Nebo Education Foundation Gives Grants to Teachers

Submitted by lana.hiskey on

The Nebo Education Foundation board met in May, to discuss the many grants and needs across the district. This Foundation Board functions through generous donations made by individuals and businesses as well as fundraisers where all the money goes to educate students in Nebo School District. 

One fund-raising effort is the annual “Green Fever” golf tournament that helps fund these various grants throughout the year. It was held on Thursday, May 16, 2019, and would not have happened without the generous support of so many businesses and individuals. Thank you to all those that so generously supported Nebo students.

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

Brookside Elementary – Jordyn McNab
Jordyn McNab, special education teacher at Brookside, said, “The resource team at Brookside Elementary School was so excited to hear the news that our grant application was accepted by the Nebo Foundation! This grant is providing us with the matched funds to purchase four classroom Chromebooks, which will be used in the resource classroom to aid in effectively educating and accommodating students with disabilities. This resource will give us the ability to more effectively differentiate instruction to suit the needs of our students, specifically through the use of text-to-speech and dyslexic font software. It will also allow us to elevate our writing instruction by helping us explicitly teach our students the skill of typing and editing their written works, as well as providing extra keyboarding practice. This grant is not just giving the resource team Chromebooks, it is giving us a way to more effectively teach our students to communicate and express their thoughts, opinions and experiences. Therefore, by helping our team to provide our students more effective means of individualized instruction, the Nebo Foundation is helping to give our students a voice!”

Sage Creek Elementary – Ann Chen (Hsiao-Feng)
“I will use the grant for the class library books. In the 2nd grade Chinese Immersion Program, the concept of Math is taught in Chinese. Science and Social Study are taught in both Chinese and English. The books are great resource for discussion, deeper thinking, conversation practice and learning culture. Students enjoy reading but the Chinese reading material is very limited. I’d like to build up the class library with the books from the different subjects so students can get extra resources as they learn a new topic. Books are also the media for students to learn the language and culture,” stated Ann Chen (Hsiao-Feng), Chinese Immersion teacher at Sage Creek Elementary.

Sierra Bonita Elementary – Garrett Andersen
Principal Garrett Andersen said, “We are using the donation to purchase a swing that allows students in our Medically Fragile unit to swing in their wheelchairs. It will also help to purchase a canopy to go over the swing and a memorial bench in honor of students we have lost over the past few years from our class. We appreciate the Nebo Foundation and their generous donation toward making it possible for all students to be able to swing and enjoy what life has to offer.”

Sierra Bonita Elementary – Neisha Coutlee
“Thank you so much for your donation to my class! We are thrilled to be able to have 1:1 Chromebooks to finish out our year and use for years to come. With them, my students will be able to learn about the many tools available that are used in our world today. They will also deepen critical thinking skills, communication skills, and have unlimited ways to share their knowledge. Having 1:1 devices also provides a better way for me to teach digital citizenship. They can learn and explore on their own and at their own pace rather than sharing with a partner. Thank you again for your generosity!” exclaimed Neisha Coutlee, fifth-grade teacher at Sierra Bonita Elementary.
 
Payson Junior – Anne Purcell
Anne Purcell, math teacher at Payson Junior said, “Thank you Nebo Foundation for funding my grant! The money will be used to purchase class sets of calculators for each math teacher at Payson Junior High. The calculators are valuable tools that are essential in junior high math. Students use them all year and then on the RISE test at the end of the year. We encourage our students to purchase a calculator at the beginning of the year, but there are many who cannot afford one. Without this grant, it would be difficult to replace the calculators in classrooms that are not working anymore. Thank you for your generous support to the students at Payson Junior!” 

Taylor Elementary – Clint Cornwall
“Thank you so much for the grant!  We are so excited to get new books for the students of Taylor Elementary.  This money will be used to buy 312 books for our Title I library.  These sets of books will used by out Title I Technicians to provide the University of Utah's Early STEPS and Next STEPS programs.  Students who will receive this tier 2 intervention will love to have access to newer books and different stories. They will LOVE them!!” stated Clint Cornwall, educator at Taylor Elementary.

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. 

Attributions
By Lana Hiskey