At its May 2024 meeting, the Manheim Township Educational Foundation Board of Directors voted to fund more than $117,000 in projects to benefit Manheim Township students. These grants and awards are made possible though EITC donations, memorial funds, institutional grants, general donations and contributions from MTEF Community Partners.
3D Scan to 3D Print (MTHS) – Aaron Krause – $6,500
This grant was funded by the Artie Shirk Memorial Fund. This grant will provide for the purchase of the Technology & Engineering Department’s first 3D scanners and upgrade the department’s 3D printers with more current technology. 3D scanners will allow students to create a digital model of an object by capturing it as data that represents the shape. Once created, the 3D scan be modified and/or 3D printed. This technology will bring a new level of industry realism and practicality to the design + build process.
A Little Spot (Nitrauer) – Kristen Canady, Sheryl DePanfilis, Liz Ducey, Missy Weaver, Nikki Wingert – $1,416
This grant was funded by the Jean Hoadley Peterson Memorial Fund. A set of the “A Little Spot” books will be purchased for each grade level at Nitrauer Elementary. With topics focused on positive mental health and well-being, the books will be shared during class Morning Meeting time and in school-wide morning announcements and assemblies to help develop a school-wide common language and strategies to help students better understand, process, and regulate their emotions.
Author in Residence: Mr. Roger’s Legacy of Wonder (MTSD) – Jackie Druck, Ashley Keath, Brandi Swavely – $18,100
Gregg Behr and Ryan Rydzewski, authors of When You Wonder, You’re Learning, will visit MTSD several times throughout the 2024-2025 school year to encourage teachers, staff, and families to embrace the importance of the learning sciences utilized by Fred Rogers in his show Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood. These sciences support the shift of teaching and learning practices that are needed to implement the new Science, Technology, Engineering, Environmental Literacy & Sustainability (STEELS) Standards. Their visits will include speaking at the annual staff kick-off meeting, professional development sessions and a parent/family night.
Brecht Garden Summer Camp, Garden Club, & Raised Bed Rehab (Brecht) – Nicole Siegel – $3,275
A unique outdoor space offering hands-on learning with real plants, the Brecht Garden is utilized by teachers and students throughout the school year. This grant will provide for several enhancements to the garden, including replacement of the raised garden beds, as well as other maintenance and planting projects. This grant also supports two weeks of summer garden camp open to the entire Brecht school community, as well as the creation of a sensory garden space for students’ self-regulation, a fairy garden for students to explore during recess, and birdhouse projects to provide a suitable habitat for the garden’s bird neighbors.
Brecht Summer Reading Kick-off (Brecht) – Gale Burkhart – $1,000
This grant was funded by the Louise Engle Memorial Fund. Brecht will host a summer reading kick-off event to celebrate the start of summer and encourage students to read during the summer months. Special guests will read to students, Brecht Reading Challenge completers will be honored, and students will make a bookmark to use while reading at home. Students will also receive a Brecht reading-themed t-shirt to encourage their summer reading.
Brick by Brick: Constructing a Brighter Future with LEGO Spike Prime (Landis Run) – Trista Mullen & Anita Shoemaker – $10,400
Two classroom sets of LEGO Spike Prime will be purchased for integration into the STEM learning experience for 5th and 6th grade students at Landis Run. These materials will provide an innovative and engaging hands-on approach for students to collaborate on solving problems and completing challenges that involve the application of STEM skills and concepts including designing, building, engineering, and coding.
Build a Mantel (Landis Run) – Mark Jordan – $500
Sixth grade Excel students will apply their learning from multiple mathematics units to design and build a mantel to be placed in the Landis Run Intermediate library. The project will provide opportunities for hands-on learning while also helping students to develop many 21st Century Skills for learning including communication, teamwork, compromising, problem solving, executive functioning, and creativity.
Creative Commons (MTHS) – Karen Leisey & Brandi Swavely – $5,000
This grant will provide for the purchase of LEGO Spike sets for the High School’s Creative Commons area. LEGO Spike sets provide students with the opportunity to build on coding concepts learned in grades 5-8 STEM courses. Students can use block coding or apply more advanced text-based coding skills using Python. LEGO Spike sets can be used for students’ independent creative exploration and expression as well in many cross-curricular applications.
DeltaMath (MTHS) – Rebecca Maryott & Kelley Romyn – $4,380
The DeltaMath program will be made available to all students at MTHS to help them practice their skills and access explanation videos for support while not face-to-face with their teacher. Teachers can mix-and-match problem sets, control rigor, vary due dates, and create their own tests and problems to provide both extra practice and enrichment opportunities for students in classes from Pre-Algebra to Calculus BC.
Flexible Seating for Differentiated Instruction (LRIS) – Allison Corcoran & Christopher Fields – $5,000
This grant will provide for the purchase of a variety of flexible seating options to create a lending library from which Landis Run teachers can sign out seating options such as wobble seats, cushioned stools, and inflatable stability balls, to provide choices to students who would benefit from additional sensory support for success in the classroom.
Gators and Grand-friends (Schaeffer) – Jill Yingst/PTO – $1,565
Students from Schaeffer Elementary will be invited to visit with the residents at Calvary Homes four times during the 2024-2025 school year to foster intergenerational connections as the students and seniors enjoy seasonal activities together.
Lights, Camera, Learning: Stop Motion for Grades 3-8 (MTSD) – Wendy Dagen & Jackie Druck – $9,750
Students in grades 3-8 will have full access to the Stop Motion Studio Pro app, an enhanced creative tool that allows users to incorporate sound, green screens, graphics and titles into stop motion animations. Through the STEM curriculum, all students will use this app multiple times during their 3-8 education. In addition, other teachers can integrate the app’s use into other areas of the curriculum.
Neff Break Out Room/Open Learning Space (Neff) – Travis Bash, Olivia Brill, Nicole Rieker – $8,979
The Neff Atrium will be transformed from a relatively unused space to a dedicated, appropriate, and engaging learning space. Movable furniture and storage will allow teachers and students to work collaboratively, think flexibly, and pursue unique learning opportunities.
Promoting Collaborative Science Classrooms (LRIS) – Rebecca Hyde, Charlie Fisher, Tracy Poorman, Roy Whited II – $10,586
Whiteboard tables will replace individual student desks in each of the sixth-grade science classrooms to create more built-in collaborative opportunities and provide a lab space/surface for conducting science experiments, visually brainstorming, constructing models, and carrying out other inquiry or exploratory activities.
Reimagining K-4 STEM Education for Innovation & Equity (MTSD) – Jackie Druck – $28,800
New STEM resources will be provided in all elementary schools to enhance K-4 STEM exploration and discovery. With a focus on innovation and access for all students, LEGO Spike Essentials and Makedo cardboard cutting and creating tools will provide students and teachers with the resources to design, build, and create in both high-tech and low-tech ways.
Student Impact Grants:
Robotics Team (High School) – Nora Lowther – $875
This grant will help the MT Technology & Engineering Club (MTTEC) prepare for the state level FIRST Tech Challenge competition. In addition to competition entry fees and preparations, funds will be used to purchase new parts to make modifications and improvements to the robot to improve upon its performance in the regional competitions.
Startup Club Shark Tank (High School) – Aanya Iyengar – $500
The Startup Club’s Shark Tank event provides an opportunity for MTHS students to practice designing and pitching products to a panel of judges through a competition style event. This grant will help to fund the event and the prizes awarded to the winning pitches.
James L and Jane L Wertz Memorial Awards (2 awards, $100 each) $200
Sally Hawthorne Art Award/Scholarship – $1,000