Mat-Su Schools Foundation teacher grants offered

MAT-SU — The Mat-Su Schools Foundation is accepting proposals for $500 teacher grants. Deadline for submission is Oct. 15.

Administrators, certified staff and students sponsored by certified staff may submit grant applications that show how a project will serve the needs of Mat-Su Borough School District students. The foundation is looking for creative ways teachers can excite and motivate students during the 2012-13 school year. An additional $1,000 grant, funded by Gorilla Fireworks, goes annually to a Houston-area school. Online applications and general information about Mat-Su Schools Foundation can be found at matsuschoolsfoundation.org/grants.html. Last year’s recipients:

• Fronteras Immersion Charter School teacher Hilarie Mauldin, who purchased MP3 players to aid Spanish language acquisition in school as well as in the home.

• Fronteras also got a grant for Connie Bamburg, who taught second- and third-grade students how to knit baby hats for the community using a loom.

• Glacier View School also got two grants. Teacher Mark Owen worked with students on using a computer-based interactive music education program. Joel Moorman’s greenhouse program allowed students to design and build a school greenhouse, and then grow plants and engage in other science-related activities.

• Big Lake Elementary teacher Stephen Moore purchased chess sets and other materials for a chess program.

• Talkeetna Elementary School teacher Catherine Nelson’s Alaska Native Drums program provided materials to make Alaska Native drums for school and community performances.

• Colony High School’s Jan Welsh used her grant award to expand the school’s recycling program, which special education students run.

• Goose Bay Elementary School received two grants. One went to teacher Heidi Johnson for a program that provides parenting materials and literacy resources to families and for holding parent workshops. The other helped teacher Sharon Johnson provide tubs of books, fiction and non-fiction, to first- and second-graders to help promote early interest in reading.

• Janis Mack, Carolyn Rains and Brian Cook at Wasilla Middle School explored “Shackleton’s Adventure” with materials and supplies for eighth-grade student simulation projects.

• Birchtree Charter School purchased materials for students to study basic laws of physics, electricity, magnetism, mechanics, sound, simple machines, light and optics.