thankful thursday: part ii
part two of three: teaching & learning grants
January is Thankuary, Part 2!
If you missed last week's e-newsletter, you may have also missed that we have deemed the month of January "Thankuary" -- to acknowledge the support from the kind and compassionate people in this community who make it possible for us to work in fulfillment of our mission to empower every student.
This week, we're focusing on how your support is helping enhance student learning, address opportunity gaps, and meet needs that may otherwise go unfulfilled in every one of Olympia's schools. Support made possible through our Teaching & Learning Grants. Read more below about just some of the incredible projects and programs that could not happen without you!
teaching & learning grants
An Avanti High School student participates in a four-day, 3-night immersive science field experience through the Mount Rainier Institute during the 22-23 school year. This was made possible in part through a Foundation Teaching & Learning Grant.
Grants providing students with incredible opportunities
Since September, your support has provided nearly $72,000 in grants that will allow for a wide variety of opportunities -- and will benefit nearly 11,000 students -- inside and outside of pre-K - 12th grade-classrooms throughout Olympia's schools this year.
Experiences that include:
Construction of a hot air balloon (Olympia High School)
Learning to play xylophones (McKenny Elementary)
Field trips to complement a Nisqually Watershed and History class (Avanti High School)
Establishing a Homework Club (Reeves Middle School)
Working with a choreographer for musical theatre workshops (Capital High School)
Using a remote-operated vehicle for underwater photography to monitor local waterways (ORLA)
College tours for multilingual students (Thurgood Marshall Middle School)
Acquring a kiln for ceramics (Jefferson Middle School)
Adding more graphic novels to the school library (Hansen Elementary)
Creating an accessible playground for all students (Pioneer Elementary)
Books that will allow students to participate in Battle of the Books competition (Washington Middle School)
These are just a handful of the more than 50 Teaching & Learning Grants (including Browsers Books Grants; see below) that your support has made possible this year alone. And there's still one more application period remaining.
We look forward to sharing stories, photos and videos of how these projects turned out as we hear from grant recipients leading up to the end of the school year. In the meantime, check out the video below to learn about one of our favorite grants from two years ago, which also would not have been possible without your support.
grants spotlight
photo credit: austin dewees
One of our favorite grants -- made possible through your support -- is one that allowed Olympia High School to purchase an adaptive trike. Access to the trike inspired a student who "had literally never left the corner of the gym" to finally participate in P.E., according to teacher Ryan Gerritts. Click on the photo above or this link to watch a video about how the trike has also "allowed increased physical activity (and) it has also provided an opportunity to break down barriers and walls that special ed students have with their peers ... and I've seen them just flourish in their ability ... to be a part of their school," according to district physical therapist Marnie Prandi, the grant recipient.
browsers books grants
Locally owned bookstore helps fill library shelves
Since 2019, downtown Olympia's Browsers Book Shop has provided more than $20,000 in funding for grants that allow teachers and librarians to establish or build classroom or school libraries.
These grants have proved so popular that the funds are exhausted by October of every school year.
Capital High School teacher Kelli Samson has received a couple of Browsers grants.
"In my current role as an (English-Language Arts) teacher, it's critical that I make books easily accessible to my students," she said. "Having books that I have purchased with a Browsers grant in my classroom means that my students don't need to buy their own for my assignments, or wait for someone to return a copy to the school library."
"I also feel strongly that all of my students see themselves in the books on my classroom shelves," Samson continued. "Browsers grants have allowed me to expand my collection of books written by Black, Latinx, Asian/Pacific Islander and Indigenous authors."
Browsers owner Andrea Griffith was awarded the inaugural Friend of the Foundation Award in October 2023 for her generosity -- and for empowering thousands of students through that support.