The Nebo Education Foundation meets each month at 7:00 a.m. to discuss submitted educational grant proposals for students in Nebo School District. One of the goals of the foundation is to fund worthwhile projects in the district that provide resources to enrich student learning.
Vice President Marla Bird said, “It is so rewarding to visit schools and present our wonderful, creative teachers with a check to fund their grant proposal. Their enthusiasm and excitement is contagious! The students are equally excited about new opportunities in their classroom. It is always a heartwarming experience. We are so grateful for our community and business partnerships that allow us to support our teachers and students. We truly live in the best area!”
Congratulations to the following teachers that continue to inspire the minds of students.
Springville High – Tara Hall
Tara Hall, physical education teacher at Springville High, said, “The grant money awarded to me and my students allows me to purchase enough kickboxing bags and gloves for a full class of students, in addition to a full set of dumbbells. This equipment will give my students opportunities to experience every component of fitness, including cardiovascular endurance, muscle strengthening & endurance activities and flexibility, in addition to actually applying many of the curriculum concepts and other valuable skills related to core PE learning standards. Along with the many application learning experiences this equipment will provide, the MOST important opportunity it provides is for the students to engage in exercise that is enjoyable to them! Many of them do not get the opportunity to experience group aerobics, particularly kickboxing, because of the specialized equipment it requires. My mission as a high school PE teacher is to expose students to different exercise activities that exist so they may be more motivated to seek out life-long fitness on their own, which in turn will provide them all the benefits that having a physically active lifestyle can provide, including longer quality of life and happiness. If what I teach them now can influence students to have a greater desire to prioritize fitness and make decisions that increase their health, happiness, and quality of life, I will take every opportunity I can and try to do just that! Thank you for your support in my efforts to teach and inspire!”
Springville Junior – Elizabeth Denis
“I am very excited to receive this grant for a young adult Spanish library in my classroom! Research has continued to show that learning to read in one's first language in school helps in various ways. For example, children who are exposed to age-appropriate books and literature in their native language develop stronger literacy skills than children who are only exposed to books in their second language (Association for Childhood Education International, 2003). In addition, children who learn to read in their native language first will have an easier time learning to read in their second language (Anstrom, 1999). This affects not only the process of reading, but also attaining proficiency in a second language. In most cases, children learn new languages rather quickly, but without a strong cognitive function in their first language, they tend ‘to take much longer to acquire cognitive academic language skills in the second language’ (Ramirez et.al, 1991). For me, this awareness holds great implications for my multi-language learners. I'm thrilled to be able to provide literary access to my students in their first language. Thank you Nebo Foundation and Springville Junior High for making this a possibility!” stated Elizabeth Denis, Spanish teacher at Springville Junior.
Cherry Creek Elementary – Christy Nielson
Christy Nielson, instructional coach at Cherry Creek Elementary said, “I am so grateful to the Board for granting us the funds to purchase High Interest/Low Level phonics books for our amazing teachers to use in small-group instruction. Teachers in grades 3-5 can now have more choices in accessing text that appeals to older students, while still helping them work with the skills they need to decode. I'm excited to see the great things our teachers can do with these exciting texts! Thank you for your generosity!”
Brookside Elementary – Kara Richins
“Thank you so much for informing me that we were selected to receive a grant from the Nebo Education Foundation. We plan on using the money to purchase a show kit from MTI (Music Theater International) to be able to put on a school play this year. The kit includes a directors script and instructions, student scripts, digital music to use for practice and performances, digital choreography, and all the digital media to promote our play. We will be putting on HONK! Jr. April 18, 20, and 22, 2022. We will be holding auditions and starting rehearsal as soon as we get back from Christmas break. I am so excited to give these students this opportunity!” exclaimed Kara Richins, teacher at Brookside Elementary.
Springville Junior – Elizabeth Hylton
“Thank you, Nebo Education Foundation, for approving my grant request for the graphic novels for my Special Education classroom. I teach students with varying levels of reading comprehension and a desire to read,” said Elizabeth Hylton, special education teacher at Springville Junior. “Having a wide selection of books available for my students to choose from has inspired them to read more. Since receiving the new books, I've had a new book checked out during each class period multiple times during the week. The graphic novels will have a positive impact on increasing student engagement and willingness to read in and outside of the classroom. I'm looking forward to seeing the love of reading grow in each of my students. Thank you.”
Other Grants Given:
Springville Junior, Brooke George & Melanie Jensen
The Nebo Education Foundation continues to need funds to give these worthwhile learning grants. Anyone interested in donating to Nebo District schools, classes or programs can do so through the Nebo Education Foundation which is a 501 (c) (3) organization created to bring businesses and donors together for the benefit of Nebo District school children. Your contribution is a tax deductible charitable gift as provided by law. Contact Lana Hiskey at 801-354-7400, email lana [dot] hiskey [at] nebo [dot] edu or mail to 350 South Main, Spanish Fork, UT 84660.
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