The Munster Education Foundation (MEF) approved nearly $42,000 in grants to support high-quality education and learning experiences at Munster schools during its monthly meetings in August, September and October, with just over $9,000 awarded in August, nearly $15,000 awarded in September and nearly $18,000 awarded in October.
This is the first school year MEF has gone from biannual distribution of grants to monthly distributions to Munster schools, teachers, and co-curricular programs. Educators and administrators throughout the School Town of Munster may apply for the grants, which span an array of initiatives, from foundational academics to whole-child supports, professional development, and co-curricular enhancements at the classroom level, grade level, school level, and even district-wide.
“Last year, MEF nearly doubled its grant-making budget, awarding $40,525 in grants across five schools in the School Town of Munster," said Tricia Shelton, President of the Munster Education Foundation. “While we have worked to increase our budget the past few years, this year, in honor of our 30th anniversary and thanks to numerous generous donations, we are able to triple our budget as we look to spend $120,000 this year.”
Examples of grants awarded during the most recent grant cycle include:
• $5,000 for the development of a learning lab at Eads Elementary School that will strengthen reading comprehension and promote higher levels of collaboration and engagement
• Nearly $3,600 for the purchase of math and language arts software at Eads Elementary that will help fifth graders advance their skills with individualized instruction
• More than $3,200 for the purchase of robots and challenge sets for the Wilbur Wright Middle School LEGO Robotics League and payment of associated fees
• More than $2,200 for the purchase of a Pear deck at Wilbur Wright Middle School that will enable all language arts teachers to develop highly interactive, personalized content to close gaps in learning
• More than $1,500 for the Eads Reads program to purchase classroom and tabletop easels that will be used to improve reading comprehension in second-grade students
• About $1,000 for tools to help students with IEPs or who are in the alternative education program stay organized
• $900 in “Glow Day” supplies that will introduce creative ways to learn math at Wilbur Wright Middle School
• $425 for the Eads Elementary robotics program to purchase a field/game element kit and pay for contest registration
The grants awarded by MEF in October support 2,905 student touches. In total, grants awarded by MEF during the first three months of the 2022-2023 school year support 4,858 student touches.
Since 1992, MEF has been a nonprofit organization supporting innovative and experiential learning in the School Town of Munster through partnerships with educators, parents, businesses, and the greater community. Donations to MEF from individuals, businesses and philanthropic organizations fund grants awarded to Munster schools. For more information, visit www.munstereducationfoundation.org.
At Eads Elementary, grants from the Munster Education Foundation funded "Secret Stories," a multisensory phonics program that accelerates mastery of phonics skills.