Eudora, KS: The Eudora Schools Foundation (ESF) announced today that they awarded more than $32,000 to fund 24 teachers’ innovative programs in the Eudora school district. The grants help teachers establish programs to enhance student learning and success. The ESF has awarded over 200 grants and funded over $200,000 in classroom educational initiatives since 2006. 

“Educator Excellence Grants provide a unique window into the hopes and dreams of our teachers,” said Frances Lyons, ESF President. “Teachers tell us what will make a difference in their classrooms, based on their expert knowledge and the needs of students in our community. The Foundation responds by bringing their ideas to life, due to the generosity of our incredible donors. The support is impactful, long-lasting and a true testament to the power of collaboration across our district.” 

The chosen projects will benefit students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Examples of the grants proposed include STEM projects, career exploration, music education, and cross-curricular education. Grants were awarded in the following amounts:

Eudora Elementary School: $17,000

Eudora Middle School: $7,000

Eudora High School: $8,500

Individual school grants and award recipients are listed below:

Eudora Elementary School

• Calm, Comfort, and De-escalation Initiative – equips the K-5 WEBS Program with sensory and comfort items to enhance emotional regulation and de-escalation efforts. By integrating movement and sensory tools, students will better manage stress, thrive academically, and develop independent coping strategies. Grant Recipients: Dave Powers, Megan Perry, & Christy Boyer

• Cup Stacking – brings the world-renowned sport of cup stacking to all elementary physical education classes, this project promotes fine and gross motor skill development, fitness, and concentration for students of all abilities. Grant Recipient: Meghan Bettis

• edZoocation – enhances science learning for her fourth-grade students by bringing in monthly wildlife boxes containing educational materials, crafts, and conservation information. Grant Recipient: Nicole Murphy

• Ernie Miller Nature Presentations – engages fourth-grade students in interactive presentations on history and science, guided by experts from the Ernie Miller Nature Center. This hands-on learning experience will enhance students' understanding of Kansas history and animal structures. Grant Recipient: Corinne Dunn

• Fine Motor Promoter – develops robust fine motor skills, enhancing hand strength, writing abilities, and visual motor skills through fun, manipulative-based activities for students receiving occupational therapy services. Grant Recipient: Taylor Gillihan

• Good Vibrations – provides vibroacoustic tools for sensory processing support, this project will help K-5 students with sensory processing challenges by improving body awareness, coordination, and emotional regulation. Grant Recipient: Jenn Ducey 

• Kindergarten Alcove Adventures! – engages Kindergarten students in dramatic and collaborative play, fostering growth in both academic and social areas.This project transforms unused alcoves in the kindergarten pod into interactive play centers designed to develop social skills, cognitive abilities, and problem-solving skills. Grant Recipients: Paige Hayden, Lynae Rebman, Ellie Lewis, Courtney Neas, Brandy Claire, Stephanie Jacobs, & Kassi Mountain

• Math Mania – fosters third grade students critical thinking and problem-solving while making math intervention sessions fun and engaging with interactive math games. Grant Recipients: Megan White & Payton Knoll

• Moving Towards Success – provides bouncy bands to help fifth-grade students improve focus and concentration by allowing them to release excess energy discreetly during class. Grant Recipient: Adrianne O'Grady

• Percussion Power! – provides full sets of percussion instruments for K-5 music classes, allowing all students access to music education that promotes rhythmic skills, cultural awareness, and teamwork. Grant Recipients: Jessica Vanstory and Kate Washburn

• Reflex Integration – develops students’ primitive reflexes that interfere with learning, improving body awareness, scanning, reading, and writing skills. This initiative helps K-6 students utilizing occupation therapy services. Grant Recipient: Michele Fairchild

• STEM Bins – engages third-grade students in hands-on engineering, building, and problem-solving activities that promote creativity and innovation. Grant Recipients: Payton Knoll and Megan White

• Active Seating – provides fourth-grade students with sensory input and core strengthening seating, helping those with ADHD, ADD, and others needing movement to improve focus and learning outcomes. Grant Recipient: Theresa Wilcox

Eudora Middle School

• 8th Grade Student Led Career Fair  – enhances all of the 8th-grade students' career exploration with real-life, hands-on project experience where they can gain and practice necessary ELA skills through research, writing, and presentation, along with applied knowledge of an occupation as they prepare for career development and post-secondary education. Grant Recipients: Michelle Plegge, Jamie Meyers, & CherrieAnn Lindsey

• Cardinal Calming Corner  – provides a safe, sensory-focused environment designed to support students’ emotional regulation and social skills. The room will offer tools and activities that address diverse sensory needs, fostering a calm and inclusive atmosphere for all students. Grant Recipients: Mandy Shockley, Dallas Seyler, Kayla Washee, & Susan Carnagie

• Heart Rate Monitors – allows health and physical education students to track cardiovascular activity during workouts. The real-time feedback encourages self-regulation and promotes a deeper understanding of personal fitness and health. Grant Recipients: Brandon Parker & Mitch Tegtmeier

• Merge Cubes – enhances students’ understanding of science concepts through augmented reality technology with 3D STEM objects and simulation. Grant Recipient: Barbie Grado

• Model Steam Engines – enriches eighth-grade students' understanding of the Industrial Revolution through the construction and operation of a model steam engine, connecting history with engineering and innovation. Grant Recipient: Lee Minton 

Eudora High School

• Enhancing Teaching Experiences Through High-Utility Resources – equips Teaching Pathway students and high school staff with versatile hands-on teaching tools, such as manipulatives and game accessories, to foster engaging, student-centered instruction. Grant Recipient: Katelyn Kellerman 

• Ice Ice Chemistry – enhances students' understanding of water properties and bonding behaviors of water molecules with magnetic models of water, in addition, providing the chemistry, physics, and biology labs a table-top ice maker to use throughout the science department for experiments. Grant Recipient: Morning Pruitt 

• (More!) Science Games – introduces students to interactive learning on topics like environmental science and energy management through science-themed board games such as "Power Grid" and "Daybreak." Grant Recipient: Eric Magette

• Piecing It Together – provides 7th-12th grade students the opportunity to develop entrepreneurial skills by transforming donated T-shirts into personalized quilts. Through hands-on experience in sewing and design, students will create unique quilts that will be raffled at community events to raise funds for the FACS program, encouraging sustainability, creativity, and community involvement. Grant Recipient: Renee Mueting

• Por Amor a la Lectura (For the Love of Reading) – enhances literacy, fluency, and cultural awareness by providing leveled novels for students enrolled in high school Spanish. Free-choice reading helps students build communication skills and develop a love for the Spanish language. Grant Recipients: Katelyn Kellerman & Anna Jackson 

• Project Runway Part I – allows students to immerse themselves in hands-on fashion design experiences, creating and altering garments in the Essentials of Fashion and Interior Design class. This project provides mannequins and materials for students to explore the world of fashion and develop creative and technical skills. Grant Recipient: Renee Mueting

The Eudora Schools Foundation is a nonprofit organization 501(c)(3) that generates resources, builds relationships, and champions public education in Eudora public schools. Founded in 2006, the Foundation exists to enhance the quality of education through partnerships with the community. Expenditures are primarily directed toward enhancing classroom instruction and impacting the broadest number of Eudora students. https://www.eudoraschoolsfoundation.org 

###