for their continued support of our Teacher Classroom Grant Program.

Each year the Community Education Foundation provides a grant opportunity for teachers in the Council Bluffs Community Schools.

These grants offer teachers the opportunity to implement creative and innovative projects that enhance the classroom curriculum, especially in the areas of math and literacy.

Your gift to the classroom grant program will be designated for use by teachers and other school personnel. Classroom grant are awarded in the amount of $250 or $500.

If you would like to donate to this annual fund, please contact Butch Lecuona for more information.

COMMUNITY EDUCATION FOUNDATION AWARDS CLASSROOM GRANTS

The Community Education Foundation (CEF) is pleased to announce this year’s Classroom Grant recipients for teachers of the Council Bluffs Community School District.

The CEF made $7,500.00 available for Classroom Grants this year and received thirty-eight (38) applications from teachers requesting $17,975 to fund their application projects. CEF received an additional donation of $2,000.00 for this purpose. CEF executive director Fernando “Butch” Lecuona said “I am impressed with the quality and number of projects requested to be funded.” The grants are competitive and made available to teachers to provide innovative classroom projects for students of the district that are not funded by the district.

Grant applications were reviewed by a five (5) member Review Team who made the decision to fund nineteen (19) projects that will serve 2,363 students in the district for a total of $8,525.00. Lecuona said that he “wished that the Foundation had more financial resources available for this purpose and that his goal is to raise more money for the classroom grants next year.”

Butch Lecuona will make the grant presentations Tuesday night, December 8, at the Council Bluffs Community School Board meeting held at the Education Service Center Building

Congratulations to the 2009 Classroom Grant Recipients!

This year’s grant recipients are:

Tara Stemsrud of Wilson Middle School for “Adaptive PE Devices”

Grant award $250.00.

Kim Heithoff of Kirn Middle School for “Calculators as a Technology Tool”

Grant award $500.00.

Denise Jennings of Kirn Middle School for “Electronic Math Manipulatives”

Grant award $500.00.

Melissa Braymen, Becky Bryan, Chris Gorman, Steve Plummer, Justin Steinmetz, and Lori Westbrook of Kirn Middle School for “Oceans – Changing the World through Awareness”

Grant award $500.00.

Diane Parrott of Longfellow Elementary for “Library Questions of the Week”

Grant award $250.00.

Vanessa Forristall of Franklin Elementary for “Family Reading Day”

Grant award $250.00.

Jenny Dighton of Franklin Elementary for “Building Lasting Partnership through Early Connections with Parents”

Grant award $500.00.

Kjirsten Wellman of Rue Elementary for “Cuddle Packs”

Grant award $500.00.

Jennifer Plummer of Rue Elementary for “Expanding Vocabulary and Increasing Fluency with Audio Books”

Grant award $500.00.

Joni Robey, Susan Steckis of Rue Elementary for “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”

Grant award $500.00.

Nicole Haffner of Washington Elementary for “Learning with LEAP Pads”

Grant award $500.00.

Erin Schoening of Hoover Elementary for “I-Touch in the Classroom”

Grant award $500.00.

Jane Conaway of Hoover Elementary for “Building Partnerships with Parents through Early Connections”

Grant award $400.00.

Erin Eckholt of Edison Elementary for “iPod Listening Lab”

Grant award $500.00.

Betsy Rouse of Walnut Grove for “Passport to Read”

Grant award $375.00.

Carter Lake, Edison, Lewis & Clark, and Roosevelt Schools received $500.00 grant awards each for their reading programs.

Grant award $2,000.00.

Total Classroom Grant awards this year totaled $8,525.00 serving 2,363 students in the Council Bluffs Community School District.