Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Grants topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Tempe Union Education Foundation awards $35,000 to 15 teachers for classroom projects
Summary
At a Tempe Union High School District governing‑board meeting, district leaders and Education Foundation representatives presented $35,000 in classroom grants to 15 teachers and staff, funding projects ranging from robotics kits to sensory‑friendly spaces.
Superintendent Wilson and representatives of the Tempe Union High School Education Foundation presented $35,000 in grants to 15 district teachers and staff during the governing board meeting. The awards will fund a range of classroom projects including robotics equipment, biotechnology materials, sensory‑friendly spaces and arts programming.
The grants, announced by Education Foundation representatives Katie Phelan, Nori Cannell Zavaleta and Liz Stone, were awarded to 15 recipients across Tempe Union schools. Phelan told the board the foundation selected recipients to support “classroom projects” and invited awardees to come forward to receive certificates.
Among the recipients named at the meeting: Elena Rowich (Mountain Pointe High School) for rocketry exploration in math classes; Stacy Forger (Desert Vista High School) for genetic engineering and DNA analysis in the biotech classroom; Melissa Gebare (McClintock High School) for supports for Algebra II to boost ACT preparedness; Jane Chu (McClintock High School) to create a sensory‑friendly technology and crafting space; Alex Torres (Tempe Union Online Learning Program) to organize monthly outreach events for online students; Chris Rooney (Tempe High School) for a campus‑wide economic education fair with scholarships; Reagan Guzman (Marcos de Niza High School) for mosaic panel and stained‑glass projects; Dr. Amber Struthers (Tempe High School) to purchase an Arduino starter kit for robotics and automation; Nick Bonds (Mountain Pointe High School) for a VEX CTE work‑cell unit (a robotic arm/work cell) for robotics classes; Michelle Cabaneus (Corona del Sol) to start a neurodiversity club; Amy Smith (McClintock High School) for a Tetra Chamber Music residency grant benefiting McClintock and Tempe High; Robert Owen Jones (Marcos de Niza) to expand a library makerspace; Kimberly Bonifoski (Mountain Pointe) for materials to develop a puppet‑theater unit; Scott Warner (Corona del Sol) to buy mallets for the steel‑drum band and percussion ensemble; and Angela Rollins (Marcos de Niza) to create a Shakespeare in the Park event.
Phelan noted some recipients were not present and the foundation would retain checks or distribute awards as appropriate. Superintendent Wilson and board members thanked the Education Foundation for its investments in classroom projects, and the board invited the presenters forward for a group photograph.
The board did not take separate formal action on the grants during the meeting beyond recognizing recipients; the Education Foundation presented the awards during the superintendent’s report.
