Teachers apply for mini-grants through a grant proposal distributed each year by the district office. Applications are reviewed each fall by the CEF Mini-Grant Committee. Those awarded mini grants are then able to use those funds toward the cost of materials and items necessary to complete each project.

2016 Mini-Grants

Update February 24, 2017 (C-T) - For the first time since its inception, the Education Foundation was able to distribute a second round of mini-grants throughout the R-2 School District. With money left over from past fundraising efforts the foundation was able to fund five more grant request, so the Prize Posse hit the streets to see teachers from around the district. At Central School, Libby Howe and Ellen Gott were awarded $500 for the Children Reaching Engineering And Technology Expectations project for the entire fourth and fifth grade. The 3rd grade team was awarded $499 for their Happy Birthday Missouri project. Shaylee Rademacher was awarded $500 for her project, Great American Total Solar Eclipse project for seventh grade science. Amy Peoples was awarded $499 for her Engineering Design in MS Sciences, for 6th-8th grade science classes. And Kathi Barnes was awarded $487.08 for her Cupcake Wars project for her high school FACS class. In total, the Education Foundation awarded $2485.08 in a second round of approved mini-grants and a total of $6995.77 for the 2016-2017 school year.

Prize Posse Visits Schools 
By Jaime Saucedo
October 3, 2016

Led by foundation president, Ed Douglas, the Mini Grants program was designed to help teachers who look ahead at how to reach students in more dynamic ways. This program allows teachers the power to advance their approach, and how students meet their curriculum requirements, through the assistance that these grants provide. Grant writers must state their case in their application and meet the program criteria. A committee comprised of board members awards grants based on an applicant's creativity, innovation, and the number of students that will be served. Chillicothe School Superintendent, Dr. Roger Barnes, explained that the committee also looks for granting opportunities that go beyond school means and otherwise would not be feasible. Grant applications covered various subjects and involved hands-on learning interaction and cross curriculum projects that meet state objective and performance standards. In all, 27 applications were submitted this year, the most ever received, and a total of 10 grants were awarded throughout the district for a total of $4,510.69. The CEF Prize Posse presented the 2016 awards on the morning of October 3. The Chillicothe Education Foundation's Mini Grants program has awarded more than $50,000 since its inception in 2002.

The majority of funding for the CEF mini grants comes from an annual fundraising cocktail party hosted by the CEF Board Director Ed Milbank. The event typically raises between $17,000 and $20,000 every year. Money from this fundraiser also contributes to Teacher of the Year awards, Beacon of the Year awards, and teacher recruitment and retention.

Diana Holcer was awarded $451.05 for the Transitions to Life Center, for "Don't Judge a Book by its Cover." The project will provide improvements to the R-2 Administrative Building while meeting state curriculum performance standards.

Margie Alberston was awarded $449.93 for Garrison School, for their "Cultivating STEM in ECEE Through Investigation and Play." The grant is to provide different types of activity sets and learning materials for Early Childhood Special Education.

Amy Taylor and Lacia Batye was awarded $428 for the 5th grades "Chromebook Robotics Creator." The project will allow students to create and program robots utilizing their Chromebooks.

Deborah Hardy and Kate Jones were awarded $500 for "Meaningful Spaces Bring Creativity to Life through Real Experiences." This project will allow 5th graders to have four activity center areas where they can think critically, be creative, problem solve, and collaborate with others.

Heather Davis was awarded $380.70 for "Inspiring Young Scientists", a project that will provide 4th graders with science experiment kits to enhance their science unit experience.

The 4th Grade team was awarded $500 for "Making Math Matter." This is a project that will allow students to apply their learning to real life while helping solve a world problem.

Stephanie Baldwin was awarded $300 for "Got Math?", a project of monthly math activities that correlates with the Missouri Learning Standards and provides students with themes that allow hands-on learning experiences.

Melissa Englert was awarded $500 for "Design Thinking Fair." This project will allow students to utilize 3D software in their Chromebooks to create, design and build solutions to problems around the school.

Sonja Daley was awarded $500 for "Anatomization of the Kardia." This program will help purchase all necessary kits, for Grand River Technical Schools' 11th and 12th grade Health students to participate in a lamb heart dissection project.

Tim Marsh was awarded $501.01 for his 11th and 12th grade students' Materials Science and Technology program.

Return to Top