District 99 Education Foundation awards classroom whiteboards and funds mental-health speaker

Julia Beckman, president of the District 99 Education Foundation board, and Donna Dawson, the foundation’s grant chair, spoke to the school board about fall grant awards the foundation made this year.

Beckman said the foundation has supported District 99 for more than 30 years and “has donated close to a $1,000,000 over the 30 years that we've been in existence.” Dawson told the board that in the fall grant cycle the foundation awarded nine recipients and provided funds to classroom pilots the foundation described as successful.

Dawson described a pilot of the “building thinking classrooms” approach that uses vertical whiteboards to encourage students to make their thinking visible and collaborate. The foundation is awarding funds to expand that pilot; presenters said $2,000 will go to the science group and $2,000 to the math group to purchase additional vertical whiteboards. Teachers said the pilot has resulted in more visible student problem solving and social-emotional benefits; presenters said there are now five 16-foot whiteboards in use across classrooms.

Dawson and other staff also presented a $1,000 grant to support a mental-health program titled “You’re Not Crazy. Your brain is just brain.” Presenters said the funding will support a guest speaker (Kelly Jensen, an editor/author associated with the anthology Don’t Call Me Crazy) to present during the district’s mental-health week; the speaker will visit multiple class periods and the organizers expect to offer presentations to freshmen through seniors in April.

Board members thanked the foundation and presenters. The board did not take any funding action during the meeting; the foundation’s presentation was informational and ceremonial in nature.