Classroom Grants Awarded

26-27 School Year

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We are excited to announce the six classroom grants selected for the 2026-2027 school year from the sixteen applications submitted. 

Here is a little bit of information about each of the grants selected from their applications:

• Carrie Currin - “The Cardinal Closet is a school-based resource cabinet designed to support elementary students who may lack consistent access to basic necessities. Located within the school, the closet will provide snacks, hygiene items, and seasonal clothing such as hats, gloves, and outerwear. It will also include take-home food options for students experiencing food insecurity.  This initiative ensures that all students—regardless of circumstance—have access to the essential items they need to feel comfortable, confident, and ready to learn.”
• Alex Herrington - “Over the past few years, I have been really thinking about the ways I could improve student collaboration and higher order thinking in group work. I came across an Edutopia video entitled "Learning on Their Feet" and sensed that it might be just the solution I was looking for. The premise of the article suggests that vertical learning is a framework for high quality group work. Vertical learning is when students collaborate standing up working on a vertical surface (white board).”
• Jane Leick - “I am interested in purchasing a new activity/game to integrate into my physical education curriculum called 9 square in the air. This is a game that can be played indoor or outdoor, which is very appealing to me, as the winter months get long with finding new ways to keep kids engaged in staying active with our games and keeping things fresh. This game is a competitive game, but one that equalizes the playing field, as it's not a mainstream sport, so kids are all starting from the same point essentially.  My hope for this game would be that all kids would enjoy the game while being active, including jumping, moving around, connecting kids to each other while they're having fun together.”
• Taryn Maquire - “Learning to read is a challenging task as a young child. We spend a large amount of instructional time on phonics, spelling rules, and sound patterns in 1st grade. The breakdown and isolation of teaching of these skills helps prepare them to become readers and see these sounds and patterns in words and text. One valuable step in this transition of reading is to practice these phonics skills and sound patterns in decodable text where these familiar and taught patterns will appear in text to be practiced.  I would love to have a library of decodable texts to align with my phonics and spelling sounds instruction. This would help provide practice for students to apply isolated phonics skills that are taught during instruction. Just like with all new skills, additional practice helps us become better at the skill we are achieving to mastery.”
• Kelsey Winchell - “A grant for flexible seating in my 4th grade classroom would help create an environment that better supports how students actually learn and focus. Children at this age are not built to sit still in one desk for long periods of time, and research shows that reducing sedentary time in classrooms can improve attention, engagement, and overall learning behaviors. Studies on active classroom environments and flexible seating have found that when students have opportunities to move or change positions while learning, they often stay more focused and involved in lessons. Adding options like high-top tables, small booths for partner work, and comfortable floor seating would allow students to choose spaces that fit the type of learning they are doing while still keeping clear expectations and structure in the classroom.”
• Shantelle Vohs - “In my 2nd grade classroom, I see daily how even capable, kind, and motivated students can miss important learning opportunities when math instruction remains abstract. Hands-on math manipulatives will transform these moments into meaningful learning experiences by actively engaging students and helping them visualize concepts. Tools such as base-ten blocks, number blocks, time, money, and fraction models directly support the Iowa Core Mathematics Standards by allowing students to build number sense, understand place value within 1,000, and develop effective strategies for addition and subtraction. These resources will ensure all learners—especially those who benefit from tactile and visual support—can access and stay engaged in math instruction.”
• Total awarded: 6 grants for $2,629.00

As you can see the Treynor School Foundation Classroom Grants are going to great use and will be a great addition for these teachers’ students.

I would also like to give a special “thank you” to our selection committee members: Kelsey Stupfell, JoEllen Travis, Jill Kay, Brandon Vorthmann, and Rick Nickerson.

If you would like to support future classroom grant applications, donations can be made by clicking on this link.

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Dr. Joel Beyenhof

Superintendent