By Tucker Henderson

Reporter

The New York Mills Education Foundation was busy in November as it hosted the Community Carnival for funding throughout the year. Last week as it distributed grants to local teachers and classrooms.

Grant funds are used to enhance student learning and experiences in the NY Mills School District, including classroom grants which have been utilized to purchase classroom tools that aren’t necessarily budgeted for. One example of a past grant was the Pre-Kindergarten classroom.

“We wrote a grant to get some motor equipment for both inside and outside for our Pre-K students,” said Kendra Geiser, preschool teacher. “We purchased tricycles and some balls. Our students have loved riding the trikes! It is a great skill for kids to practice pedaling. We also practice taking turns and sharing, which are great social skills for kids to work on.”

The Pre-K classroom grant provided an additional opportunity for students to learn these life skills pertaining to riding a tricycle and everything that comes with it, something that isn’t always necessarily available within the regular budget of the school district. With the NY Mills Education Foundation’s assistance, the preschool students will be ahead of the curve when they hop on a bicycle or learn about the school’s bike fleet.

“It has allowed for more variety of activities to use and to keep the group engaged in new and exciting activities,” said Geiser. “We appreciate the Education Foundation providing funding for the ‘extras’ that there may not always be funding for. It was an easy process to apply for the grant and we were notified soon after applying that we were awarded. Thank you NY Mills Education Foundation!”

“It’s fun to see the students ride the trikes knowing they are working on important gross motor skills,” agreed fellow preschool teacher Katelyn Tervo. “With the long winters months it is nice to have the opportunity to still be able to ride the trikes. It is something many of the kids enjoy and to be able to do fun things like this and they look forward to being able to ride bike and it helps with skills like hand-eye coordination.”

Another previous grant was given to the Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) program to cover costs of materials for reading, math games, and manipulatives. Adele Esala and Jennifer Blickenstaff were excited to see that their grant had been approved.

“The games have added another dimension to their learning, hands-on and fun,” said Esala. “The students appreciate the added variety to their lessons. We appreciate the NYM Education Foundation for their years of supporting the staff and students of NY Mills. They have been very supportive in granting our request for materials that are not supported in our school’s budget.”

Fourth grade teacher, Alli Bauck, was a recent grant awardee, but she also was a recipient of a previous grant, which she found to be incredibly helpful within her classroom. She said that the grant made learning more fun and welcoming for her students.

“The NYM Education Foundation helped supply my classroom with STEAM materials,” Bauck said. “STEAM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. My students now have access to items that create hands-on learning experiences including Legos, Magna Tiles, Brain Flakes, and art supplies.

“The STEAM materials have helped my students with their creativity, social skills, critical thinking and problem solving skills,” she continued. “They have made classroom activities more engaging for learners. I appreciate that the grant has helped make my classroom more inviting for learners to walk into everyday. We either begin or end our day with STEAM activities. It makes our learning environment more engaging and students have the ability to develop social skills along the way.”

Stephanie Von Ruden, director of the NYM Education Foundation, explained that the funding comes from members and supporters of the Foundation, which they are always looking for new members to keep the grant program and other funding projects flourishing.