The Nebo Education Foundation is composed of 20 volunteer board members who live in cities serviced by Nebo School District. Board members meet each month to review and award grant requests, consider fund-raising avenues and other items that advance the educational opportunities for Nebo School District students. Many of the donations received are for selected projects, yet a substantial amount is available for the greatest need. Greatest need monies are considered for grants submitted by area schools.
These grants are funded through the fund-raising efforts of the Nebo Education Foundation board. One fund-raising effort is the annual “Green Fever” golf tournament that helps fund these various grants throughout the year. The “Green Fever” tournament will be Thursday, May 14, 2015. Also, the foundation accepts donations from individuals and businesses to support projects.
Congratulations to the following teachers that continue to bless the lives of students.
Brockbank – Kristel Peterson
Kristel Peterson said, “Hooray! Thank you, thank you, thank you! We are so excited to go to Salem Pond this year. There are so many opportunities that students participate in on this field trip that simply couldn't be experienced within the walls of our school. The pond and surrounding park provides a plethora of experiment options that reinforce concepts in our core in science (microorganisms), math (geometry), art (sketching) , and language arts (writing). It means so much to us to be able to provide them with this field trip. Thank you to the Nebo Foundation and Sapa for all they do for the students of Brockbank.”
Spanish Oaks – Deidi Dimmick
“We are so excited to receive this grant from the Nebo Foundation for Chromebooks for Spanish Oaks Elementary. Having these Chromebooks will help our students improve their typing skills, which will help with their online testing. They will also be able to use the Imagine Learning program, which supports them with their reading comprehension skills. Additionally, we will be able to participate in in-depth class research projects, and engage in more opportunities to publish student writing. Our goal for our classes is to give every student opportunities to be successful in life, and in their learning. The gift of these Chromebooks will go a long way in helping students succeed. Thank you, again, to the Nebo Foundation ... thank you so much for your support!” exclaimed Heidi Dimmick.
Art City – Principal Lori Nielsen
“Mr. Brad Gibson, a sixth-grade teacher at Art City Elementary, submitted a grant proposal to the Nebo Foundation and was awarded $800 for the purchasing of Chromebooks. The school matched the funds and eight Chromebooks were purchased. Some of the uses for the Chromebooks are "Alex" a math assistance website, "Utah Compose" a writing practice program where students can practice their writing, receive a score and immediate feedback,"Spelling City" a program to practice and improve spelling skills and many more uses. Thank you Mr. Gibson and Nebo Foundation for investing in our students.”
Brookside – Bridgette Sahlin
Ms. Sahlin said, “Thank you so much for helping to fund the use of technology in the classroom. We are living in world inundated with technology. We need to adapt our classrooms to reach the 21st Century Learner. Where ever we look or go, whatever we do, technology is part of our daily lives. Receiving these Chromebooks will give my students opportunities not possible in a classroom without technology. These Chromebooks will allow my students to explore the world around them. Students will have the ability to research topics of interest, take virtual field trips, practice core skills through the use of online games and activities, communicate with experts from around the world and collaborate with other students through Google Docs and other online programs.”
Wilson – Marina Terry
Marina Terry said, “Thank you so much!! I am so excited to receive new books for shared reading. I moved from 1st grade to 3rd grade this year and have quickly noticed that my students would greatly benefit from more time reading all together. They need to hear how reading sounds and be able to follow along as they listen. The transition from students reading out loud to reading to themselves silently can be difficult. These books will be extremely helpful with that transition. Thanks again, I can't wait to get some new books!”
Cherry Creek – Mari Kadish
“I am so excited to have received a grant from The Nebo Education Foundation to purchase Chromebooks for my preschool students. I plan on using these Chromebooks every day during center time. There are a lot of great educational websites that I know my students will love. The Chromebooks will help them prepare for Kindergarten in a fun and engaging way and they will be a great tool to have in my classroom. I am grateful to the foundation for helping me provide Chromebooks for my students and I know they will benefit from having them,” said Mari Kadish.
Goshen – Krista Openshaw
Krista Openshaw said, “Thank you so much for considering and accepting my grant proposal on behalf of Goshen School. We, as the fifth and sixth grade teams, appreciate the opportunity you are giving us to grow our upper level guided reading library. The reason I wrote this grant was because I noticed that our upper guided reading library was not very big; and although there are some really good books, some of them were lacking in the interest category. I decided that if we could get some new material, that might be more interesting for our upper grade students, they will enjoy guided reading instead of not being interested in it. For us, it means the world that the school district and their partners are just as invested in our students as we are. It will be great to get some new literature here for our students. Thank you again for helping us with this task.”
Maple Mountain High – Lori Zaremba, Tom Porter, Brad Burtenshaw, & Shauna Shepherd
“We are excited to receive a grant to be able to purchase a couple of high quality camcorders for the world language students to use. Every year, our students work in groups to make a movie as a part of their Foreign Film Festival Project. This is a project all the world language students work on, and for those who don't have access to a good camcorder, these camcorders will be a great resource. They can also be used for other student or teacher projects in filming interviews, narratives, and presentations in the target language. We appreciate the support of the Nebo Education Foundation in obtaining these camcorders which will benefit our students! Thanks so much!” stated Lori Zaremba.
Hobble Creek – Sara Beth Johnson
Sara Beth Johnson said, “The majority of students think of themselves as having certain identities as fiction readers. When you ask them what kind of reader they are, they might say they are fantasy readers or mystery readers. They know where to find their favorite authors and genres, and they are somewhat expert in them. With this grant, I will be able to help students develop that same sense of identity and expertise with informational books by building up and adding to the nonfiction section of my classroom library! A variety of texts and topics have been chosen so that the students are exposed to many styles of nonfiction. I am so grateful for all the books I will be able to purchase because of this grant. Thank you, Nebo Foundation!”
Hobble Creek – Joy Christensen
“Thank you so much to the Nebo Education Foundation for awarding a grant to help build my second-grade guided reading library. Without your help, I would not be able to buy the books necessary to have a good, consistent guided reading program. Your generosity will help many children throughout the years. Thank you,” said Joy Christensen.
Larsen – Heidi Taylor
Heidi Taylor said, “Thank you for granting my request to purchase Rigby books for my school leveled library. These books will be very helpful to beginning readers as well as their teachers as they prepare guided reading lessons. These books will provide emergent readers with appropriate sight words and patterns to help them learn and feel successful. The Rigby books will benefit many teachers in the school as well.”
East Meadows – Third Grade Team
“Thank you for the grant provided to our 3rd grade. We used this money to attend a field trip to the Salem Wetlands. Our students moved through various rotations to learn with hands-on guided instruction what the wetlands contained and how to protect the ecosystem. Students had been discovering wetlands in class, and they were able to have a greater understanding while being enveloped within it. We were very grateful for the money provided to help us with the transportation to and from the wetlands. Thanks you for the opportunity,” stated Suzanne Aguero.
Other grants awarded include:
Canyon – Sharlee Nuzman
Larsen – June Williamson
Spring Lake – Perry Ewell
