, students will be able to build story maps through pictures and written language. This gives students the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of skills independently.

As students become more confident as writers, they can transfer some of their skills to share their opinions about if they liked the story. They can also choose non-fiction stories and write about facts that they learned. Both of these are skills that we often work on together, but I would like to give them the opportunity to practice more independently.

The second piece of this grant is to support young children in developing a love for books, words, and reading. Allowing students to self select books that they can enjoy independently allows them to discover what they enjoy reading/listening to. By providing a variety of books for students to listen to students have the opportunity to explore different genres that they may not naturally be drawn to.

Total Budget: $498.27

Listening Library for Little Learners

Cycle: Q1 – 2025-2026

• Applicant Name: Valerie Merritt
• School: Kessler Elementary ([365])
• Email: Kinder Sprouts
• Cell Phone: 4064228799
• Work Phone: 4063241697

• Funds Requested: 325.00
• Number of Students Served: 18
• Number of Schools Served: 1
• Grade Levels to be Served: PK

• Principal/ Support Service Signatures: Download

Summary Grant Description

This grant will fund the purchase of materials to improve the early literacy experience in my Kinder Sprouts classroom. Students will benefit from a screen-free, imagination-building listening library where they can hear audio stories while following along with the corresponding book. Finger tracking helps students develop one-to-one correspondence between spoken and written words, which is crucial to reading success. This project could provide our youngest learners with meaningful and valuable opportunities to improve their reading skills while setting the foundation to develop a love of reading!

Briefly describe your project and how you would use the funds (include project timeline):

A Listening Library for Little Learners would be a special area in our classroom where students could go to listen to audiobooks while following along with the corresponding texts. Students could practice their independence by selecting the character they want to read about, placing it onto the Toniebox audio player, and adjusting their headphones for their own comfort. Two students could listen at a time, so I would plan for each student pair to select a story for both students to listen to while viewing the text. While initial funding for this project would come from the Spark Grant, I would plan to expand the literary selections in the future through our classroom wish list. That way, each year, Kinder Sprouts students would get to experience the listening library and contribute their own favorite stories.

Grant funds would be used to purchase one Toniebox audio player (starter set bundle), two sets of student headphones, a magnetic storage shelf to house the materials, and multiple storybook and audio sets. This would provide 16 story sets for our listening library, as well as additional stories with which we could add texts in the future!

The ideal timeline for the project would be to purchase and install the materials within 14 days of being awarded funding.

Thank you so much for your consideration.

How will the project improve student experience/opportunities?

A Listening Library for Little Learners will improve student experiences by offering meaningful opportunities to engage with texts that are above their current reading level. Audiobooks make literature more accessible and enjoyable for young readers, and my students will benefit from enhanced comprehension, as well as improved vocabulary and language skills. Creating a listening library in our classroom will facilitate independent reading time, increase engagement, build listening skills, and increase vocabulary through language development. It will also increase the volume of texts that students experience each day, which significantly impacts their cognitive, emotional, and social development. Listening to books, even before they can read independently, helps young children grasp the structure and rhythm of language, enhancing their reading readiness.

Total Budget: $322.59

Listening Library for Little Learners

Cycle: Q1 – 2025-2026

• Applicant Name: Valerie Merritt
• School: Kessler Elementary ([365])
• Email: Kinder Sprouts
• Cell Phone: 4064228799
• Work Phone: 4063241697

• Funds Requested: 325.00
• Number of Students Served: 18
• Number of Schools Served: 1
• Grade Levels to be Served: PK

• Principal/ Support Service Signatures: Download

Summary Grant Description

This grant will fund the purchase of materials to improve the early literacy experience in my Kinder Sprouts classroom. Students will benefit from a screen-free, imagination-building listening library where they can hear audio stories while following along with the corresponding book. Finger tracking helps students develop one-to-one correspondence between spoken and written words, which is crucial to reading success. This project could provide our youngest learners with meaningful and valuable opportunities to improve their reading skills while setting the foundation to develop a love of reading!

Briefly describe your project and how you would use the funds (include project timeline):

A Listening Library for Little Learners would be a special area in our classroom where students could go to listen to audiobooks while following along with the corresponding texts. Students could practice their independence by selecting the character they want to read about, placing it onto the Toniebox audio player, and adjusting their headphones for their own comfort. Two students could listen at a time, so I would plan for each student pair to select a story for both students to listen to while viewing the text. While initial funding for this project would come from the Spark Grant, I would plan to expand the literary selections in the future through our classroom wish list. That way, each year, Kinder Sprouts students would get to experience the listening library and contribute their own favorite stories.

Grant funds would be used to purchase one Toniebox audio player (starter set bundle), two sets of student headphones, a magnetic storage shelf to house the materials, and multiple storybook and audio sets. This would provide 16 story sets for our listening library, as well as additional stories with which we could add texts in the future!

The ideal timeline for the project would be to purchase and install the materials within 14 days of being awarded funding.

Thank you so much for your consideration.

How will the project improve student experience/opportunities?

A Listening Library for Little Learners will improve student experiences by offering meaningful opportunities to engage with texts that are above their current reading level. Audiobooks make literature more accessible and enjoyable for young readers, and my students will benefit from enhanced comprehension, as well as improved vocabulary and language skills. Creating a listening library in our classroom will facilitate independent reading time, increase engagement, build listening skills, and increase vocabulary through language development. It will also increase the volume of texts that students experience each day, which significantly impacts their cognitive, emotional, and social development. Listening to books, even before they can read independently, helps young children grasp the structure and rhythm of language, enhancing their reading readiness.

Total Budget: $322.59

Listening Library for Little Learners

Cycle: Q1 – 2025-2026

• Applicant Name: Valerie Merritt
• School: Kessler Elementary ([365])
• Email: Kinder Sprouts
• Cell Phone: 4064228799
• Work Phone: 4063241697

• Funds Requested: 325.00
• Number of Students Served: 18
• Number of Schools Served: 1
• Grade Levels to be Served: PK

• Principal/ Support Service Signatures: Download

Summary Grant Description

A Listening Library for Little Learners

This grant will fund the purchase of materials to improve the early literacy experience in my Kinder Sprouts classroom. Students will benefit from a screen-free, imagination-building listening library where they can hear audio stories while following along with the corresponding book. Finger tracking helps students develop one-to-one correspondence between spoken and written words, which is crucial to reading success. This project could provide our youngest learners with meaningful and valuable opportunities to improve their reading skills while setting the foundation to develop a love of reading!

Briefly describe your project and how you would use the funds (include project timeline):

A Listening Library for Little Learners would be a special area in our classroom where students could go to listen to audiobooks while following along with the corresponding texts. Students could practice their independence by selecting the character they want to read about, placing it onto the Toniebox audio player, and adjusting their headphones for their own comfort. Two students could listen at a time, so I would plan for each student pair to select a story for both students to listen to while viewing the text. While initial funding for this project would come from the Spark Grant, I would plan to expand the literary selections in the future through our classroom wish list. That way, each year, Kinder Sprouts students would get to experience the listening library and contribute their own favorite stories.

Grant funds would be used to purchase one Toniebox audio player (starter set bundle), two sets of student headphones, a magnetic storage shelf to house the materials, and multiple storybook and audio sets. This would provide 16 story sets for our listening library, as well as additional stories with which we could add texts in the future!

The ideal timeline for the project would be to purchase and install the materials within 14 days of being awarded funding.

Thank you so much for your consideration.

How will the project improve student experience/opportunities?

A Listening Library for Little Learners will improve student experiences by offering meaningful opportunities to engage with texts that are above their current reading level. Audiobooks make literature more accessible and enjoyable for young readers, and my students will benefit from enhanced comprehension, as well as improved vocabulary and language skills. Creating a listening library in our classroom will facilitate independent reading time, increase engagement, build listening skills, and increase vocabulary through language development. It will also increase the volume of texts that students experience each day, which significantly impacts their cognitive, emotional, and social development. Listening to books, even before they can read independently, helps young children grasp the structure and rhythm of language, enhancing their reading readiness.

Total Budget: $322.59

Listening Library for Little Learners

Cycle: Q1 – 2025-2026

• Applicant Name: Valerie Merritt
• School: Kessler Elementary ([365])
• Email: Kinder Sprouts
• Cell Phone: 4064228799
• Work Phone: 4063241697

• Funds Requested: 325.00
• Number of Students Served: 18
• Number of Schools Served: 1
• Grade Levels to be Served: PK

• Principal/ Support Service Signatures: Download

Summary Grant Description

A Listening Library for Little Learners

This grant will fund the purchase of materials to improve the early literacy experience in my Kinder Sprouts classroom. Students will benefit from a screen-free, imagination-building listening library where they can hear audio stories while following along with the corresponding book. Finger tracking helps students develop one-to-one correspondence between spoken and written words, which is crucial to reading success. This project could provide our youngest learners with meaningful and valuable opportunities to improve their reading skills while setting the foundation to develop a love of reading!

Briefly describe your project and how you would use the funds (include project timeline):

A Listening Library for Little Learners would be a special area in our classroom where students could go to listen to audiobooks while following along with the corresponding texts. Students could practice their independence by selecting the character they want to read about, placing it onto the Toniebox audio player, and adjusting their headphones for their own comfort. Two students could listen at a time, so I would plan for each student pair to select a story for both students to listen to while viewing the text. While initial funding for this project would come from the Spark Grant, I would plan to expand the literary selections in the future through our classroom wish list. That way, each year, Kinder Sprouts students would get to experience the listening library and contribute their own favorite stories.

Grant funds would be used to purchase one Toniebox audio player (starter set bundle), two sets of student headphones, a magnetic storage shelf to house the materials, and multiple storybook and audio sets. This would provide 16 story sets for our listening library, as well as additional stories with which we could add texts in the future!

The ideal timeline for the project would be to purchase and install the materials within 14 days of being awarded funding.

Thank you so much for your consideration.

How will the project improve student experience/opportunities?

A Listening Library for Little Learners will improve student experiences by offering meaningful opportunities to engage with texts that are above their current reading level. Audiobooks make literature more accessible and enjoyable for young readers, and my students will benefit from enhanced comprehension, as well as improved vocabulary and language skills. Creating a listening library in our classroom will facilitate independent reading time, increase engagement, build listening skills, and increase vocabulary through language development. It will also increase the volume of texts that students experience each day, which significantly impacts their cognitive, emotional, and social development. Listening to books, even before they can read independently, helps young children grasp the structure and rhythm of language, enhancing their reading readiness.

Total Budget: $322.59

Listening Library for Little Learners

Cycle: Q1 – 2025-2026

• Applicant Name: Valerie Merritt
• School: Kessler Elementary ([365])
• Email: Kinder Sprouts
• Cell Phone: 4064228799
• Work Phone: 4063241697

• Funds Requested: 325.00
• Number of Students Served: 18
• Number of Schools Served: 1
• Grade Levels to be Served: PK

• Principal/ Support Service Signatures: Download

Summary Grant Description

A Listening Library for Little Learners

This grant will fund the purchase of materials to improve the early literacy experience in my Kinder Sprouts classroom. Students will benefit from a screen-free, imagination-building listening library where they can hear audio stories while following along with the corresponding book. Finger tracking helps students develop one-to-one correspondence between spoken and written words, which is crucial to reading success. This project could provide our youngest learners with meaningful and valuable opportunities to improve their reading skills while setting the foundation to develop a love of reading!

Briefly describe your project and how you would use the funds (include project timeline):

A Listening Library for Little Learners would be a special area in our classroom where students could go to listen to audiobooks while following along with the corresponding texts. Students could practice their independence by selecting the character they want to read about, placing it onto the Toniebox audio player, and adjusting their headphones for their own comfort. Two students could listen at a time, so I would plan for each student pair to select a story for both students to listen to while viewing the text. While initial funding for this project would come from the Spark Grant, I would plan to expand the literary selections in the future through our classroom wish list. That way, each year, Kinder Sprouts students would get to experience the listening library and contribute their own favorite stories.

Grant funds would be used to purchase one Toniebox audio player (starter set bundle), two sets of student headphones, a magnetic storage shelf to house the materials, and multiple storybook and audio sets. This would provide 16 story sets for our listening library, as well as additional stories with which we could add texts in the future!

The ideal timeline for the project would be to purchase and install the materials within 14 days of being awarded funding.

Thank you so much for your consideration.

How will the project improve student experience/opportunities?

A Listening Library for Little Learners will improve student experiences by offering meaningful opportunities to engage with texts that are above their current reading level. Audiobooks make literature more accessible and enjoyable for young readers, and my students will benefit from enhanced comprehension, as well as improved vocabulary and language skills. Creating a listening library in our classroom will facilitate independent reading time, increase engagement, build listening skills, and increase vocabulary through language development. It will also increase the volume of texts that students experience each day, which significantly impacts their cognitive, emotional, and social development. Listening to books, even before they can read independently, helps young children grasp the structure and rhythm of language, enhancing their reading readiness.

Total Budget: $322.59

Cooking Up Community: An Inclusive Culinary Experience

Cycle: Q1 – 2025-2026

• Applicant Name: Laura Ortman
• School: Capital High School ([365])
• Email: Special Education/Unified Culinary grades 9-12
• Cell Phone: 406-670-0675
• Work Phone: 406-324-2585

• Funds Requested: 500
• Number of Students Served: 17
• Number of Schools Served: 1
• Grade Levels to be Served: 9-12

• Principal/ Support Service Signatures: Download

Summary Grant Description

As the teacher of our Unified Culinary Arts class, I have the privilege of working with students of all abilities in an environment that fosters not just skill-building, but also meaningful connection. Our class is more than just a place to cook — it’s a place where students learn together, support one another, and grow as individuals and peers. With your support, we hope to expand this learning beyond our classroom through community-based field trips to local restaurants and culinary businesses. This grant will fund bussing to local restaurants as well as materials (grocery purchase, restaurant food purchase).

Briefly describe your project and how you would use the funds (include project timeline):

We plan to use the grant funding to cover transportation costs for quarterly field trips to local culinary and food service businesses. We will work with First Student Bussing Company to transport our students, with rates of approximately $47 per hour for driving time and $25 per hour for waiting time at the destination. Our goal is to take one field trip each quarter to enhance students’ understanding of the culinary industry and connect classroom learning to real-world experiences.

In addition to transportation, we also plan to use a portion of the funding to purchase food at the restaurants we visit and groceries during our trip to WinCo Foods. These purchases are not only practical but educational — allowing students to get a full experience in food prep, engage in discussions about quality, sourcing, and pricing, and better understand consumer choices and budgeting in real-life scenarios.

For the first quarter, we plan to visit Missouri River Brewing Company, where students can learn about large-scale food and beverage preparation and business operations. In the second quarter, we hope to tour 1889 Coffee House, a local café where students can explore a smaller, customer-focused culinary environment. If funding allows, we would also like to visit WinCo Foods in the third quarter to gain insight into large-scale food sourcing, stocking, and retail operations.

How will the project improve student experience/opportunities?

These community-base learning experiences offer tremendous value to our students. Visiting real-world food service establishments gives students the chance to see culinary skills in action — from food preparation and safety to time management, customer service, and business operations. This hands-on, experiential learning makes the lessons we cover in class more tangible and relevant, helping students better understand how their skills apply in the real world.

Community-based learning also supports a wide range of life skills, including budgeting, planning, and communicating effectively with others. For our students (of all abilities), these outings provide vital opportunities to build independence, confidence, and self-advocacy, as well as a chance to lead, support, and grow in their understanding of what true inclusion looks like.

In the kitchen and out in the community, students are working side by side — learning not just how to cook, but how to collaborate, problem-solve, and appreciate each other’s strengths. These trips help foster friendships, and they promote a culture of empathy, patience, and mutual respect.

We also see these experiences as powerful tools for career exploration. Many students, particularly those with disabilities, benefit from early exposure to vocational opportunities, and by engaging with chefs, servers, and business owners, they begin to imagine possibilities for their own futures. We hope these outings will open doors — to internships, employment, or simply a stronger sense of what’s possible.

By connecting our students with the local community, we’re also building relationships with businesses that value inclusion and are excited to invest in the next generation. With your support, we can continue to break down barriers, provide equitable learning opportunities, and empower all of our students to learn, grow, and thrive — both in and out of the kitchen.

Total Budget: $495.00

Rookie Vigilante Day

Cycle: Q1 – 2025-2026

• Applicant Name: Kelli McLane
• School: Helena Middle School ([365])
• Email: 8- US History
• Cell Phone: 406-686-3843
• Work Phone: 406-324-1018

• Funds Requested: 500
• Number of Students Served: 220
• Number of Schools Served: 1
• Grade Levels to be Served: 8th directly (7th & 6th indirectly)

• Principal/ Support Service Signatures: Download

Summary Grant Description

Helena’s Vigilante Parade is a treasured tradition most middle schoolers look forward to joining in high school, yet many never get the chance to participate. This grant launches our own Vigilante Parade—an inclusive event where every student creates a cardboard float after a large-scale research project based on their learning from the year and local primary/secondary sources. Cheered on by 6th, 7th and their teachers, students will proudly march the halls wearing their final project. Grant funds will provide reusable straps, connectors, and a starter supply pile- ensuring this is an event students can look forward to each year.

Briefly describe your project and how you would use the funds (include project timeline):

Timeline: Entire Year- Local Stories and skill practice
Research project: 3-4 weeks before Vigilante Day
Parade: Vigilante Day

This project will establish an annual Vigilante Parade at Helena Middle School, designed specifically for 8th grade students. It will integrate academic learning with community traditions while ensuring equitable participation for all students.
Over the course of the school year, students will engage in an extended research process. Local stories and themes will be studied, along with instruction focused on source validation, accurate citation practices, and effective planning. Students will utilize resources from the Montana Historical Society, in addition to vetted online and written sources, to ensure their floats are grounded in credible, well-documented research. This approach builds essential academic skills while fostering connections between classroom content and the cultural heritage of Helena.
The culminating project requires students to apply their research to the design and construction of cardboard floats. They will be timed to culminate in a parade on the same day as the high-school vigilante parade, while middle school students are still in school.
Floats will be created with collected cardboard shipping boxes. Students will then wear these boxes- picture suspenders on a cardboard box. Materials include durable straps with reinforced grommets, chosen for their ability to withstand repeated fastening and reuse. It will also include hooks to attach the straps to the cardboard box. Initial purchases will establish a large initial supply base that can be supplemented annually. Whenever possible, supplies were sourced locally; however, certain heavy-duty and bulk items will be obtained online due to local availability.
Numbers were also considered with potential expansion in the future due to district school closings (Hawthorne redistribution) and potential re-district mapping that could increase the size of our 8th grade class in the future.

How will the project improve student experience/opportunities?

This project will increase student motivation, buy-in, community support, school spirit and underclassmen anticipation, expand vigilante day participation and strengthen their academic skills.
Motivation is a constant struggle, especially in middle school where motivation and attention spans battle it out to steal student attention. Research, validating sources, citations, etc. are not exciting titles to students. Creating a float? Very exciting! Conducting a large-scale project with a tangible product and event at the end will improve student buy-in.
On parade day, the entire school community will celebrate as 8th graders proudly march through the halls, cheered on by other students and staff. Many of our students don’t have the home support we want them to, but this is an event where they can be celebrated and supported by their entire school community.
Materials purchased—such as reusable straps and connectors—will allow us to build a lasting supply base, so the tradition can continue year after year. Giving the underclassmen something to look forward to as well. Unlike the high school parade, where outside resources or peer groups can limit participation, our event ensures that every 8th grader has a place and a role.
Beyond building floats, students will strengthen research, source validation, and presentation skills. They will connect more deeply with the Helena community and its traditions, while also experiencing the pride of contributing to something larger than themselves. This parade is more than a project; it is an opportunity to foster belonging, creativity, and excitement for learning, while preparing students to fully embrace the larger Vigilante Parade in the years ahead.

Total Budget: $500.00

Portable Sound Stage

Cycle: Q1 – 2025-2026

• Applicant Name: Roger Scruggs
• School: Helena High School ([365])
• Email: Theatre 9-12
• Cell Phone: 4065968311
• Work Phone: 4063242274

• Funds Requested: 300
• Number of Students Served: 200
• Number of Schools Served: 1
• Grade Levels to be Served: 9-12

• Principal/ Support Service Signatures: Download

Summary Grant Description

This grant will provide a new portable sound board that will be used for talent shows, open mic lunches, and events outside the school – include the Thespian-Festival.

Briefly describe your project and how you would use the funds (include project timeline):

This project is in the works. The goal is to purchase a sound board through this grant as soon as we can. We previously used Thespian Funds to purchase a new set of speakers and cables along with two wireless handheld microphones. We are still planning to expand and purchase lavalier microphones to add to this portable sound system. The Soundboard is all that remains to get it functioning.
We have used the system with a borrowed soundboard for Carnival Classic and the HHS Homecoming assembly.

How will the project improve student experience/opportunities?

The Portable Sound Stage will help our students provide theatrical experiences to students in elementary schools and HMS with the ability to amplify our sound while doing small performances. This grant will help us build our outreach program to build a stronger theatre community within the Helena Schools.

Total Budget: $300.00

Story Builders

Cycle: Q1 – 2025-2026

• Applicant Name: Joice Franzen
• School: Bryant ([365])
• Email: Library/PK-5
• Cell Phone: 4064385685
• Work Phone: 40643241220

• Funds Requested: 478.90
• Number of Students Served: 260
• Number of Schools Served: 1
• Grade Levels to be Served: PK-5

• Principal/ Support Service Signatures: Download

Summary Grant Description

Imagine students stepping inside the worlds of their favorite stories—building settings, crafting tools for characters, and solving plot challenges with Clixo Creator Packs and themed sets. Through hands-on building and STEM exploration, students collaborate, experiment, and bring literature to life, strengthening comprehension, teamwork, and creative problem-solving while having fun.

Briefly describe your project and how you would use the funds (include project timeline):

This project brings a classroom set of Clixo magnetic building pieces into the library and classrooms to spark hands-on, story-connected learning. With Clixo, students move beyond discussion after reading to actively build, design, and solve problems inspired by the characters, settings, and challenges they encounter in literature.

After reading a story, students might collaborate to construct a model of the setting, invent tools for a character, or design a new solution that could change the outcome of the plot. These activities link literacy with STEM by asking students to apply engineering, spatial reasoning, and teamwork skills in playful and imaginative ways.

Funds will be used to purchase a classroom set of Clixo Creator Packs along with one set each of Marine Marvels, Jungle Birds, and Space Mission expansion packs. This combination ensures that small groups can work together with plenty of core pieces while also having access to themed sets that spark creative storytelling and connections to specific texts. The flexible, magnetic design invites students of all ages and abilities to experiment, adapt, and succeed at their own level. The open-ended nature of Clixo encourages creativity while still allowing teachers to guide projects toward literacy or STEM learning goals.

Timeline:
• Fall 2025: Purchase Clixo sets and introduce them through guided activities during library lessons and classroom visits.
• Winter 2025–26: Integrate Clixo into books and units of study, such as building story settings, re-creating plot events, or engineering solutions for character challenges.

By combining building with reading, this project deepens comprehension, strengthens collaboration, and makes stories come alive in meaningful, memorable ways.

How will the project improve student experience/opportunities?

A classroom set of Clixo transforms student learning by providing hands-on opportunities to explore creativity, engineering, and problem-solving with a novel building material. Unlike traditional blocks or rigid construction sets, Clixo’s flexible magnetic pieces push students to think in new dimensions, experiment with design, and adapt their ideas as they build. Students build resilience by iterating and improving upon their designs.

In the library, Clixo connects literature to active learning and teamwork. After reading The Three Little Pigs, students can work in groups to design houses strong enough to withstand a “wind test,” applying engineering principles while retelling the story. When exploring Journey by Aaron Becker, students can collaborate to build fantastical settings that mirror the imaginative world of the book, strengthening spatial reasoning and creativity. During a study of folk tales, students might work in teams to invent tools or objects that help characters solve problems, blending problem-solving with narrative comprehension.

Clixo sets reach a wide range of learners, making them an inclusive tool that supports multiple learning styles. Students who struggle with traditional paper-and-pencil tasks succeed through kinesthetic exploration, while advanced learners stretch their thinking by applying engineering principles and testing hypotheses. The open-ended nature of Clixo ensures that every student finds success at their own level, building confidence and curiosity.

By integrating Clixo into the library, we create joyful opportunities for students to combine reading, collaboration, and design. They learn to work together, apply ideas from literature, and strengthen both comprehension and creativity through meaningful, hands-on exploration.

Total Budget: $478.90

Nature Journaling Essentials

Cycle: Q1 – 2025-2026

• Applicant Name: Jessica Wester
• School: Kessler Elementary ([365])
• Email: 3rd Grade
• Cell Phone: 406-465-6238
• Work Phone: 406-324-1683

• Funds Requested: 180
• Number of Students Served: 40
• Number of Schools Served: 1
• Grade Levels to be Served: 3rd grade

• Principal/ Support Service Signatures: Download

Summary Grant Description

This grant will fund the purchase of materials to improve students’ weekly nature journaling experience. Backpacks, clipboards, and magnifying glasses will provide students with an outdoor classroom opportunity to journal and improve their literacy skills.

Briefly describe your project and how you would use the funds (include project timeline):

Our students participate in weekly nature journaling opportunities, both on and off campus. Students practice sentence writing, labeling, and tracking data in their nature journals. Should our project be funded, we will immediately purchase drawstring backpacks, clipboards, and magnifying glasses for our weekly journaling excursions. These materials will be used weekly until the end of the school year. We plan to reuse these materials yearly for our students.

How will the project improve student experience/opportunities?

Our students participate in weekly nature journaling opportunities, both on and off campus. Students practice sentence writing, labeling, and tracking data in their nature journals. Students are currently carrying their supplies individually or in their personal backpacks. Many supplies end up traveling home or get left outside.

Clipboards will provide a flat surface for students to journal on, and magnifying glasses will give students opportunities to journal even more details that they observe. Lastly, drawstring backpacks will helps students organize their materials and carry additional necessities (water bottle, snack, pencils, etc.) for our journaling excursions.

Total Budget: $179.91

Constructing Independence

Cycle: Q1 – 2025-2026

• Applicant Name: Ellie Fjeseth
• School: Capital High School ([365])
• Email: Special Ed- 9-12
• Cell Phone:
• Work Phone: 406-324-2597

• Funds Requested: 500
• Number of Students Served: 20
• Number of Schools Served: 1
• Grade Levels to be Served: 9-12

• Principal/ Support Service Signatures: Download

Summary Grant Description

This grant will be used to purchase Lego sets for FLS Employability classroom. By purchasing new sets, I will maximize on a special interest that my students already have and use this to work on sequencing skills, following directions and fine motor skills. Once students have completed jobs they gravitate towards the Lego we currently have in our classroom and use their imagination to build whatever they want, by having new sets and specific instructions this will allow students to build skills while also doing a preferred activity.

Briefly describe your project and how you would use the funds (include project timeline):

My Employability class and I will start our search for multiple sets in various levels of ability and skill level on Lego.com to look for sets that we want to build. I would like the students be part of the process from the beginning so they can choose sets that interest them, sets that may be seasonal or timely or sets that they may not otherwise get to build. Once we have ordered and received sets we will start on smaller and/or easier sets that students can do independently and maybe only in one or two days. Once we have built up our skills we will start on a group project and collaborate on a bigger build which each student building one part or two students working together in one instruction booklet. Building these sets will only take place in the latter part of the class period once our school based jobs are complete. There may be some days that we do not build at all because we are busy with other tasks- this will be more of a downtime task and not our main priority. One sets are complete we will display them in our classroom for the year before carefully dismantling them at the end of the year and storing the Lego as well as the instruction booklets in an organized way over the summer so future Employability students can build the sets.

How will the project improve student experience/opportunities?

This project will provide students with growth in multiple areas; cognitive and academic Skills, communication and social skills, executive functioning, as well as emotional and self regulation skills. Students will work on problem solving, practicing trial and error thinking, persistence and flexible problem solving when pieces don’t fit for the first time. Students will work together and practice collaborating on projects which will help them build patience, practice using descriptive language and encourage teamwork. Students will have to follow multi-step plans, organize and categorize pieces as well as keep them safety stored and organized over multiple days as they complete the builds. Students will also have to work on overcoming frustration that may arise when a directions seem confusing or complicated, learning to reread directions or ask for help or clarification from a peer or adult. Students will also build confidence once they complete a Lego set and can admire and show off their hard work while feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment. All of these skills learned can be transferred to job skills and real world readiness. The ability to follow written or verbal instructions can help in many job situations including following safety instructions. Sequencing is also essential in building independence skills for cooking activities and following recipes. Students will also be developing fine motor skills which can be essential for some self-care tasks like buttoning clothes as well as independent tasks like handling money. Learning these skills through a preferred task like building Lego also allows students to have some fun and be able to share special interests with others by showcasing certain characters or activities that can be represented in various Lego sets.

Total Budget: $498.86

Bring on the Lifelong PE Learning!

Cycle: Q1 – 2025-2026

• Applicant Name: Heather Barton
• School: PAL ([365])
• Email: PE/Special Educaiton/K-12
• Cell Phone: 406-459-0186
• Work Phone: 406-324-1630

• Funds Requested: 501
• Number of Students Served: 60
• Number of Schools Served: 1
• Grade Levels to be Served: 9-12

• Principal/ Support Service Signatures: Download

Summary Grant Description

The grant will fund the purchase of the team based PE game called Kan Jam. PAL does not have a gym to use for PE and we use outdoor spaces in parks for PE most of the year. Kan Jam will give all students at the school the opportunity to learn this lifelong game.

Briefly describe your project and how you would use the funds (include project timeline):

KanJam is a game that can be used in PE at PAL. Kanjam is defined as: “Kan Jam is a flying disc game, played with a flying disc and two cans into which players deflect the disc. Teams of two players take turns tossing a disc between two plastic cans, scoring points if the disc hits or is deflected into one of the cans. The game is played to a target score of exactly 21, but a team can also win if a player throws the disc through the slot or top of a can without the help of their teammate.” I would use the funds this school year, 2025-2026. We would start using the equipment immediately and use it multiple times throughout the year.

How will the project improve student experience/opportunities?

Students at PAL will be able to experience an opportunity that students at the larger high schools get with this game. The game is lightweight, so we can carry it to the parks. We have PE in the parks at PAL since we do not have a gym. This game would be used by all students. It is a game that can be used lifelong.

Total Budget: $492.72

Buzzing Artists

Cycle: Q1 – 2025-2026

• Applicant Name: Annie Tague
• School: Central ([365])
• Email: 1st
• Cell Phone: 406.431.4587
• Work Phone:

• Funds Requested: 329.00
• Number of Students Served: 60
• Number of Schools Served: 1
• Grade Levels to be Served: 1, 4, and 5

• Principal/ Support Service Signatures: Download

Summary Grant Description

A Spark Grant would allow me to purchase a Chompsaw, which is a child-friendly saw that easily cuts cardboard and fabric. Through the use of the Chompsaw, students would be able to build 3-D creations using cardboard that we already have at school. Large-scale collaborative art projects would also be easier to do with the use of the saw. The Chompsaw would introduce skills related to such fields as woodworking and engineering.

Briefly describe your project and how you would use the funds (include project timeline):

The first project we would do with the Chompsaw would be to have the two first-grade classrooms collaborate with the Upper Montessori class to create giant cardboard pincones. These pinecones would be used to promote environmentally friendly holidays. They would be part of a larger project to educate students and families on ways to reduce waste during the holidays and make it a ‘green’ celebration. We always have a plethora of cardboard around the school, so we wouldn’t need anything but the Chompsaw to make this first project a reality. I would also work with Student Council and our Earth Club to come up with other ways we can incorporate the Chompsaw into promoting upcycling. This might look like having a gift-making day where we use the Chompsaw to create gifts for our loved ones.

I would hope to have the Chompsaw by mid-October so we can start working on the giant pinecones quickly. We would have the pinecones on display around our building by the end of November. It might be possible to use the Chompsaw to help create decorations for our winter program. The possibilities of use are truly endless. I look forward to seeing the students working together to come up with unique creations while learning about a different art form and helping to save our planet.

How will the project improve student experience/opportunities?

In our elementary schools, we do not have dedicated art teachers or classes, so the classroom teachers are responsible for teaching engaging lessons that teach art principles. A Chompsaw would expose children to a broader scope of art and art principles, including three-dimensional art, use of texture, and puppetry. Having a Chompsaw would also teach students about the idea of up-cycling and reducing our environmental impact. Having a Chompsaw at Central would not only benefit my students, but all students, as it would be available to any classroom or group to use. Having students work in mixed-age groupings to create collaborative pieces would allow students to practice teamwork skills as well.

Total Budget: $329.00

Little Learners Can Read Too!

Cycle: Q1 – 2025-2026

• Applicant Name: Jena Marshall
• School: Warren Elementary ([365])
• Email: Library PreK-5th
• Cell Phone: 4063906350
• Work Phone: 4063241605

• Funds Requested: 484.31
• Number of Students Served: 180
• Number of Schools Served: 1
• Grade Levels to be Served: Pre K-5th

• Principal/ Support Service Signatures: Download

Summary Grant Description

Even the smallest children can experience the magic of independently enjoying stories with Tonie Box! This grant will bring interactive, self-directed audio player boxes with many exciting story figurines that let students choose a story or topic and listen and engage on their own. Even students that are not yet reading can listen to stories, learn about topics and sing along to many of our library favorite stories, topics and characters! Less confident readers of all ages will feel the success of finishing a book without struggling. This is especially perfect for our new Pre-Kindergarten program!

Briefly describe your project and how you would use the funds (include project timeline):

This grant would provide two Tonie-boxes and 15 Tonie character figurines that either go with a variety of library book (such as ‘Cat in the Hat’) or are a nonfiction topic (such as horses) plus two 4our-packs of popular series options for the older students (such as ‘Nate the Great’). Once we have acquired the materials, this will easily be implemented into our learning centers for the primary grade levels right away. A portion of library time each week includes time for every student to directly interact and engage in reading. This can be as simple as providing a selection of books or can be exploring digital resources or rotating through learning stations. This will be a perfect learning experience as a learning station, especially for our new pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students, as they begin to learn to enjoy and have the stamina for reading. As they grow in stamina and they become familiar with the stories, we can try retelling the stories, information or songs on their own! Once I have introduced these to students, I also plan to try this as an available resource for interventions for students that use the library as a cooldown space.

How will the project improve student experience/opportunities?

This project aims to get even our youngest learners excited about and engaged in reading. A challenge for primary classrooms is allowing opportunities for children to interact with stories and books before they are fluent readers. Many lack the interest and stamina to engage in reading in a meaningful, yet enjoyable way. This tool can be used to support this by using audio stories, music and fun character figurines. Others might struggle with confidence and reading skills. This provides audio so following along is easy. We added a new pre-kindergarten class this year, and this resource has been known to be popular and easy enough for kids of preschool age to use independently. This is a great literacy tool for retelling stories, recall, relating new facts and so much more. Nationally we are seeing children struggle to find reading as an engaging activity, these have shown to help bring excitement around characters, learning and books. This project supports our building goal of increasing reading fluency and vocabulary and supports the library goal of increasing the time we provide students to engage in active reading. We know that research shows children need ample time to engage in active reading to increase reading scores, this will support that goal with even the youngest readers. Our community population struggles to find time for consistent reading at home, which increases the need to provide more at school.
Our library is also occasionally used as a safe space for students that need a quiet cooldown space or place to go when they are needing a break. These would be a great tool to use for them to reset, make their own good choices, or refocus.

Total Budget: $484.31

That Doesn’t Sting!

Cycle: Q1 – 2025-2026

• Applicant Name: Gail McMahon
• School: Four Georgians Elementary School ([365])
• Email: PE / K-5
• Cell Phone:
• Work Phone: 4063241300

• Funds Requested: 478.40
• Number of Students Served: 480
• Number of Schools Served: 1
• Grade Levels to be Served: K-5

• Principal/ Support Service Signatures: Download

Summary Grant Description

This grant would be used to purchase new, no-sting uncoated foam balls for PE. It would provide students with varying levels of comfort and ability a safe alternative to the traditional coated foam balls.

Briefly describe your project and how you would use the funds (include project timeline):

I would use the funds to immediately purchase as many uncoated balls for PE as possible. The no-sting balls would be implemented into PE right away across all grade levels and classes. We focus on the mechanics of throwing and catching a ball at the beginning of the year, but those skills are used all year-long in PE. It would be very exciting to be able offer the students an alternative ball that all would be comfortable learning and practicing with!

How will the project improve student experience/opportunities?

I have a lot of students who are nervous/afraid to catch a ball. This project would help take a lot of that fear away because the uncoated foam balls are lighter and virtually sting-free! It would help all students feel more comfortable catching a ball, building their confidence and allowing them to fully participate in all catching activities! It would make the skill of catching a lot more fun for all!

Total Budget: $478.40

Technology supplies

Cycle: Q1 – 2025-2026

• Applicant Name: Juliann Solomon
• School: Bryant Elementary ([365])
• Email: 4th Grade
• Cell Phone: 4063813074
• Work Phone:

• Funds Requested: 420.00
• Number of Students Served: 60
• Number of Schools Served: 1
• Grade Levels to be Served: 4th and 5th

• Principal/ Support Service Signatures: Download

Summary Grant Description

In 4th and 5th grade, we have access to amazing online resources for our students. Unfortunately, we don’t always have enough headphones or mice for the students to use. These supplies help make our students learning more efficient and better for learning. I would like to get our students good working headphones and mice so that they can easily navigate on their chrome books, and be able to hear adequately as well without distracting the class.

Briefly describe your project and how you would use the funds (include project timeline):

I will use the funds to purchase headphones and mice for a 4th and 5th grade class at Bryant elementary!

How will the project improve student experience/opportunities?

Headphones and mice will help the students navigate on their technology devices easier, quicker, and more efficiently. Students will be able to listen to stories/videos with good working headphones and not distract other students who may not be listening to a video. Our technology is aging and unfortunately some don’t work as efficiently as they used to. Having an addition to mice and headphones will insure students can access the technology resources that are necessary for student instruction and growth.

Total Budget: $409.92

Robots on the Loose

Cycle: Q1 – 2025-2026

• Applicant Name: Jonathan Driggers
• School: Helena High School ([365])
• Email: Robotics/9-12
• Cell Phone: 406-202-1293
• Work Phone: 406-324-2247

• Funds Requested: 500
• Number of Students Served: 60
• Number of Schools Served: 1
• Grade Levels to be Served: 9-12

• Principal/ Support Service Signatures: Download

Summary Grant Description

The robots in my classroom are hoping to have more freedom to move around! Right now they have to be hard-wired or share remote connections with other robots. With this grant, I will be able to add remote capabilities for all of my students’ robots, and will also be able to explore the power of a new 3D-printing material that will aid in the creation of “tank” tracks, belts, and improved gear systems.

Briefly describe your project and how you would use the funds (include project timeline):

My students will begin using remote control devices almost immediately. These will initially be made up of infrared sensors for short-range control and will eventually ideally be composed of Arduino Nanos on the receiving end and transmitting end for longer-range projects. We will likely begin studying the longer-range devices in November or December. For the 3D-printed belts, tracks, and pulleys, we will try to add these in small components right away also, but we will not be collaborating with the Physics classes until the spring.

How will the project improve student experience/opportunities?

All of my students are interested in remote control capabilities for their robot projects. Additionally, I hope to partner with the Physics teacher at Helena High and his 60+ students to bring an introduction to robots and remote control to excite his students about the topic. He is hoping to have his students study projectile motion using robots, and this grant will allow me purchase a breakthrough filament material that is newly available to use to make gears and belts in robots to launch projectiles more precisely.

Total Budget: $500.00

Learning by Knitting

Cycle: Q1 – 2025-2026

• Applicant Name: Marla Unruh
• School: Broadwater ([365])
• Email: 4-5
• Cell Phone:
• Work Phone:

• Funds Requested: 126.40
• Number of Students Served: 20
• Number of Schools Served: 1
• Grade Levels to be Served: 4-5

• Principal/ Support Service Signatures: Download

Summary Grant Description

These funds will supply all that the students need to begin knitting. An expert in teaching kids to knit, Linda Nelson, has advised me on the best items to buy. We have some durable items from the last grant that will not have to be replaced, such as scissors, crochet hooks, and tapestry needles.

Note: Our knitting teachers, led by Linda Nelson, return year after year to provide this extended learning for our students.

Briefly describe your project and how you would use the funds (include project timeline):

After successfully completing an application, students are invited to a lunchtime knitting club. Volunteer teachers help get them started, and we now have a few students who can help others. We will start October 15, 2025 and continue for 6 Wednesdays in all, ending just before Thanksgiving.

I am asking for enough supplies for two years, so we can sustain the interest that knitting always generates among our students.

How will the project improve student experience/opportunities?

Quite a bit has been written about the benefits to children of learning to knit. The points mostly often mentioned are these:
Mathematical skills. Students must count stitches and rows and figure out the math of the gauge.
Eye-hand motor coordination. Knitting calls on the fine motor skills of the hands and fingers.
Patience and determination. Knitters can’t give up if they wish to see their final creation.
Skill and sense of accomplishment. Students who learn the intricacies of knitting enjoy a real sense of acocomplishment.
Reduction of anxiety and improved social skills. Even children can benefit from the relaxation and shared joy of knitting.

In addition, former students have told me that one of their fondest memories is the knitting they did in the lunchtime knitting club we have at Broadwater. One graduating senior prosed to teach his younger cousin how to knit. He still knew how.

Sources: https://brownsheep.com/knitting-is-for-kids-too-how-knitting-fosters-positive-childhood-development/

Total Budget: $210.52

Science and Engineering with Power!

Cycle: Q1 – 2025-2026

• Applicant Name: Libby Kenney
• School: Central Elementary School ([365])
• Email: 1st-3rd & Science Clubs
• Cell Phone: 4064372106
• Work Phone: 4063241257

• Funds Requested: 436.54
• Number of Students Served: 120
• Number of Schools Served: 1
• Grade Levels to be Served: 1st-3rd

• Principal/ Support Service Signatures: Download

Summary Grant Description

This grant will fund the purchase of a kid-safe cardboard-cutting power tool and accessories. With these materials, students can create covers for journals, build model bridges, make toys and games, and bring to life other ideas from their imagination.
These projects go beyond simple activities—they give students the chance to think creatively, solve problems, and apply their knowledge to real creations. Students will gain skills that build confidence and inspire future learning.

Briefly describe your project and how you would use the funds (include project timeline):

Within the first week of receiving the grant, I will purchase the materials. With these materials, I plan to host a variety of clubs throughout the school year. I would begin with a six-week 2nd grade Nature Club in the fall of 2025. For this club, students will cut out cardboard to create journals with sturdy covers, which they can take on our nature walks and use to draw or write about what they observe.

After the Nature Club concludes, I will begin a 1st grade Lego Club in the winter of 2025-2026. In this club, students can use the cardboard saw to build ramps for Lego cars, design houses and planes for their minifigures, or create anything else that enhances their Lego experience.

Once the Lego Club wraps up, I will start a 3rd grade STEM Club in the spring of 2026. During this time, students will have the chance to engineer bridges and buildings, exploring new ways to problem-solve and design. These clubs will include students from all the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade classrooms at Central School.

The clubs will include all the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade classrooms at Central School. When the materials are not being used for clubs, I will be able to use them in my classroom to infuse creativity throughout all subject areas. The timeline for use of these materials is not limited, although they will be used immediately, they can be used for years to come.

How will the project improve student experience/opportunities?

This project will improve the student experience by giving children opportunities to bring their imagination to life. For example, in my classroom, students could cut out Valentine’s for their classmates, make dioramas based on books they’ve read, create costumes for skits, or even experiment with new inventions.

In clubs, these materials will expand learning in new and exciting ways. For instance, a child who may not be interested in Legos but enjoys creating tools for others would still find a place in Lego Club and feel included. These materials will provide a safe and desirable place for creativity and teamwork to blossom.

This project will also create new opportunities by supporting the start of new clubs at Central School. These clubs will give students the chance to explore their interests, work on hands-on projects, and build meaningful relationships with teachers and classmates outside their own classroom.

Total Budget: $436.54

Social Emotional Skills Development

Cycle: Q1 – 2025-2026

• Applicant Name: Yukari Smoot
• School: Central Elementary School ([365])
• Email: K-3 Special Education (Resource)
• Cell Phone: 406-461-9145
• Work Phone: 406-324-1239

• Funds Requested: 499.99
• Number of Students Served: 35
• Number of Schools Served: 1
• Grade Levels to be Served: K-5

• Principal/ Support Service Signatures: Download

Summary Grant Description

This grant will fund the purchase of a one-year subscription to Everyday Speech curriculum for social communication and social emotional learning. This curriculum will be a supplementary resource to social skills instruction when working with elementary students with disabilities who demonstrate a need for social emotional development and communication.

Briefly describe your project and how you would use the funds (include project timeline):

The funds received for my project would be immediately used in a one-time payment for a one-year online subscription to Everyday Speech. Once the subscription begins, I will be able to incorporate the online resources into my small group social skills instruction with my students and I would use it throughout the school year during each of my small group sessions.

How will the project improve student experience/opportunities?

As a special education resource teacher, I work with students with varying disabilities including autism, ADHD, and emotional disabilities. The Everyday Speech curriculum provides lessons with a variety of target behaviors and social skills such as friendship building and peer conflict resolution, self-regulation, following school expectations, and building self-esteem to name a few. Given the large scope of topics Everyday Speech offers, I will be able to support the specific IEP goals of each of my students through the resources they offer. Everyday Speech curriculum will allow me to focus more on effective instructional strategies and less on lesson planning because it provides so many excellent resources in the format of video-modeling, web-based games and activities, and worksheets.

Total Budget: $499.99