Nebo Education Foundation Rewards Grants January 2017

Submitted by lana.hiskey on

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.   Anyone interested in the Nebo Education Foundation or who wish to make a donation for education is encouraged to contact Lana Hiskey by email lana [dot] hiskey [at] nebo [dot] edu, by phone 801-354-7400, or mail 350 South Main, Spanish Fork, UT 84660. 

Congratulations to the following teachers that continue to inspire the minds of students.

Spanish Fork Junior – Travis Moss
Travis Moss, Spanish teacher at Spanish Fork Junior, said, “As a Spanish department, we are so excited to be able to receive this grant!  These generous funds will help expand a collection of Spanish language novels that allow us to put comprehensible and interesting reading material in the hands of our students. Our junior high Spanish P.L.C. has been working hard to research and implement new techniques in bringing the language to our students, and these novels will be used within the group as we continue to move away from the traditional text book methods of instruction. Students have responded very well to the few novels that we already have, and this grant will help countless students in the district as they begin their language learning experience!  Thank you!”

Diamond Fork Junior – Susan Anderson
“Through the Nebo Foundation and matching funds, we were able to obtain a classroom set of the novel ‘The Wednesday Wars’ by Gary D. Schmidt. Set during the Vietnam War, this fabulous book is a coming of age narrative of a seventh grader's experiences. Through much humor, it teaches compassion, tolerance, loyalty, history, and Shakespeare. I have also been known to shed a few tears in front of my students while reading certain passages out loud. I am so excited for the opportunity to teach this book to my seventh graders at Diamond Fork!” exclaimed Susan Anderson, English teacher at Diamond Fork Junior. “Thank you Nebo Foundation!”

Mt. Loafer Elementary – Nikki Trythall & Jen Lundquist
Nikki Trythall, fourth-grade teacher at Mt. Loafer Elementary, said, “We are going to be using this grant in so many different areas in our day. In reading, we are analyzing fairy tales. We are going to read ‘The Witches’ and ‘The BFG’ together as a class identifying the fairy tale elements. After we finish, we will do a unit on drama and how drama works in our reading. After our drama unit, we are going to integrate our fairy tale analysis with drama. The students will rewrite a classic fairy tale as a drama. For example, we will be using the play write of the ‘Witches’ to identify how the book was adapted into a drama. In math, there are activity cards that the students can use to review concepts. The cards have lines for the kids to say just like a drama. For example, one card will say: (In a confused voice) ‘I cannot remember what a prime number is.’  The students will read these cards using the concepts we have learned through our drama unit on how to read lines and project our voices using expression all the time reviewing key concepts in math! I am so excited to integrate the arts into so many areas of our day! Thank you!”

Barnett Elementary – Krissy Johnson
“We use Chromebooks every day in fourth grade. Our students use them for reading comprehension, to extend math skills and understandings, to research and write papers and to do interactive activities in science and social studies. We have really made it a priority to give our students experiences with technology. However, we have to shuffle the Chromebooks around several times each day to give all students opportunities to use them. Scheduling can be difficult. Trying to get enough Chromebooks for everyone who needs one in our fourth-grade classes has been difficult. Through this generous donation, we will no longer have this problem. We will have enough Chromebooks to fully utilize the programs available to us. Thank you,” stated Krissy Johnson, fourth-grade teacher at Barnett Elementary.

Brockbank Elementary – Kristi Jensen
“I am so excited about receiving this money for the grant. I teach an elementary aged self-contained special education classroom.  We have a focus on academics, but my students are developmentally behind. I have worked and reached the goal of having one-to-one iPads in my classroom. However, one of the areas in which my students struggle is the use of headphones. I have the big bulky headphones, and it is hard to keep them on the their heads and the cords get all tangled up. I have tried the ear buds, and they really don't like the sensation of the buds in their ears and still again the cords get all tangled up. We spend quite a bit of time assisting the students with the use of the headphones, which I feel takes away from their learning time,” said Kristi Jensen, special education teacher at Brockbank Elementary. “I was extremely excited to find these headphones that are in a headband. The students will be able to easily slip on the headband and the headphones will be in place! I think it will be very easy and quick and also very comfortable for the students. I anticipate that it will enhance their learning and also create more independence for my students.”

Diamond Fork Junior – Blair Bingham
“The Nebo Education Foundation has provided funds for my classroom to help me purchase a Chromebook cart. Teaching mathematics, I use several different programs, such as ALEKS, Sage Formative, and Kahoot.  These programs are used to help my students gain a better understanding about mathematics and to practice skills needed to succeed in mathematics. I now have a way to store, recharge, and protect my Chromebooks, so my students may use them anytime to check grades and learn mathematics. My students and I are grateful to the Nebo Education Foundation for providing us a way to have and maintain technology in the classroom, and helping students become 21st century learners. Thank you Nebo Education Foundation!” responded Blair Bingham, math teacher at Diamond Fork Junior.

Attributions
Lana Hiskey