District 58 Launches 'A Glance at our Grants' Series

Submitted by Downers Grove Grade School District 58.

District 58 invites the community to check out “A Glance at our Grants,” a new series that will highlight the Education Foundation of Downers Grove District 58’s teacher grant projects through short videos, photos and/or written stories. Its purpose is to feature the creative and inspiring work District 58 teachers and students are achieving with their grants!

The first episode, called “3D Printing at El Sierra,” demonstrates how El Sierra fifth graders are learning engineering, coding, creativity and problem-solving skills using the 3D printer that their teachers, Maura Vivona and Meg Rohlfing, received through an Education Foundation grant this year. View this 1.5-minute video at https://youtu.be/N9X77kjuhZE.

The Education Foundation annually awards grants to teachers and staff who have a good idea with a solid plan, but lack funding to implement it. Through a blind review process, the Education Foundation selects projects that show strong potential to impact instruction using innovative tools and/or techniques. Project proposals must align with the District’s curriculum goals and have measurable outcomes, among other requirements. This year, the Foundation awarded 22 grant projects totaling more than $22,000.

Future “A Glance at our Grants” stories will be posted online athttp://www.dg58.org/Page/11198, as well as on the District’s social media pages: YouTube at www.youtube.com/DownersGrove58, Facebook at www.facebook.com/district58 and Twitter at www.twitter.com/DGDistrict58.

Looking ahead, “A Glance at our Grants” will release episode two in December. This episode, called “Novel Ideas at Belle Aire,” will showcase how Belle Aire teacher Patricia Miller is using her grant funding to motivate her sixth graders to read and discuss more books.

For more information regarding “A Glance at our Grants,” please contact Megan Hewitt, community relations coordinator and “A Glance at our Grants” producer, at 630-719-5805 or mhewitt@dg58.org.