The Classroom Grants program is our largest allocation. Teachers submit applications for funds for projects that will directly benefit students through innovative and creative teaching methods. Granted funds are awarded in November. This is such an exciting time for WEF, knowing that the money given directly impacts students and typically provides benefits for many years.
Questions can be directed to Allocations Chair, Erika Hudspeth at wef@wataugaschools.org.
The 2023-2024 Classroom Grants totaled $29,055!
Our teachers are redefining innovative classroom strategies and we are committed to supporting their bold new ideas.
2023-2024 Classroom Grant Recipients
Carol Cricher – Makey, Makey Engineers: Empowering Inventive Thinking in Students This grant will allow the purchase of Makey-Makey STEM Literacy packs: invention kits including circuit boards, wires, alligator clips and USB cables. Everyday objects turn into touchpads interacting with computers. The goals of this project include teaching students the basics of coding, circuitry and engineering. This will impact 100 students at Blowing Rock in grades 6-8.
Renee Kapp – Lovevery Play Kits This grant will purchase stage based developmentally appropriate play kits created by Lovevery that are designed to support brain development. This will impact 60 pre-K students with developmental delays as well as those with the need for specially designed instruction including academic, social emotional, behavioral, and adaptive behavior in all the county schools.
Mitzi London – Watauga County Schools Elementary and Middle School Battle of the Books This grant will allow the purchase of titles on the Elementary and Middle School North Carolina Battle of the Books lists. The books will directly impact 275 students in the 4th through 8th grades in all the county schools.
Joni Horine, Mitzi Triplett – Hardin Park Elementary Math Intervention Support Through Hands-On Learning This grant will fund a project to provide mathematical support of core foundational math concepts including number sense, place value, addition and subtraction, multiplication and division, time, money, algebraic expressions, and fractions. The funds will be used to purchase manipulatives and skill based games to support hands-on learning for students needing Tier III math interventions. This will impact 50 K-5th grade students at Hardin Park School.
Brittany Bolick – NASP (National Archery in Schools Program) This grant will allow the purchase of archery equipment to allow the teaching of the National Archery in Schools Program and will impact 230 students in the 4th through 8th grades at Blowing Rock School.
Carly Pugh – Social Studies through Stories This will allow the purchase of copies of a historical fiction novel called Ties That Bind, Ties That Break. This tells the story of “foot binding” in modern Chinese history, where women’s feet were broken and bound into a smaller shape. It will directly impact 28 students at Cove Creek School in 2023.
Olivia Boudwin, Shannon Roberts – The World Around Us The funds for this project will allow the purchase of the materials needed for a project that will create a space in which children can explore science through their senses and will impact 12 Pre-K students at Bethel School in 2023.
Kirbi Bell – Constitution Week Enhancements Through Literature This grant will allow the purchase of books to accompany the teaching of the Preamble to the Constitution for Constitution week and will directly impact 30 5th graders at Green Valley School.
Lauren Nichols Courtner, Savannah Libassi, Miranda Higginbotham, Terry Lyon – WCS All County Choir This grant will enable the purchase of the sheet music for each child for 3-5 pieces of music, the funds to hire a piano accompanist, and the funds to hire a guest clinician to direct the students in the all county choir concert. It will directly impact 200, 6th, 7th and 8th graders at all the county schools.
Carrie Ingram – Twas the Night Before Christmas, but Where? This grant will allow the purchase of materials to help provide background knowledge and collaboration for all students in grades K-5 who will attend a performance of “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” on December 13. It will directly impact 350 K through 5th graders at all county schools.
Lauren Johnson – Building Strong Readers: Implementing the Science of Reading with Young Readers This will allow the purchase of researched-based phonemic awareness and phonics materials that will be used to build the essential foundational reading skills in early struggling readers. It will directly impact 25 K through 5th graders at Green Valley School.
Allen Ingram – Potatoes from Around the World The funds for this project will allow the purchase of the materials needed for a project to plant potato seedlings from diverse areas around the world and the planters/materials to care for them. The project will study the different ways potatoes are grown and used all over the world. It will directly impact 80 7th and 8th graders at Valle Crucis School.
Alex Vines – Better Button Bureau- A Middle School Guide Through Entrepreneurship This grant will enable the purchase of supplies to explore the world of entrepreneurship. Students will learn how the math curriculum supports opening and growing a business. Students will work in groups to design and make spirit buttons to be sold in the spirit store and analyze profit margins and production costs. It will impact 60 7th and 8th graders at Hardin Park School.
Erik Mortensen – Automotive Improvement Plan This grant will allow the purchase of a new scan tool that will allow automotive students to talk to the computers on modern cars and trucks. This will impact 240 students at Watauga High School.
Mary Ruth Hagaman – Muddy Sneakers-The Joy of Learning Outside This will allow the continued funding for the Muddy Sneakers Program, which allows field expeditions to nearby public lands to study interactive STEM lessons outdoors. It will impact all 40 5th graders at Valle Crucis School.
Connie Peeler, Candice Collie – Be Active and Be Awesome! The funds for this project will allow the purchase of specialized adaptive physical education and physical therapy equipment to help serve students and their IEPs. It will directly impact 100 Pre-K through 8th grade students at all county schools.
Jennie Weschler, Annie Russ – G.O.L.D. (Growing in Our Love of Diverse) Mentor Texts This grant will allow the purchase of mentor texts that follow monthly themes. Through these texts, it will teach core reading and writing strategies, while also building strong vocabulary skills through grammar work. This will impact 23 students at Green Valley School.
Susan Trew – Granting Great Reads! This will allow the purchase of small group sets of book titles with 3rd to 6th grade reading levels to develop skills in all students. It will impact all 54 5th graders at Blowing Rock School.
Ashley Tate, Courtney McWhorter, Lindsey Postlethwait – Needle Felting: Making 3D Art from Natural Materials The funds for this project will allow the purchase of fiber art tools and materials for the visual art programs at six K-8 schools. It will provide the tools and materials necessary for students to creatively engage with fiber arts and create their own needle felted artwork. . It will directly impact 366 6th, 7th and 8th graders at Bethel, Blowing Rock, Cove Creek, Green Valley, Mabel and Valle Crucis Schools.
Candice Walker – School Tools for Emotional Regulation This grant will allow the purchase of one additional Calm Corner Tool Box for each school in Watauga County. Calm Corner is a space in a classroom or office where students choose to go to regulate emotion and prepare their brains for learning.This will allow teachers to have a box ready to go at each school. This will impact 225 students at all county schools.
Amanda Quilliams, Robin Smith – Cultivating Collaboration with Where the Red Fern Grows This will allow the purchase of copies of Where the Red Fern Grows to allow for collaborative study and interaction that will culminate with a trip to attend a theatrical production of the novel at the Barter Theater. This will impact 139 4th and 5th grade students at all county schools.
Shelby Hatton – VC Little Library The funds for this project will allow the purchase of the building materials for a free “Little Library” for the Valle Crucis Community. It will be constructed as part of the Valle Crucis School woodworking enrichment class. It will directly impact 344 students in all grades at Valle Crucis School.
Jackie Blow – Launch It! This grant will allow the purchase of Go Direct Projectile Launchers which will be used to demonstrate projectile motion, allow students to predict best launch angle for certain distances, and experiment with various angles of launch and resulting displacement. This will enhance study in Physics classes and directly impact 75 10th through 12th graders at Watauga High School.
Jane Brown, Elisa Lovejoy – Literacy Enrichment Stations This will allow the creation of interactive learning stations within the library that will foster a love for reading and make the book check-out process more efficient, allowing the librarian to provide individualized support and recommendations to each child. This will impact 135 K through 3rd grade students at Valle Crucis School.
Gwen Reeves, Hailey Aldridge – Reading and Writing “It is the WAY” The funds for this project will allow the purchase of decodable books to assist students with specific learning disabilities to be able to practice the skills they have learned to achieve fluency in reading. It will directly impact 31 students in K through 8th grades at Green Valley School.
Haylee Bare – Trailer and Outdoor Upgrades This will allow the purchase of a utility trailer and lumber/building materials needed for upgrades to outdoor facilities that will improve Career and Technical Education classes and specifically those related to hands-on learning in all areas of agriculture. It will directly impact 180 students at Watauga High School.
Sunnee Freed – Creating A Neurodiverse Library Environment For All Patrons The funds for this project will allow the purchase of new furniture for the library that appeal to all patrons and are specially designed for social emotional regulation and a variety of learning disabilities. It will directly impact 147 students in Pre-K through 8th grades at Mabel School.