The Sioux Falls Public Schools Education Foundation awarded a record number of Public School Proud Grants during the 2022-2023 school year. Any educator in the Sioux Falls School District can apply for up to $10,000 in funding to purchase materials that give students hands-on, immersive experiences. The Education Foundation awarded 59 Public School Proud Grants to 91 educators, totaling $124,000. The average grant award was $2,101.  

2022-2023 Public School Proud Grant winners:

1. Anne Sullivan Elementary—Casie McFarlane–$1,119.65—“Learning with Bee Bots”—Bee Bot coding/programmable robots
2. Anne Sullivan Elementary—Kara Polasky and Hailee Whempner—$480—“Core Board Accessibility” —CORE boards with vocabulary representing 80 percent of the words used on a daily basis
3. Anne Sullivan Elementary—Alyssa Fischer, Theresa VanderVelde, Sarah Motl, Kory Ulmer—$1,129—“Educational Assistant Support Packs”—Timers, fidgets, sensory items, headphones, and pop-its to be used by EAs in all classrooms
4. Axtell Park Middle and High School—Cody Wagner—$166—”Therapeutic Music/Virtual Content Development Incentive” —Sound card; podcasting bundle; sound board; keyboard piano
5. Ben Reifel Middle School—Carly Logan—$1,860.03—”Bringing Science to Life with Models—12 four-piece human body kits (skeleton, torso, internal organs and structures, a heart, and a skull/brain)
6. Ben Reifel Middle School—Tyler Beisch—$3,770.71—”Citizen Scientists! Engaging Students in Investigating the World Around Them”—Tools to test soil, measure atmospheric conditions, study weather patterns, and complete earth science projects
7. Ben Reifel Middle School—Sara Brosz—$376.47—“Social and Communication Skills through Gaming”—Puzzles and games to help students develop social, emotional, and communication skills
8. Ben Reifel Middle School—Rachael Anderson, Lindsay Carmon, Nick Stansbury—$750—“Moving Towards Mental Health” —Tools for social emotional regulation and brain breaks
9. Cleveland Elementary—Cindy Grothmann and Lynn Gillette—$615.21—“Reaching Beyond for Readers”—Beginning chapter books for students who will graduate from SIPPs but are reading below grade level
10. Cleveland Elementary—Cassie Larson—$1,739.70—“Stories on the Go!”—Playaways (preloaded audio books and physical copies of the books) for the school’s library
11. Cleveland Elementary—Jamie Barnett—$1,849.90—“Equal Access for All Students”—iPads to strengthen students’ technology skills, engage in academic applications, and give them a voice with communication programs
12. Community Campus—Katie Rick and Darla Anderson—$1,238.84—“Cooking Up Independence” —Color-coded organization system that allows students with disabilities (ages 18-21) to find the tools they need to prepare meals
13. CTE Academy—Andrew Jensen—$6,868.10—“Raising Agricultural Leaders” —Farrowing pens, heating pads, heat lamps, rabbit cages and feeding/watering equipment to raise pigs and rabbits
14. CTE Academy—Amy Drummond–$10,000—Virtual reality headsets for students in the EMT course; students will respond to life-and-death situations
15. Discovery Elementary—Brittany Prinsen—$1,364.85—“Sensory Learning and Emotional Regulation”—Kinetic sand, fidgets, magnetic dots, sensory tubes, pop-its, doodle mats, shape makers for self-regulation
16. District Wide—Hailee Whempner—$1,711—”Lending Library for SFSD Community Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) Access”—AAC-adapted toys for students receiving homebound services
17. District Wide—Kristine Smith and Karen Hoffmeyer—$1,125—”Developing Independence One Task at a Time”—15 task boxes for students with special needs
18. Edison Middle School—Leticia Miranda Blanco—$1,541.95—“Our Knowledge Opens Doors”—Three Breakout EDU kits and three iPads for Spanish immersion
19. Garfield Elementary—Danielle Schildhauer—$2,000—“Beginner Hydroponics”—$2,000—Hydroponic garden to grow herbs, vegetables, flowers (includes seed pods, trellises, lights, etc.)
20. Gifted Education (23 Elementary Schools)—Karen Robinson—$9,839.60—“Build It Better with SAM!”—SAM Lab and Studio online STEAM and coding platform
21. Harvey Dunn Elementary—Kristina Vanderlip—$917.10—“Fun with Fractions”—Fraction activities and manipulatives
22. Harvey Dunn Elementary—Rudi Vennard and Alicia Burchill—$1,575—“Giving Children a Voice” —Access to the “Cough Drop” AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) app
23. Harvey Dunn Elementary—Jill Blase—$1,998.81—“Play to Learn”—Imagination stations and play food for centers and small group activities
24. IPC—ShaLee Bauer—$277.40—“Break Out Boxes”—Four sets of breakout boxes to enhance reading skills at the middle school level
25. IPC—Kathy Deng—$3,500—“Adaptive Materials for Art Success!”—Adaptive art materials for neurodiverse students at nine schools
26. Jane Addams Elementary—Eliza Leloux—$2,151.52—“Seeing the World with New Eyes”—13 handheld portable microscopes
27. Jane Addams Elementary—Peyton Hecht—$1,653.49—”Your Voice Can Change the World: Supporting Multilingual Learners as They Develop Language”—Phonics activities, letter games, sound work activities, manipulatives, bilingual literature, and audio books for English language learners
28. Jane Addams Elementary—Lindsey Gray—$815.34—“Dissecting Our Science Standards”—Owl pellets; grow kits; solar system; science station; sea monkey ocean zoo
29. Jane Addams Elementary—Alexa Nelson, Eliza Leloux, Lindsey Gray—“Coding unplugged”—$3,830.68—Coding-based kits that will be used to build robots, develop laser mazes, circuit codes, and domino mazes
30. Jane Addams Elementary—Andraya Peterson and Lindsey Gray—$545.76—“Games Build Relationships” —Games for students to play with their English language learner buddies
31. Jane Addams Elementary—Alexa Nelson—$1,613.70—“Feel the Science”—Six science kit bundles that focus on physical, earth, and life science
32. Jefferson High School—Dawn Bonham–$2,999—“Meet the Quints: Caring for Babies with the Highest Needs”—Five simulators for Shaken Baby, Drug-Affected Baby, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Baby, Preemie Baby, and Down Syndrome Baby
33. Jefferson High School—Scott Sorenson—$399.60—“The 28^th Amendment”—40 copies of one book that includes The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, 27 Amendments, and The Bill of Rights
34. John F. Kennedy Elementary—Alysa Fiegen, Alex Thorson, Kristi Irsfeld, Chad Savey—$2,699.85–“Wonder Workshop Coding Robots”– 15 Wonder Workshop coding robots
35. John F. Kennedy Elementary—Kelly Powell—$1,281.71—“Wake Up Our Brains” —STEM manipulatives; snap and build blocks; crystal climbers; imagination design builders; letter activity centers
36. John Harris Elementary—Marissa Schlup—$2,714.44—“Letter and Sound ID Intervention”– Software that focuses on letter recognition, phonemic awareness, and word building
37. John Harris Elementary—Jessica Peterson–$3,733—“Let’s Get Moving!” —Moki fitness bands
38. John Harris Elementary—Danielle Loutsch—$719.80—“Hands On Literacy”—Touchtronic letters; 3D sounds and letter cards; phoneme set
39. John Harris Elementary—Kelsey Moser—$434.46—“Strengthening Literacy Opportunities”– “Work on Words” manipulatives for centers; orthographic mapping; Lifelong Learner materials
40. Laura B. Anderson Elementary—Sheila Orlando–$665.85—“How Do You Spell S-U-C-C-E-S-S?”– Phonemic awareness activities as well as hands-on spelling activities
41. Lowell Elementary—Erin Radway—$1,500—“Help Me Find Something I Want to (and Can) Read!” —Library books for below-level grade readers
42. Lowell Elementary—Allie Bucknell—$2,500—“Light Up My Senses”—Sensory room to help students with self-regulation
43. McGovern Middle School—Sherri Wolles—$2,000—“Graphic Novels ARE Real Reading”—Graphic novels for 800+ students
44. Memorial Middle School—Jill Hansen—$1,150—“D.S. Exploration”—Calligraphy brush pens; STEM solar kit; snap circuits; LEGO chain reaction kits
45. Memorial Middle School—Lara Altenburg and Justice Beaver—$850—“Independence Café” — Coffee brewing and delivery service, managed by RISE students
46. Oscar Howe Elementary—Emily Blackwelder—$2,990—“Evos for Everyone”—Classroom set of 18 Ozobot Evo robots
47. Patrick Henry Middle School—Jared Baumann and Fred Jackson—$2,795.52—“Drones for the WIN” —Drones to explore physics concepts and promote student interest in STEM
48. Patrick Henry Middle School—Jolene Gordon and Sawyer Hoffman—$1,385.45—”Creating Opportunities for Students with Motor or Visual Impairments in PE” —FLAGHOUSE OVERCOMER (adapted sports equipment device for swinging, throwing, and striking)
49. R.F. Pettigrew Elementary—Heidi Reynolds–$7,780—“Mindsets—Changed!” —7 Mindsets curriculum; this is the third and final phase of the project
50. R.F. Pettigrew Elementary—Amy Forster—$191.88—“We Can Learn to Calm and Reset for Learning”—Calming Corner to help students with self-regulation (timers, fidgets, sensory pillows, noise-cancelling headphones)
51. R.F. Pettigrew Elementary—Nicole Highby—$1,120—“Growing Our Learning Garden” —Hydroponic garden and seed kits; used to teach students the scientific method
52. Roosevelt High School—Julia Blashack—$2,200—“Theatrical Technical Skills Project”—Technical skills project for theater, focusing on stage scenery, costuming, and stage management
53. Roosevelt High School—Claire Brothers–$1,250—“Recovery for a Healthy Lifestyle”—Yoga massage balls; foam rollers; muscle massage sticks to teach students recovery methods
54. Roosevelt High School—Sarah Fink and Michelle Clayberg—$3,691.74—“Audi Books in English II”– Audiobooks for English language learners and students on IEPs
55. Rosa Parks Elementary–Lexi Handley and Valentina Contreras—$631—“STEMina” —STEM manipulatives for recess/indoor play on cold days
56. Sonia Sotomayor Elementary—Vanessa Graning, Victor Naranjo, Yenny Ruiz, Irma Landry—$3,582—Osmos Explorer Starter Kits—Osmo explorer starter kits and manipulatives
57. Terry Redlin Elementary—Todd Huisman and Cynthia Breen—$1,309.90—“Bringing Mindfulness to Life” —20 Zenimals (toolbox that works on breathing, stillness, inspiration, relaxation, sleep, empathy, gratitude, awareness, and restoration)
58. Washington High School—Rick Thomas—$149.99—“Building Student Engagement with Pear Deck” —Google Slides add-on that allows students to fully participate in the learning process
59. Whittier Middle School—Kaylee Jorde—$2,621—“Windows to the World!”—Various kits of multi-cultural literature, resources, games, and materials