2023 Educational Mini-Grant Awards Announced by the Door County Community Foundation

~ kaciemueller

The Door County Community Foundation is excited to announce that the Educational Mini Grant program has awarded 13 grants totaling $5,000 to schools throughout Door County for the 2023-2024 school year. 

The Educational Mini Grants provided by the Max and Gayle Laird Education Fund, a component Fund of the Door County Community Foundation, assist school personnel seeking ways to improve and enhance the educational experience of Door County students. Projects are intended to engage students in activities that are innovative, creative, supplemental to the regular school curriculum, and that are not currently funded through school budgets. The mini grants can fund up to $500 per project.

The four Door County school districts receiving grants for the current school year include Gibraltar, Sevastopol, Sturgeon Bay, and St. John Bosco Catholic School. Awards were given to the following projects:

  • Elementary students will participate in kinesthetic movement, create art, and play music with nearly 20 different community artists through an Artist Showcase.
  • English Language Learners in middle and upper elementary grades will have a new library of beginning reader books that look like the more advanced books read by their peers with Decodable Readers for English Learners.
  • Third grade students will attend a Door Community Auditorium Performance of “The Fourth Wall” to expose students to live theater, chamber music, dance, and acrobatics.
  • Fourth grade students will collaborate with their community to create an End of Year Service Project.
  • Many students find it difficult to sit still in a regular chair and focus all day; Flexible Seating Options will provide multiple seating options to help students stay seated longer and concentrate on the tasks at hand.
  • Games Galore will connect English Language Learners and primarily English-speaking students through board games to help students build relationships, use problem-solving skills, think outside the box to achieve a goal, and balance multiple objectives at once.
  • A Hydroponics Indoor Garden will provide elementary students with an opportunity to participate in all aspects of growing food which will then be used by the school lunch program, families in need, and Feed & Clothe My People.
  • Marty the Robot is a programmable robot that will be used by 6th graders learning block code, elementary students learning about technology, and an afterschool robot club open to middle and high school students.
  • The Outdoor Education Experience will bring an expert from the Ridges Sanctuary to teach students about nature, environmental stewardship, and science in Sevastopol’s Eco-lab.
  • School Clubs for Sunrise Students connect students to one another and faculty members in small group settings doing activities that they love.
  • A newly formed middle and high school Esports team will be able to include more students and compete against others in the Wisconsin High School Esports Association with support for their School Esports.
  • STEM/STEAM Bins for Technology will provide hands-on, realistic opportunities for students in 4k-4th grade to learn more about Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math.
  • When students need clothing and toiletries, they will be able to discreetly receive these items at the Sunrise Comfort Closet.

Max and Gayle Laird, both former educators, generously established the Max and Gayle Laird Education Fund to support school programming throughout Door County. In perpetuity, the Laird family will help fund creative and collaborative programming provided by teachers, lunchroom staff, educational aids, club leaders, and other school personnel to enhance educational opportunities for area students.

To learn more about applying for an Educational Mini Grant or establishing a Fund at the Door County Community Foundation, please contact the Philanthropic Services Team at (920) 746-1786 or donorservices@givedoorcounty.org.

The Door County Community Foundation, Inc. is a collection of separate charitable funds set up by individuals, families, non-profit organizations, private foundations, and businesses that are managed, invested, and disbursed for the current and future good of Door County. The Community Foundation was launched in 1999, currently administers more than $50 million in assets, and distributes more than $5 million to charities in Door County every year. For more information about the Door County Community Foundation, visit us online at www.GiveDoorCounty.org.

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