Michigan City Education Foundation Awards 2015 Grants to Teachers

Unity-Foundation-of-La-Porte-CountyThe Michigan City Education Foundation recently awarded several small grants to teachers for innovative approaches in the classroom for the 2015-16 school year.

The recipients teach in grades kindergarten through eighth in Michigan City area public and parochial schools. A total of 35 grants were awarded for $9,932.30, benefiting 10 Schools, 65 Teachers and 3,556 Students. Many of the project supplies purchased can be used over and over again, so the impact can be ongoing.

The Michigan City Education Foundation (MCEF), a component fund of the Unity Foundation of La Porte County, was formed in 1994 to encourage and recognize outstanding teacher projects. Three groups came together - the Chamber of Commerce, Mr. and Mrs. Burton Ruby, and Mary Lou Linnen. Each contributed funds to create a permanent endowment of more than $150,000.

Earnings from this fund are used to make grants to teachers for generations to come. So far over the past two decades, the endowment has awarded more than $213,000 to benefit approximately 30,800 students – illustrating the great value over time of creating such permanent funding streams.

Anyone can make a tax-deductible contribution to the Michigan City Education Foundation Fund. For more information call the Unity Foundation at 879-0327, or email unity@uflc.net.

Mary Lou Linnen, Michigan City Education Foundation co-founder, and committee chair Heidi Jaffee announced the new grant recipients and projects.

Jaffee noted, “Many innovative applications were submitted by teachers this fall and the MCEF Committee is very excited about the awards that were recently granted.”

The recipients include:

Barker Middle School
Kathleen Gushrowski, DEALING with Integers, $37.05
Sara Krachinski, Shoebox Tasks, $350.00
Kelly Tokoly-Rothermel, Rock-n-Roll Art Star Gallery, $320.14

Krueger Middle School
Erica Ackerson, Hot Spots!, $315.55
Erica Ackerson, Anna Firnhaber, Take a Break, $349.99
Shirley Allen, Sweet Home Chicago, $350.00
Shannon Galloway, Around the World With the Dash and Dot $326.00
Janine Peo, “Bringing History to Life:” Pre-Michigan City, $340.20

Edgewood Elementary School
Courtney Barber, Read to Succeed, $189.74
Angela Henrich, Out of this World, $323.85
Teresa Pavloff, Dream Bigger Drama Club, $200.00
Sheri Tuesburg, Michelle Sickles, Biographical Wax Musuem and Expository Experts, $350.00

Joy Elementary School
Ruth Radke, Mallets for Music, $348.10
Stephanie Rozinski, Saddle Up, $350.00
Kimberly Stepp, Nadia Dabagia, Sara Stafford, Kindergarten Smart Cookie Night, $350.00
Samantha White, Amy Bartels, Andrew Dudeck, Family Fun Night,$350.00

Knapp Elementary School
Elizabeth Law, Math with Legos, $349.80
Joshua Schultz, Kimberly Noetzel, Online Reading Resources, $349.80
Rachel Ward, cRAZy about Reading, $99.95

Lake Hills STEM Magnet School
Stephen Chambers, Thunder Drums, $349.63
Erin Lozano, Writing with Jazz, $256.47
Janis Mitchell, Penny Will, DeAnna Munoz, Squishy Circuits $350.00
DeAnna Munoz, Janis Mitchell, Penny Will, Cocoa and Canvas, $300.00
Penny Will, Writing is Stem-tastic!, $350.00

Marsh Elementary School
Alisa Carlson, Rosann Pressel, Currently Engaged in Our World, $219.56

Pine Magnet School for the Performing and Visual Arts
Amanda Bair, Elizabeth Schreeg, Megan Orlando, Creatures and Critters, Oh My!, $287.25
Danielle Delgado, “Teach Wonder” Coding, Reading, & Music Oh My!, $339.00
Tessa Maguire, Character Counts in our Classroom, $217.45
Jessica Roberts, Learning Farm, $90.00

Notre Dame Catholic School
Kathlene Bobillo, Plant It-Grow It-Love It and Learn, $350.00
Joanna Cate, Kathy Dolezal, Sandy Purcell, Sara Coon, Extra! Extra! Learn All About It!, $100.00
Angela Ruiz, Spanish Immersion Through Relatable Story, $219.54
Patricia Steffel, Kathy Dolezal, Nancy Donoghue, Barbara Brandon, Let’s Rough It, $237.00

St. Paul Lutheran School
Ashley Brown, Shine a Spotlight on Reading, $274.00
Melissa Bushnell, Next Level Science, $350.00