Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Lif Labs Grants topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board accepts two grants for LIF Labs; Central Middle students showcase service‑learning
Summary
The board accepted a $112,000 Max and Helen Gery Foundation grant and a $155,000 Volunteer Iowa award to support the district LIF Lab experiential learning program; Central Middle School teacher Ashley Chase and seventh‑grade students described service‑learning projects and concession‑stand entrepreneurship.
The Waterloo Community School District board on July 8 accepted two outside grants to support LIF Labs, the district’s experiential and service‑learning program.
Administration recommended acceptance of a $112,000 grant from the Max and Helen Gery Charitable Foundation to support LIF Lab programming for the 2024‑25 school year. The administration said the program will serve pre‑K through 10th grade this year, reaching roughly 750 students, and that some experiences were adjusted to be more local in order to reduce costs following a districtwide effort to trim several program budgets.
The board also accepted a second‑year installment of Volunteer Iowa funding: a three‑year award that provides $155,000 per year as part of an ongoing partnership. Administration described year‑two goals and invited Central Middle School staff and students to report on recent service‑learning activities.
Ashley Chase, Central Middle School’s seventh‑grade language arts teacher and building LIF Lab coordinator, brought four student volunteers to the meeting to describe their concession‑stand work and volunteer roles. "I'm Ashley Chase. I'm a seventh grade language arts teacher at Central Middle School and I'm also the building's life lab coordinator," she told the board. Students described training and certification (ServeSafe food‑safety certification), sourcing and pricing decisions, and the program’s volunteer and teamwork benefits. One student said: "I enjoy talking to the people who buy stuff at our concession." Administrators said the program reclaimed student interest in volunteering, and emphasized the importance of keeping hands‑on learning equitable across schools.
Board members thanked the foundation and Volunteer Iowa for their support and approved the superintendent’s recommendation to accept both grants.
Next steps: administration will share schedules and program lists with the board and continue to monitor participation and fiscal impacts as the program runs with slightly reduced district funding.
