Renton Rotary awards $250 classroom grants to teachers to support sensory, art and kindergarten needs

At a Renton Rotary meeting, several Renton School District teachers accepted $250 classroom grants and described how the funds will be used to support students with special needs, early learners and school art programs.

Jimmy Andrews, a special-education teacher at Lake Ridge Elementary School, said the money will help equip a colleague’s sensory room so students can ‘‘decompress and get back to being regulated’’ before returning to class. ‘‘What I enjoy most about my job is the students I work with,’’ Andrews said, explaining that he will mentor a newer teacher and help add tools to that space.

Emily Crawford, a kindergarten teacher at Tiffany Park Elementary, said she plans to use the grant to meet varied sensory and ‘‘movement wiggle’’ needs among her youngest learners so they can engage in classroom routines and learning. ‘‘I really appreciate and thank Rotary for this recognition, and for the grant,’’ Crawford said.

John Austin, a seventh- and eighth-grade language-arts teacher and instructional leader at Dimmit Middle School, said the funds will buy materials for visual-art projects that accompany his language-arts curriculum and that the finished pieces could be displayed around the school. ‘‘This grant will enable me to get some materials and, kind of produce some art that I hope will look professional that we can display in our school,’’ Austin said.

Administrators and colleagues on the call praised the teachers’ classroom leadership and student impact. Carlita Amali, identified in the meeting as a principal who oversees the school where Andrews works, called Andrews ‘‘a wonderful mentor’’ whose approach helps students stay in class and improve academically. Carly Wyatt, introduced as an administrator at Tiffany Park Elementary, and Tracy, the principal at Dimmit Middle School, each described concrete examples of student gains tied to the teachers’ work.

Rachel McNall, who said she teaches adaptive physical education at Renton Academy, gave a ‘‘shout out’’ to Andrews and said she will consult with him about adaptive PE strategies. A Renton Academy colleague who spoke afterward reviewed McNall’s contributions across grade levels and thanked Rotary and the meeting hosts for the donation and recognition.

The meeting highlighted modest, targeted classroom support: teachers described purchasing sensory supports, movement resources for early learners and art supplies. Organizers and school leaders emphasized the role of mentoring and classroom-level interventions in improving student engagement and behavior. The call concluded with thanks to Rotary and to meeting hosts.