2022-23 LPS Education Foundation Grants
The Foundation was pleased to present 22 grants to amazing LPS staff totaling $41,722.86! Pictures coming soon!
Nick Rapson, LMC director, Churchill High School: Alternative Seating for LMC 
Laura Rea, teacher, Franklin High School: technology to produce weekly school news broadcasts 
Kelsey Morris, second grade teacher, Hayes Elementary School: Raz-Kids to help increase reading proficiency 
Rebecca Parise, James Miller, ESAPs, Cooper Upper Elementary School: sensory stations to be created in common areas throughout the building 
Teresa Marlatt, Christine McQuiston, IT instructor and academic interventionist, Cooper Upper Elementary School: 700 headphones for all classrooms 
Shelly VanEsley, emotional support teacher (EST), Kennedy Elementary School: Reading Decoded Elementary Decodable Readers 
Shanan Wheeler, principal, Frost Middle School: tables and chairs for courtyard 
Jan Bice (EST), Carrianne Braun (Title 1), Jennifer Clay (psychologist) and Amy Wehner (EST), Randolph Elementary School: i-Ready instructional licenses for at-risk students 
Matt Van Ham, band/orchestra teacher, Churchill High School: Sight Reading for Music Literacy 
Jackie Coleman, TSLI and team lead, Coolidge Elementary School: iPad Minis with Proloquo2go 
Kellie Stark, K-4 art teacher, Coolidge Elementary School: additions to their Outdoor Learning Space 
Jeffrey Skebo, elementary music teacher, Coolidge/Kennedy: Ukuleles for Coolidge Elementary School 
Carrie Krueger, third grade teacher, Coolidge Elementary School: Flexible Seating/Furniture for new third grade classroom 
Elise Mindick, first grade teacher, Coolidge Elementary School: iPads 
Sandra Benson, Michelle Adams, Lisa Tanner and Shayna Gruenewald, 2nd grade teachers, Buchanan Elementary School: Vocabulary A-Z Curriculum 
Allison Gray, assistant principal, Riley Upper Elementary School: wooden posts and hammocks for Riley Reading Garden 
Loren Schnell, Title 1 Interventionist, Grant Elementary School: Decodable Readers 
Michael Rais, music teacher, Frost Middle School: flex arrangements for use at the three middle schools 
Patti Kilgore, music teacher, Frost Middle School: new band music (phase 2) for the three middle schools 
Russ Keberly, teacher, Holmes Middle School: three digital cameras to use in preparation of Holmes yearbook 
Deanna Lee, physical education teacher, Riley Upper Elementary School: gym equipment (9 in the Air) 
Jenni Lamb, ELA/drama teacher, Stevenson High School: Bracket-Based Learning for Drama. Click below to read about the grant.
2021-22 LPS Education Foundation Grants
This year the Foundation was able to award 17 grants totally $29,585.76 in funds to our wonderful LPS educators!
Heather Held, special education teacher at Cooper Upper Elementary School, used the grant to create a Social Emotional Calming Corner with two Bean Chairs, two Giant Sitting Pillows and one calming Cuddle Ball. 
Carolyn Corp, 1st grade teacher at Grant Elementary School, used the grant to purchase Decodable Readers. 
Patti Kilgore, music teacher at Holmes Middle School, used the grant to purchase 56 pieces/collections of band music. 
Allison Gray (not pictured), assistant principal at Riley Upper Elementary School, used the grant to create a Riley Reading Garden with hammocks. Pictured receiving the grant is Principal Kristyn Cousino. 
Seth Torkelson-Regan, stage and performance teacher at Holmes Middle School, used the grant to purchase drama curriculum and bring in an improv acting troupe to present a show to the students. 
Annette Garbutt and Elizabeth Kilpatrick, 1st grade and kindergarten teachers at Roosevelt Elementary School, used the grant to purchase mini iPads with cases and extended care plan to work with STEM materials in their classrooms. 
Susan Sutherland, LMC teacher at Holmes Middle School used the grant to purchase 10 copies of three books for the Holmes Book Club. 
Janice Skibinski and Janice Filiatraut, 4th and 3rd grade teachers at Hoover Elementary School, used the grant to purchase STEM Extension Units – Bringing the Concepts to Life! 
Michelle Moorton, art teacher at Riley Upper Elementary School, used the grant to help purchase two 3D display cases. 
Tara Forrester, 1st grade teacher at Roosevelt Elementary School, used the grant to purchase STEM materials including LEGO transparent blocks, Code and Go Robot Mouse, Picasso Tiles, Brain Glakes, Sterilite Storage Boxes, batteries and more. 
Amanda Feheley, social studies teacher at Stevenson High School, used the grant to send two teams to the Michigan Center for Civic Engagement for a mock trial competition. 
Heather Wickman, music teacher at Stevenson High School, used the grant to purchase 21 pieces of music by diverse composers. 
Andrew Jones, MSC physic teacher at Churchill High School, used grant to purchase AP physics demonstration and lab equipment. 
Michael Rais, music teacher at Frost Middle School, used grant to purchase 58 pieces of orchestra music at lower grade levels to accommodate the incoming students following the pandemic. 
Amanda Campau, Natalie Schmidt and Lynn Vanderwill, resource room teachers at Johnson Upper Elementary School, used grant to purchase seven Chromebooks with cases and extended care plans. 
Patricia Cooke and Tara Hilary, 3rd grade teacher and media specialist at Rosedale Elementary School, used grant to create “Rosedale Rocks,” a social emotional learning garden.
A grant also went to Julie Adams, health and PE teacher at Holmes Middle School, to purchase seven chromebooks to use in her health classes.
Congratulations to all the recipients and a big thank you to our generous donors!
2020-21 LPS Education Foundation Grants
This year, our grant theme was celebrating diversity in our district. We were excited to receive the many grant applications, showing many creative ways to highlight, share, and promote diversity, in and out of our classrooms. Fifteen grants were presented totally $19,962.68 in awards.
Anna McGuire, LMC teacher at Emerson Middle School, used the grant to purchase the “Equity in Action: Building Diverse Collection Training” and partially fund 147 books for the library. 
Karen Hoffman and Kelli Timmerman, language arts teachers at Emerson Middle School, used the grant to purchase 237 high interest/low level books to enhance their classroom library for struggling readers to read at an appropriate level for them. 
Jacqueline Price and Sara Kroll, ELA teachers at Franklin High School, used the grant to purchase 36 diverse high school appropriate novels. 
Jackie McPherson and Chelsea Wilk, Young Fives teachers at Jackson Center, used the grant to purchase hands-on items for the Young Fives program including Homes Around the World Wooden Blocks, several book sets, CD collections, Pose and Play Family Set, washable paint and chubby markers. 
Cassie Acker and Shanon Wheeler, LMC teacher and principal at Johnson Upper Elementary School, used the grant to purchase eight digital Fujifilm Finepix XP 130 Cameras, 40 Mixtiles for collages and a picture frame for a display explaining the project. 
Erin Kearns, LMC teacher at Roosevelt Elementary School, used the grant to partially fund culturally diverse books for the Roosevelt Library. 
Lindsay Rousseau, assistant principal at Stevenson High School, used the grant to partially fund sets of books for teaching staff to read as part of voluntary professional development literature circles to enhance the district’s focus on engagement in equity initiative.
Additional grants were awarded to:
Elizabeth Hering, music teacher at Churchill High School, to partially fund the purchase of band and orchestral works by composers of color, female composers and composers of the LGBTQ+ status.
Kathleen Nagle, lead GSRP teacher at Garfield Community School, to purchase 64 pairs of snow pants for GSRP program for outdoor learning supporting their gross motor and science curriculum.
Alicia Bashawaty, LMC teacher at Kennedy Elementary School, to partial fund the purchase of books that showcase underrepresented cultures in their library.
Katie Emert and Taylor Curtis, 4th grade teachers at Randolph Elementary School, to purchase 175 IXL Math site licenses.
Susan Sutherland, LMC teacher at Holmes Middle School, to purchase foreign language books in Spanish and Arabic and to expand the number of HiLo materials.
Teresa Cirihal, music teacher at Cleveland Elementary School, to purchase 30 drumming buckets and 30 sets of sticks.
Jen Abler, math teacher at Stevenson High School, to purchase “Basic Bystander Intervention Program,” a four hour training program for teachers.
Rebecca Tuuri, language arts teacher at Emerson Middle School, to purchase 25 copies of five different books.
Thank you to the donors who helped to fund this grants and congratulations to the recipients!
Long-Term Partnership Helps Students Learn in New Ways
Children at Kennedy Elementary in Livonia are being encouraged to play with their food and not sit still as part of two unique learning programs made possible by a long-time partnership between DFCU Financial and the LPS Education Foundation.
Flexible classroom
As a first grade teacher of very active children, Jane Majewski understands that movement–instead of being a negative–actually helps students manage their wiggles. That’s why she requested grant money through LPS and supplied by DFCU for her version of the flexible classroom.
With the money, Majewski purchased a wide variety of seating options for her young learners: wobble stools, accordion stools, donut seats, scoop chairs and low seating. The children rotate using these seats daily and Majewski has seen wonderful benefits.
“Research supports that combining movement, balance and academics engages both ofhemispheres of the brain,” said Majewski. “Children are more engaged and excited to start their day when they have a choice of where they are going to work. They are more productive and feel more in charge of their learning.”
Majewski also purchased centric marker boards (think wipe board) tables to be used instead of desks. The shape defines each child’s own space and the marker board surface has been beneficial for collaboration among the children. “The students often ‘share a marker’ and work as a team to do problem solving activities in math or demonstrate their knowledge of a science concept,” said Majewski.
Mobile Greenhouse
“These grants grow bigger than we can even imagine,” said Jackie Banner, science teacher for the four second grades at Kennedy. This statement perfectly describes the mobile greenhouse she was able to purchase with the money from the LPS/DFCU grant. The greenhouse, illuminated by its own light, holds a place of honor in a corner of the classroom.
“We’ve always taught science on window sills,” said Banner, “with no hands-on or collaboration…just Styrofoam cups with seeds.” Now, she can wheel the new cart into every classroom to show the progress of the Lightning Bolts, Flames, MLKs and the JFKs–the names for the four 2nd grade science classes. Photos and drawings also play a part in the process so students can make continuous observations of the growth of their plants.
Some seeds are growing and some aren’t, but it’s all part of the learning process according to Banner. “If someone’s plant isn’t growing, the other students get a chance to be encouraging to each other,” said Banner. “Although, it sure feels good when something starts to grow,” said Student Brandon.
To illustrate the young scientists are behind each other no matter what the outcome, the class breaks into song…”I get by with a little help from my friends.”
~ This article was provided by a DFCU employee
2018-19 Grants
Yoga ball seats, additional technology, Battle of the Books reading materials, STEM and Robotics equipment, and even a mobile greenhouse are just a few of the items that students in Livonia Public Schools will enjoy, thanks to the LPS Education Foundation.
The LPS Education Foundation’s grant program received 42 proposals for funding, this school year. The grant committee, made up of retired LPS staff, administrators and a retired LPS school board member, used a strict set of criteria to score each proposal. Seventeen were selected, totaling $31,000. Those grants were awarded to 24 teachers throughout the district. Surprise visits by committee members, with oversized checks, topped off this exciting day in LPS.
The grant program, funded through donations to the LPS Education Foundation, has issued $213,000 to 107 teachers since the program began during the 2013-2014 school year.
2017-18 Grants
For the 2017-2018 school year, the LPS Education Foundation distributed 30 grants totaling more than $48.000 to fund classroom projects, initiatives, classroom materials and much more.
Since the grants program began, the Foundation has distributed 90 grants, totaling more than $182,000. The grant applications are reviewed by a committee and awarded based on a set of criteria – if the request supports the district’s curriculum, Shared Vision and climate goals.
2016-17 Grants
The Livonia Public Schools Education Foundation distributed 19 classroom grants, totaling $42,000 during the 2016-2017 school year, to fund classroom projects, initiatives, equipment, supplies or materials to benefit students.
LPS Education Foundation received 29 grant requests, totaling nearly $83,000 and was able to award 19 grants, totaling $42,000. Now in its fourth year, the grant program is supported by the LPS Education Foundation’s designated funds, community contributions and employee payroll deductions to the Foundation.
Grant requests support the district’s mission, vision and curriculum.
The grant program is just one of several programs of the LPS Education Foundation, which raises funds all year, through community business partnerships and support, the annual fall luncheon event, the LPS Bounce Back to School event as well as LPS employee contributions.
2015-16 Grants
The LPS Education Foundation received 52 grant requests, totaling $148,000 and was able to award 16 grants, totaling $37,500.
2014-15 Grants
Seventeen Livonia Public Schools educators were awarded grants totaling $31,500 for the purchase of various classroom tools, including Chromebooks; iPads; assistive technology for preschoolers with Autism; technology for early literacy; and library books for the Niji-Iro Japanese Immersion Elementary School. Forty teachers applied for the grants and a Review Committee thoroughly rated each proposal, based on a set of criteria.
2013-14 Grants
Twelve Livonia Public Schools teachers were awarded grants worth more than $25,000 by the LPS Education Foundation during public ceremonies. Thirty-six proposals were submitted, representing approximately $100,000 in requests.
LPS Education Foundation 