October 2025 Grant Recipients

This project will create a vibrant classroom library for 9th and 10th grade students, designed to spark curiosity and reignite a love for reading. While our school library exists, it has not kept pace with the changing interests and needs of today's students. Many of the texts available are outdated, and students struggle to find books that feel relevant, engaging, and reflective of their own lives.

A classroom library filled with contemporary young adult literature, diverse voices, and high-interest nonfiction will provide students with daily, immediate access to books they are excited to read. Having these books within reach in the classroom eliminates barriers and makes reading an integral part of our daily routine.

Students explore concepts of Science, Math, Economics, Reading Comprehension, Technology, and Art in our STEAM Kitchen. We are looking to enhance our current kitchen space in order to accommodate multiple work stations where our students enjoy an immersive, hands-on experience where cooking skills combine with content.

Research has shown that hands-on learning improves engagement and interest, helps students develop deeper concrete understanding of science topics, develops critical thinking skills, bridges the achievement gap, prepares students for real-world challenges, fosters growth mindset, promotes collaboration, builds confidence, supports wholistic development, inspires scientific exploration, and addresses resources deficits (National Math+Science Initiative).

I'm a 7th-grade ELA teacher trying to get my kids stoked about reading. Right now, our classroom library's pretty thin—old books that don't grab my teenage students. This grant will hook us up with 6-8 novel sets (5-6 copies each) like Hunger Games or Goose Girl , covering fantasy, sci-fi, realistic fiction, and graphic novels. Kids will pick what they read, making it fun, not a chore.

In small groups, they'll dive into these stories, swap ideas, and build a tight-knit classroom vibe. This'll boost their reading skills, critical thinking, and teamwork, all while hitting Idaho Standards. Plus, they'll see reading as something they want to do, not what they have to do. These books will stick around for years, keeping future classes hooked on stories. By giving kids choice and a chance to connect, this project will spark a love for reading and create stronger, more confident readers.