2017-18 Classroom Grants

Every year the Olathe Public Schools Foundation awards $100,000 in classroom grants to Olathe District educators. Grants are awarded in three cycles to support innovation, need and art in the classroom. Click here for more information about the OPSF classroom grant program.

2017-2018 Grant Recipients

Cycle I

  • Bentwood Elementary - Busy Bins - Nancy Smith
  • Briarwood Elementary - BACK TO BASICS: Using Purposeful Play to Promote Fine and Gross Motor Skills - Sharla Sommer and Ginny Stimac
  • California Trail Middle School - Deciphering the Code - CT DNA Electrophoresis - Meg Richard and Adam Goad
  • Chisholm Trail Middle School - Silent Brass Mutes in the Band Classroom - Owen C. Evans
  • Chisholm Trail Middle School - 3-D Design and Printing - David Haines
  • Claire Learning Center - Calm Classrooms in the Midst of Chaos - Rob Shipley
  • Countryside Elementary - Building to Learn - Alison Berg and Kari Coen
  • Indian Creek Elementary - Technology for the 21st Century Student - Chelsea Harris
  • Indian Trail Middle School - Help for Billy Book Study - Tim Murray
  • Mission Trail Middle School - Classroom Breakout - Kristin Fulps
  • Olathe Advanced Technical Center - Classroom to Community Service - Amy Stolz
  • Olathe East - Three-Dimensional Art Studio Renovation - John Derby
  • Olathe North Olathe North - CBR Business Project - Andy Casptermeyer and Colleen Farthing
  • Olathe Northwest High School - BRIGHT IDEAS and Critical Skills in PHYSICS! - Chris Zuck, Dina Wingfield, Matt Peterie, Drew Smith, and Tim Kuhlman
  • Olathe Northwest High School - Mirrors & Windows Book Clubs - Jessica Skoglund & Angie Powers
  • Olathe Northwest High School - PE Activities Project Spikeball - Christiane Branstrom
  • Olathe Northwest High School -  Pottery Wheels - Tim Barnes
  • Olathe Northwest High School - SEW Artful - Lisa Hirsch
  • Olathe South High School - OS LMC Makerspace - Megan Roberts
  • Olathe South High School - Bench Expansion in the Greenhouse - Graham Rees
  • Olathe South High School - Throwing for the Future - Julie Weatherford
  • Oregon Trail Middle School - Breakout of the Social Studies Class - Amanda Magee
  • Regency Place Elementary - "Chillax" - Greg Oborny and Shelley Blackwell
  • Santa Fe Trail Middle School - How to Think Not WHAT to Think - Summer Cowic

 

Cycle II

  • All OPS middle schools - Lights Up on Olathe Middle School Theatre - Dana Davis, Rachel Hoyer, and Jodie Buster
  • Briarwood Elementary - Wake up with STEM Bins! - Ariel Jankord
  • Central Elementary - BAM! Central Goes Graphic! - Dana Hinds, Kim Currie, Sarah Kennedy, and Dana Walker
  • Chisholm Trail Middle School - Makey Makey Invention Kits and Chibitronics Circuits - Brett Hartin
  • Claire Learning Center - Teaching Life Skills - Angela Gill
  • Frontier Trail Middle School - Narrative Non-Fiction for Young Adult Readers - Amy Hart-Geraldi
  • Heatherstone Elementary - Heatherstone Husky TV - Julie Moore
  • Indian Creek Elementary - Lego Robotics Kits - Melissa Davies
  • Millbrooke Elementary - Speech Buddies - Kelly Zarifa
  • Mission Trail Middle School - Changing the Culture of Literacy in Science - Danielle Riney
  • Mission Trail Middle School - Innovative Classroom Grant - Darcy Rasmussen
  • Olathe East High School - Promoting Leadership, Soft Skills, and Real-World Application in the English I Classroom - Kari Howell
  • Olathe North High School - Blended Learning Book Study - Jane Bush
  • Olathe North High School - Testing for College Success - Katelyn Girod and Gwendolyn Jacobs
  • Oregon Trail Middle School - Creating 21st Century Scholars - Jessica Sadler
  • Santa Fe Trail Middle School - Cyclone Calming Room - Jennifer Slaven
  • Westview Elementary - Achieve the Core: Digging Deeper into Reading Using Picture Books - Christine Wiles
  • Westview Elementary - Building Upon Our Museum - Erika Moreland and Jessica Kilby

 

Cycle III 

  • Library STEM Labs, Jennifer Bell, Black Bob Elementary
  • Ecology Encounters, Whitney Overman, Fairview Elementary
  • Gator Innovators, Dr. Todd Wheat and Lauranne Hess, Green Springs Elementary
  • HC Can Help Billy and Annie, Angie Dorrell, Leslie McKinley, Kelly Burnham, Aaron Miller, Havencroft Elementary
  • 7th Grade Career Pathways Fair, Angie Salava, IRC
  • Building a Career, David Pfortmiller, OATC
  • Olathe East Gardening Initiative, Jacob Sawyer, Olathe East High School
  • 21st Century Technology for Future Filmmakers of Tomorrow, Kathleen Smith, Olathe Northwest High School
  • Breakout EDU Kits, Lorranda Baldridge, Olathe Northwest High School
  • Digital Spectrophotometers for Biology, Chuck Lunney, Olathe Northwest High School
  • Fairview Community Garden Project, Tim Oberhelman , Olathe Northwest High School
  • Olathe South Cross-Country Library, Zach Pope, Olathe South High School
  • Olathe West Writing Center and Literay Hub, Peter Mishler, Olathe West High School
  • Wise Owls Book Club, Abigail Crane, Olathe West High School
  • SOAR Theatre Outreach, Alisha Morris, Olathe West High School & SOAR
  • Sculpting the Future, Amber Dalzell, Prairie Learning Center
  • Steely Jam!, Kody Willnauer, Regency Place, Scarborough, Arbor Creek, and Madison Place
  • Creating a Passion for Reading, Susan Kempin and Maggie Richardson, Ridgeview Elementary
  • Summer Learning at Ridgeview, Kim Thorup, Ridgeview Elementary
  • Targeting Math at RR, Amanda Adee, Rolling Ridge Elementary
  • SFT Block Party, Terri Thomas and Zach Pope, Santa Fe Trail Middle School
  • Promoting Functional/Expressive Language Through Sensory, Play, Movement, and Fine Motor Activities, Shanna Swan and Jennifer Helverson, Tomahawk Elementary