2025 – 26 Grants Funded By Your Gifts

Grant: Musical – The Music Man

  • Grade Level: 6–12

  • Teacher: Tiffany Howard

  • Awarded: $4,674

Tiffany Howard, PBL Chorus teacher, commented:

“The memorable evening was filled with high-quality theater, showing students the magic of Broadway right here in Central Illinois. Providing the opportunity to experience a professional musical production inspires students to create an exciting production of their own and gives them confidence in their ability to do so.”

Grant: JH Monthly Reading Challenge

  • Grade Level: 6–8

  • Teachers: Casey Knoll, Stacy Clark, Katrina Reber, Jamie Young, Cecilia Soto, Logan Harrison

  • Awarded: $4,500

ELA teacher Casey Knoll, who spearheaded the program, said:

“The kids were so excited about the prizes each month and read their hearts out this year!”

Grant: Fostering Literacy & Imagination Through Screen-Free Storytelling

  • Grade Level: 1

  • Teachers: Madelyn Garrison, Kara Kinzinger, Kourtney Brownfield, Kelly Neukomm

  • Awarded: $2,600

First grade teacher Madelyn Garrison noted:

“Students are now eager to visit the listening center, and the multisensory approach is doing wonders for building their fluency and reading comprehension. They are always excited to see the new Tonies on Monday morning to see what they get to learn about, and on Fridays they are choosing the auditory storytelling over screens 100% of the time. They are building independence and a genuine love for learning.”

Grant: Putting the ‘A’ in STEAM

  • Grade Level: 2–8

  • Teacher: Hillary Sawyer

  • Awarded: $1,000

Sawyer noted:

“Having these mediums has helped students gain a new perspective, allowing their unique ideas to take form, and they have learned how creating art affects the brain. This foundational experience has changed the way they think about the design process and is fostering a lifelong love of learning!”

Grant: JH Book Longevity Project

  • Grade Level: Junior High

  • Teacher: Hannah Bruens

  • Awarded: $995

Librarian Bruens commented:

“I have 141 books checked out to the repair cart, with an estimated 75% of those needing a binding repair of some kind. The CoverOne machine repairs the books with a quick, strong, clean repair. A repair that would normally take several days is now ready within an hour or two.”

Grant: Medieval Times Field Trip

  • Grade Level: 7

  • Teachers: Katrina Reber, Colette Lee, Jamie Young, Jodi Coplea, Chris Harper, Kris Ping, Kim Wagoner, Tyler Rubarts

  • Awarded: $5,000

Michael Tjarks shared:

“I just want to say thank you so much for funding the trip, and it is the most fun and crazy experience that I ever went to.”

Grant: Hands-on Phonics

  • Grade Level: Kindergarten

  • Teachers: Amanda Gooden, Anna Talbert

  • Awarded: $2,220

The interactive alphabet sets are specifically targeted to help teach alphabet knowledge, phonemic awareness, and early phonics, providing engaging, kinesthetic learning experiences for students in both whole-group and small-group settings.

Grant: Guitar Heroes: Strumming Toward Success

  • Grade Level: 4–5

  • Teacher: Lindsey Breymeyer

  • Awarded: $900

Clara Peterson Elementary Music Teacher Lyndsey Breymeyer shared:

“The guitars have brought a new level of excitement and ownership to my 5th grade music students!”

Grant: Down to Earth

  • Grade Level: 8

  • Teachers: Erica Manley, Jessie Marquis, Logan Harrison, Samantha Greiff, Michael Callahan, Cecilia Soto

  • Awarded: $1,000

Eighth grade students visited the Staerkel Planetarium last November and Middle Fork State Fish and Wildlife Area in April.

Grant: Let’s Make Spelling Fun

  • Grade Level: 4

  • Teachers: Angela Dirks, Taylor Walwer

  • Awarded: $450

Angela Dirks commented:

“The kids are enjoying the tablets and they have made the repetitiveness of learning spelling words much more fun!”

Grant: Panthers Protecting Lives: CPR Training

  • Grade Level: 9–12

  • Teacher: Kirsten Wyatt

  • Awarded: $120

The CPR program is a hands-on, interactive program that provides students with the critical skills needed to potentially save lives within our community and beyond. Twenty-six students participated in the training, gaining the knowledge needed to step forward in an emergency.