The Vigo County Education Foundation on Thursday received $4,000 from a fundraiser conducted by Terre Haute McDonald's restaurants.
In September, all five Terre Haute McDonald’s restaurants hosted a city-wide fundraiser for VCEF. A percentage of purchases in the restaurant and on the McDonald’s app were calculated for the donation to support the Education Foundation’s mission of enriching education of Vigo County School Corp. students. The funds will be used to help teachers infuse their classrooms with creativity, innovation and hands-on learning opportunities, through classroom and school wide grants and district wide programs. All of these local McDonald’s are owned by Nick and Jami Kasprzyk, who are continuing supporters of local schools and teachers. “The Vigo County Education Foundation is immensely grateful to the Kasprzyks and their McDonald’s patrons for their generosity and kindness," said Jane Nichols, executive director of the Education Foundation. "This gift is truly an investment — an investment in our community’s most valuable resource, the education of our children." Sue Loughlin can be reached at 812-231-4235 or at [email protected]. Follow Sue on X at @TribStarSue. Tribune Star/Joseph C. Garza Sugar Creek Consolidated Elementary School fifth-grade teacher Kathryn Rademacher-Smith’s classroom is the rare one that boasts a kitchen with a fridge and oven adjacent to the desks, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that on this Friday its air is aromatic with the scent of cinnamon.
Students have baked themselves apple turnovers and created butter by shaking buttermilk in little jars. It’s all for a little snack they’ll enjoy later in the afternoon. Welcome to Colonial Day, which has become an annual Consolidated tradition allowing students to set aside their textbooks for a day and make not just pastries but candles, ink, Native American rattles and write with old-fashioned quill pens. The event comes courtesy of a $750 grant from the Vigo County Education Foundation. Foundation Executive Director Jane Nichols explained, “We raise funds to empower teachers to bring more creative, hands-on learning to their classrooms. These are the things kids remember. This is what’s important — the experiences, the extra things. Are they going to remember the tests they take? No. But they’re going to remember making butter.” Principal Suzanne Marrs agreed. “It’s just a way to connect with the past and really bring the history of Thanksgiving to life for our kids,” she said. “They’re really starting to learn what life was like at that time. It gives them real-world experience. “Any time in education when you can actually use your hands and have real-life experiences helps you to connect to what you’re really learning,” she added, noting that the turnover aroma was wafting up to the classroom above them, no doubt making students there pretty jealous. “They’re getting an authentic experience that they wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.” In Kelsie Rhoads’ classroom, students are making candles, as well as ink from blueberries. Pupils melted wax in slow cookers and added essential oils like eucalyptus and lemon. They dipped a wick into the melted wax and then doused them in water repeatedly, then hung their creations to dry. “When they get home, they can light it like a real candle,” she said. Sarah Pigg and her husband Daniel, owners of Sycamore Winery, are in Rhoads’ classroom helping the students there — including their son Elliot — create the candles. If winemaking and candle dipping were to appear in a Venn diagram, their circles would overlap at no point whatsoever. “I just learned how to make candles this morning,” Sarah said, adding wryly, “I consider myself definitely an expert after about an hour. We didn’t know what we were doing, but it’s fun just to help.” Upstairs in Jennifer Price’s classroom, students created Native American rattles — at a powwow earlier in the day, they learned what the rattles were used for, and now they were making them themselves. Price said Colonial Day is quite the departure from an average day in the classroom. “Typically, we’re learning our math or reading at our seats, not a whole lot of movement,” she said. “And this is learning the typical day in the life of someone from Colonial times, so they get to move around and get to do a lot of hands-on [work] which is really important for learning. Having fun in a different classroom environment — they physically get to make apple [turnovers] and butter.” Fifth grader Connor Trout proudly showed off his rattle, a stick wrapped in yarn and accented with beads. He called Colonial Day “mostly excitement and fun” and said he learned about “the games they played, like marble rolling. They wrote with a feather, which was really cool.” Almost as cool as doing the exact same thing 400 to 500 years later. David Kronke can be reached at 812-231-4232 or at [email protected]. The Leadership Giving Award was presented to Indiana State University President Mike Godard on behalf of the university Friday during the Vigo County Education Foundation Business and Bagels event. Shown here are Jennifer Kirsch, Alex Allen-Hodge, Godard, Chris Himsel and Jane Nichols. The Vigo County Education Foundation awarded $40,061 in school-wide grants to 17 schools Friday during its semiannual Business and Bagels event. Sponsored by Labor Link, the event celebrated educational excellence and highlighted VCEF’s commitment to enriching educational opportunities for Vigo County students The grants will fund a range of initiatives, including author visits, theater productions, literacy programs, enriching field trips, and academic and attendance incentives. Each program is designed to enhance learning experiences and foster a love of education among students across the district, according to a VCEF news release. During the event, the Leadership Giving Award was presented to Indiana State University President Mike Godard on behalf of the university. Godard spoke about the meaningful collaborations between ISU, the Vigo County School Corp. and the foundation. “ISU’s unwavering commitment to the growth and development of our educational community is a shining example of what it means to be a true leader in giving and service,” said Alex Allen-Hodge, VCEF board president. Several notable projects received special recognition during the event:
“This incredible milestone reflects the generosity of our community’s businesses and individuals and their shared belief in providing the best educational opportunities for our students,” said Jane Templeton Nichols, VCEF executive director. “The VCEF is grateful and proud of this support.” The Vigo County Education Foundation (VCEF) received a transformative gift from the Gibson Family Foundation for new technology at the Allen Memorial Planetarium. This new, state-of-the-art technology will not only allow the Vigo County School Corporation (VCSC) to enrich STEM education for students, but it will benefit the entire community.
The VCEF exists to help the Vigo County School Corporation bridge the gaps in funding to provide enriching, experiential programs and projects for its students. The VCEF works to build partnerships between businesses and individuals and our schools. This is an excellent example of a family stepping up, in a most significant way, to provide exceptional, innovative educational programming. More succinctly, the planetarium would not be operational anymore, and our students would be deprived of this educational enrichment opportunity without their support. The Board of Directors of the Vigo County Education Foundation made a formal proposal to the Board of Directors of the VCSC to request that the Allen Memorial Planetarium be renamed the "Gibson Allen Memorial Planetarium," due not only to the Gibson family's rescue of this incredible community resource, but in honor of the late Max Gibson, who was a strong proponent of the value of a quality public education for every child, and his belief that providing an enriching education is the key to success. The VCEF also received a gift from Judy Brett and the late William Brett, and grants from the Wabash Valley Community Foundation and Duke Energy Foundation for the planetarium project. The Allen Memorial Planetarium first opened its doors in1974, and with the grand opening came the unveiling of the star ball. This new-at-the-time technology was officially named the Spitz Laboratories, Inc. Model A4 Planetarium Instrument, but was conversationally known as “Stella.” Its abilities included showing the star field, the Milky Way, several Messier objects, 2 constellation outlines, the Sun, the Moon, several planets, and the motion of these celestial bodies both in daily rotation and in annual movement. By Sue Loughlin, Tribune-Star, Aug 22, 2024 In this science experiment at Lost Creek Elementary, students were instructed to build the tallest tower with their materials, but they had to balance a marshmallow on the top without falling. The experiments are made possible through a mini-grant from the Vigo County Education Foundation. Pam Runyan’s students at Sarah Scott Middle School will learn about growing their own food, while third-graders at Lost Creek Elementary will do weekly science experiments.
Cheryl Thornton’s second-graders at Dixie Bee Elementary will “adopt” a stuffed animal reading buddy with the promise to read to it nightly at home. All three programs are benefiting from mini-grants distributed Wednesday by the Vigo County Education Foundation. VCEF awarded 139 mini-grants totaling more than $86,206 for classroom enrichment opportunities benefiting all Vigo County School Corp. schools. “All of these mini-grants are made for $750 or less, and it is amazing to see what great teachers are able to accomplish with that amount of money,” said Jane Nichols, Vigo County Education Foundation executive director. Runyan’s grant, called “The Greenhouse Effect,” expands on what she’s done in past years. “We will continue planting in soil and hydroponics in the classroom, but we will also take the planting outside. There will be a greenhouse outside my classroom” that her students hope to use. “The greenhouse needs some love put into it before we use it. That’s where my grant money comes in to help,” she said. Lost Creek third-grade teachers received a grant to continue their weekly science experiments, which might involve dissecting owl pellets, seeing what happens when Mentos mix with soda pop or building towers made from cups, tape, string and marshmallows. With the towers experiment, they learn about balance, weight and gravity. The science experiments aim to increase students’ knowledge of science through fun and interactive learning. West Vigo plans after-school intramural eSports team
By Sue Loughlin | Tribune-Star Nov 16, 2023 West Vigo High School plans to start an after-school intramural eSports team thanks to a grant from the Vigo County Education Foundation. West Vigo was one of 19 schools benefiting from $35,365 in school-wide grants distributed Friday during the VCEF Business and Bagels program at Terre Haute North Vigo High School. Esports, or electronic sports, involves competitive, organized video gaming. Esports is growing in popularity, and it’s a way to involve students who may not participate in other school activities, said Ryan Easton, high school principal. “Mental health, grades, attendance and behavior all improve when having a sense of belonging and connection,” he said. “This will hopefully be that connection that so many of our students need.” He distributed a survey in school, and among students who responded, 30% had a interest in eSports. “It’s a no brainer,” Easton said. “If I can get that one student to want to come to school that day, if I can get that one student to not worry about what’s going on at home, we’re doing our job.” The team will be coached by media specialist Jamie Young. For those who play eSports, it’s been shown to improve cognitive skills, problem solving, decision-making, teamwork and communication, he said. Some students played informally last year at the school, and “there was an overwhelming response,” Young said. Students who had never spoken to each other were competing and “high-fiving each other.” It created “a very strong sense of community,” Young said. The grant will allow the school to purchase equipment and expand from one game set up so that multiple games can be going at once. For some of the kids, it’s their first chance to be on a team. “You can’t put a price-tag on that,” Young said. Business and Bagels, which takes place twice a year, provides the community with an update about the impact the education foundation is having to enhance learning and teaching in the Vigo County School Corp. The grants have a school-wide impact, said Jane Nichols, executive director of the foundation. Some of the activities funded include school visits by authors, collaborative engineering to create a business and the performance of musical theatre. It’s a way for the community to see “some of the exciting, engaging ways that principals and teachers are inspiring kids and trying to enrich their learning,” Nichols said. Terre Haute North Vigo High School received a grant for a collaborative engineering and entrepreneurship venture. In the project, students create products that are sold on a website. A grant to Franklin Elementary for its book vending machine program was supported by a Rose-Hulman Institute of Technnology “Give up a meal” (GUAM) program. In that program, Rose-Hulman students donate meal swipes and declining balances at the end of the quarter; 179 people donated for a total of $3,000. The foundation’s Leadership Giving Award went to Pat Minnis, a former member of the education foundation’s board of directors. She established the Joe Minnis Memorial Fund at the education foundation to honor her late husband, Joe Minnis, who served for 12 years on the Vigo County School Board and volunteered for many years on the education foundation board of directors. Those funds go toward career-technology education projects. Pat Minnis told those assembled that Friday would have been Minnis’ 87th birthday. Sue Loughlin can be reached at 812-231-4235 or at [email protected] Follow Sue on Twitter @TribStarSue Tribune-Star Staff Report - November 16, 2022
The Vigo County Education Foundation and Ivy Tech Foundation have received a gift for a collaborative funding initiative to support educational advancement opportunities for Vigo County School Corp. students. Alpa Patel and Thomas Yeagley provided a $10,000 gift, which through this initiative will help students to have the opportunity for a seamless transition from high school to a post-secondary institution. Jane Nichols, who serves as the executive director of the Vigo County Education Foundation, praised this partnership for its non-competitive nature. “We live in a very giving community, and our organizations share many donors, like Alpa and Tom. This partnership allows those passionate about student success to support both organizations simultaneously,” Nichols said in a news release. Ivy Tech Community College currently offers free dual-credit courses in all the Vigo County high schools so students can earn college credits early. Dual-credit courses allow high school students the opportunity to earn a certificate or technical certificate and get a jump start on completing their associate degree at Ivy Tech or transfer their credits to a four-year institution. Ivy Tech has transfer agreements with many Indiana colleges, allowing students who earn their associate degree at Ivy Tech the option to transfer as a sophomore or junior to many Indiana colleges. Donations will be pooled each spring, and a committee comprised of members from both organizations and the Vigo County School Corp. will annually review and evaluate funding requests. Including the gift from Patel and Yeagley, more than $30,000 has been given in support of this partnership thus far. To learn more or to support this initiative, contact Nichols at the Vigo County Education Foundation at vigocountyeducationfoundation.org or Rachel Mullinnix at the Ivy Tech Foundation at giving.ivytech.edu/terrehaute. Franklin third-graders' artworks inspired by Caldecott Award-winning books by Sue Loughlin Tribune-Star March 25, 2022
Franklin Elementary third-grader Ricky Neidhamer drew inspiration for his artwork from a book about a man who took care of Aleppo’s abandoned cats in the midst of the Syrian civil war. Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza His page of inspiration: Franklin Elementary School third-grader Ricky Neidhamer finds the page in the book, ““The Cat Man of Aleppo,” that inspired him to create a ceramic sculpture of a white dove on Thursday in the school’s library as part of the “Caldecott Art Show.” JOSEPH C. GARZAThe book, called “The Cat Man of Aleppo” and based on a true story, includes pictures of doves flying in a beautiful blue sky. That prompted Neidhamer to make a ceramic sculpture featuring a white dove with wings spread wide in flight. He chose the flying dove for his art because, “It’s pretty,” he explained. Now, that art — and those of all Franklin third-graders — are on display in the school library as part of the “Caldecott Art Show.” The project received a grant from the Vigo County Education Foundation and is a collaboration between media specialist Amber Wigington and art teacher Jana Weeks. The grant allowed Wigington to purchase a number of Caldecott award-winning books, while Weeks was able to purchase additional glazes, which can be expensive. Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza Franklin Elementary School art teacher Jana Weeks. JOSEPH C. GARZAWigington describes to children what it means to win a Caldecott award as each book is read to the classes, and then the children have an opportunity to create a favorite character from the book; the children model the clay into their artistic pieces, which are fired in a kiln. Then, they apply a glaze and write an artist’s statement. “They get the whole feeling of being a professional artist,” Weeks said. “This is a sensational project. It inspires them.” It’s the fourth year for the program, and it creates special memories for the children. “They are very proud of their work,” Wigington said. The Caldecott awards honor artists of the most distinguished American picture books for children. Another student, Elexcia Flowers, chose to make a ceramic piece of a frog in lake. The inspiration was a picture book called “Tuesday,” in which frogs rise on their lily pads, float through the air, and explore the nearby houses while their inhabitants sleep, according to one description. The book also featured floating pigs. “My favorite animal is a frog and I thought it would be challenging for me to make,” Flowers said. Third-grader Mason Tingley captured a night sky full of colorful stars in his artwork based on the book, “Many Moons,” about a princess who becomes ill, and only one thing will make her better: the moon. He chose the subject from a page in the book because, “It looks beautiful,” Tingley said. Addyson Steele chose the book “Finders Keepers,” and her sculpture depicts two dogs who decided to share a bone after they originally had fought over it. “We got to shape the clay however we wanted” and get creative with details, Steele said. “After we saw the results, I really loved it.” Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza Jane Nichols, executive director of the Vigo County Education Foundation. JOSEPH C. GARZAJane Nichols, executive director of the Vigo County Education Foundation, said of the program, “I love the collaborative effort between the art teacher and media specialist. I love how they are bringing beautiful artwork and illustrations into the students’ lives and letting them create,” and at the same time, encouraging the joy of reading. Sue Loughlin can be reached at 812-231-4235 or at [email protected] Follow Sue on Twitter @TribStarSue. Read the full article with pictures here By Sue Loughlin Tribune-Star December 3, 2021
The Vigo County Education Foundation awarded school-wide grants totaling more than $26,000 to 11 schools Friday during a Business and Bagels session at Sarah Scott Middle School. Katrina Doty, counselor at Davis Park Elementary, told those attending how much the grants mean. “It’s no secret these are very difficult times in education. Your support … during a time when the court of public opinion is a pretty tricky thing right now — means the world. Your generosity allows us to do what we love, which is teaching, caring for and inspiring kids,” Doty said. She brought therapy dog Tucker with her as she talked about what Davis Park is doing with its school-wide funds. “Tucker is usually the real star” when they’re together in public, she quipped. The school-wide grants could potentially impact more than 5,100 students, or about 38% of the VCSC student population, said Jane Nichols, foundation executive director. The funds will help support STEM activities, after-school programs and incentives to encourage good attendance or behavior. The programs aim to meet the needs of children and “get them to school, get them to want to be in school, helping them academically and emotionally and really trying to enrich the child’s entire school experience,” Nichols said. Because of the pandemic, it was the first in-person session of Business and Bagels in about two years. “It’s so exciting to be here in person and have the energy and the connection,” Nichols said. Those attending included donors, business representatives, principals, teachers, administrators and other nonprofit representatives. School-wide grants are awards generally between $1,000 and $3,000 given for programs which impact students throughout the entire school. At Davis Park, the school’s FUNdamental grant will be used for many things, including programs to address the impact of COVID. The school has brought back clubs for art, music and coding “to address their mental health,” Doty said. With Chromebooks, students can participate even if they must be at home, such as during quarantine. “We can Google Meet them during the club,” she said. Part of the grant is also used to help motivate students for ILEARN and IREAD testing. The school also has a “Reading to Tucker” program, and grant funds will be used to purchase stickers that say, “I read to Tucker today,” or “Reading is golden with a doodle.” In addition, funds will support the school’s Purple at the Park program, which rewards students for being safe, responsible and respectful, Doty said. At Franklin Elementary, the grant “will help us keep our book vending machine filled with brand new books,” said Principal Tina Horrall. Children receive tokens for everything from grades to improved behavior and good attendance. “They are thrilled to have a new book,” she said. At Meadows Elementary, the grant will be used for after-school enrichment that includes reading and writing clubs, a Purdue extension STEM club and cooking clubs. At Terre Town Elementary, the grant is being used for morning “STEM-ulation” kits, which enable children to work with simple levers, gears or circuits. They do the activities during breakfast. “It encourages students to want to come to school, play with friends and learn and explore,” said Sharon Manley, Terre Town assistant principal. “It wakes their brains up as they explore these topics and scientific approaches.” At Farrington Grove, funds will be used to improve social skills, which suffered during disruptions caused by COVID, said Principal Jennifer Norris. “They don’t remember how to be together in a positive and productive way,” she said. “We encourage students to become the best version of themselves.” The school is encouraging students to be safe, respectful and responsible, and one way is to reward them with “Tiger” tickets that can be used for items in a school store or for such experiences as extra recess, pizza with the dean and cookies with the counselor. During the Friday’s event, the foundation honored longstanding supporters, SMC Inc. and the Hollie and Anna Oakley Foundation. Business and Bagels was sponsored by Engage Mentoring: Project Lead for Women and Alex Allen-Hodge and Ron Hodge. Sue Loughlin can be reached at 812-231-4235 or at [email protected] Follow Sue on Twitter @TribStarSue. 'Amazing' what great teachers can do with $750, director says By Sue Loughlin, Tribune-Star Projects that teach students about Terre Haute history, encourage enthusiasm for reading and foster a love of the sciences are among those awarded grants from the Vigo County Education Foundation. VCEF awarded 90 mini-grants totaling $54,062 for classroom enrichment opportunities in Vigo County School Corp. schools. The awards were announced Thursday during a FaceBook Live presentation, a format used because of COVID-19 precautions. Read more ![]() “The Solution Squad,” a STEM club at Farrington Grove Elementary, received a Vigo County Education Foundation mini-grant. The program will operate a little differently this year, with COVID-19 protocols in place. |
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