On November 17, the Gainesville ISD Education Foundation Board prize patrol circulated the GISD campuses, spreading holiday cheer and surprising the 2023-2024 Innovative Teaching Grant recipients. The Education Foundation board of directors works throughout the year to generate funds and distribute resources to GISD to enrich, maintain and expand programs needed to meet the district’s stated mission in excellence. The foundation shares the district’s vision of enhancing education at GISD. This year, a total of 29 grants were awarded for a combined total of $37,882.63. To date the Foundation has granted $494,105.78 in innovative grants.

Edison Elementary received $9,024.69. Kindergarten & first grade students will get to enjoy LED light panels to be used for tracing and drawing without the mess of paper, pens, or markers. They will be able to draw with all size pencils and color choices through these boards. Pre-K will be getting additions to their current Pre-K curriculum and will visit Frank Buck Zoo. Kindergarten students will get to visit Crayola Experience & First grade at Oak Meadow Ranch.

Chalmers Elementary received $11,082.86. Second graders will be receiving classroom resources such as new headphones, organizational bins for learning materials, LCD writing boards used to solve word problems and write stories, light boxes for art projects, as well as visiting Sharkarosa Ranch. Third grade will be receiving reading books and a trip to Frank Buck Zoo. Fourth grade will be visiting Sea Life in Grapevine. Finally, the bilingual department will be receiving new books for their department.

Intermediate received $4,706.41. Sixth grade will be receiving new pocket scales to measure mass of various objects, Fifth grade will be purchasing new guided reading bookings, a trip to the Fort Worth Museum of Science, History, & Planetarium as well as supplies for makerspace stations such as building blocks, steam kits, origami supplies.

Gainesville Junior High received $2,834.65 this year. Eighth graders will be visiting the Dallas Museum of Art, the AVID classrooms will purchase new lego sets, as well as a pig & frog dissecting kit for the science department.

Lastly, Gainesville High School received $10,234.02 and was awarded nine grants from the foundation. Tenth grade students will get to enjoy ESL support materials for the classroom, supplies to learn how to build a rocket stove, and floral triangle arrangement supplies for students to pass their TSFA certification. Eleventh grade students will be visiting the Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas. They will be receiving new pottery wheels for the art department, ELAR reading books to complete their current set, starter kits to complete basic gastronomy experiments, and supplies for the AG department to grow a succulent garden. Twelfth grade will be receiving new tools for the engineering department.

GISD wants to thank the Education Foundation for all of their hard work and dedication to our students and staff throughout the year. We are excited to see our students learn and grow through the items and trips provided by these grants!