$28K In Grants Awarded To 20 HCPSS Educators

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Educators with the Howard County Public School System have been awarded more than $28,000 in grants by the Bright Minds Foundation, the school system’s education foundation.

The grants will fund 20 innovative instructional projects during the 2024-2025 school year.

The 2024 grant recipients and their projects are as follows:

• Elizabeth Arbaugh, Guilford Park HS, Teamwork and Creative Problem Solving with LEGOS Building Blocks – Building soft skills such as communication, collaboration and problem solving in the high school technical program
• Kristen Bacon & Marianne Thayer, Stevens Forest ES, Drumagination – Fostering a Sense of Belonging through Musical Expression
• Dawn Currie-Scott & Phil Johnson, Glenelg HS, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks – Biological discovery, ethics, and local history through a book study about Henrietta Lacks’ incredible HeLa cells
• Morgan Foos, Burleigh Manor MS, Getting Ready for 6th Grade – A Book Study Pilot to Ease the Transition to Middle School
• Julia Harris, Cradlerock ES, Headphones for Students – Improving the Quality of Media Center Learning Experiences for All Students
• Rick Hollenbeck, Mount View MS, Enhancing Learning Through Digital Engagement – Empowering Students with Recorded Lessons
• Kelly Kessler, Homewood Center, Centered on Students – Coming Together as a Homewood Center Community through Family and Community Engagement
• David Klotz, Guilford Park HS, TechHands: Empowering STEM Innovation with Vernier Science Probeware and Experiment Software
• Micah Levine, Clarksville ES, Creating the Future With Ozobots! – Introducing elementary students to computer science through robotics
• Jill Lieberman, Ilchester ES, Listen to Literacy – Screen-Free Listening Centers
• Donna MacDonald, Cedar Lane School, Equity, Accessibility, and Empowerment of Special Needs Students through 3-D Technology
• Ashleigh Magrin, Oakland Mills HS, Oakland Mills Food Pantry – Increasing Food Security for Columbia Families
• Amy Mongano, Mt. Hebron HS, Hydroponics in the Classroom – Teaching Sustainable Farming Practices through Scientific Inquiry
• Liz Morath & Jocelyn Salinas, Worthington ES, Sensory Soothing Classrooms for Self Regulation – Regional Program Starter Pack
• William Perez & Kim Kennedy, Hanover Hills ES, Get a Running Start to Lifetime Fitness! Integrating Fitness throughout the Curricula using Fitness Trackers
• Brittany Robey, Homewood Center, Homewood for Horses – A community-based learning opportunity with Safe Haven Equine Warriors Horse Rescue
• Dallas Rosenthal, Cedar Lane School, Seeds of Greatness – A seed-planting project fostering cross-curricular connections and culminating in the Spring Plant Palooza
• Lori Rudolph, HCPSS Vision Services, From Soup to Nuts: Empowering Students with Visual Impairments in Independent Living Skills through Experiential Learning Beginning with Cooking
• Meghan Walker, Oakland Mills MS, Lights, CAMERA, Action! – Hands-on Filmmaking and Photography Experience for Middle School Students
• Michael Zoltoski & Kathy Wojcik, Applications and Research Lab (ARL), Landscape Architecture Project – A joint effort across the Civil Engineering & Architecture Academy, the Agriculture Academy, and the Career & Community Exploration Academy