Grant Program

Grade 10 Newbury Park High School, Conejo Valley USD developed enthusiasm for reading by organizing a book exchange for elementary school students at  Sycamore Canyon Elementary School. 

Grade 10 Newbury Park High School, Conejo Valley USD encouraged and enabled girls to learn about STEM education by hosting a 3-hour workshop at Newbury Park High School that provides a variety of hands-on STEM activities. 

Gr. 4 Conejo Elementary School, Conejo Valley USD organized a hiking and research learning club to collect data to see how being in the outdoors affects one's well-being.  

Gr. 9 & 5 Lang Ranch, Conejo Valley USD sparked a love of reading for 5th grade GATE student through the introduction of high quality, age-appropriate literature in a small group virtual and in-person monthly book club.

 Gr. 9 Century Academy, Conejo Valley USD shared a love of robotics and mechanical engineering with other students by purchasing and distributing  RobotiKits Super Solar Recycler kits to build both independently and via Zoom. 

Gr. 5 Ladera STARS Academy improved engineering skills by purchasing Junior Solar Sprint Deluxe Kits and coordinating a solar powered  car race at Ladera STARS Academy in the Spring.

Grade 6 Sycamore Canyon School, Conejo Valley USD organized and facilitated a monthly art class where middle school students met to create canvas paintings and spend time with friends after school. 

Grade 5 Sycamore Canyon School, Conejo Valley USD purchased and donated multicultural books that encourage 5th grade students to learn about diverse cultures. 

Grade 3 Rancho Rosal Elementary School, Pleasant Valley SD raised awareness about the learning experiences of students with autism by creating a poster and video to  share with the school community. 

Grade 8 Redwood Middle School, Ventura USD helped classmates better understand astronomy and radios waves by creating an IBT to gather data from the sun’s radio waves and, using computer software, interpret the frequency of radio waves inside our atmosphere.

Grade 6 Redwood Middle School, Conejo Valley USD built two 3-D printed prosthetics and donated one to someone in need.  

 Grade 11 Newbury Park High School, Conejo Valley USD created a learning game, “Football Math”, and assisted elementary and middle school students with math skills during an afterschool homework club. 

Grade 12 Santa Barbara High School, Santa Barbara USD To build a foldable electric cello using 3-D printed components and a real cello fingerboard, bridge, and strings  then provide demonstrations to the SBHS Green Engineering and AP Physics classes and the Santa Barbara  Youth Symphony Orchestra. 

Grade 3 Roosevelt Elementary School, Santa Barbara USD provided educational logic and puzzle workbooks to the third grade classrooms. Workbooks were used by students who finished work and sought additional challenge. 

Grade 3 Roosevelt Elementary School, Santa Barbara USD inspired students to overcome obstacles in life by sharing the book Gifted Hands by Ben Carson. Students participated in discussions, completed book reports, then creatde posters which were displayed on campus. 

Grade 9 Westlake High School, Conejo Valley USD used acting as a therapeutic tool to help autistic students identify and express emotions and develop social  skills. High school drama students conducted weekly training sessions to middle school participants presented a play upon completion. 

Grade 9 San Marcos High School, Santa Barbara Unified School District raised awareness and understanding of the deaf community's struggle by bringing members of the Santa Barbara City College American Sign Language (ASL) Club to interact with SMHS students and introduced them to ASL as a distinct language. 

Grade 5 Art Haycox Elementary School, Hueneme School District encouraged reading by purchasing additional copies of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets for the classroom. After reading the book, students earned Accelerated Reader points, went on field trips, and enhanced their interest in the Harry Potter series. 

Grade 2 Waldorf School, Santa Barbara built a solar powered bug with a solar cell, wrote and illustrated a manual, then compiled a kit that included all the parts for the bug to share with kids who lack the money or resources to participate in such lessons and ideas.

Grade 5 Laguna Vista Elementary, Ocean View SD helped brighten the rooms and spirits of people staying at Children’s Mental Health Services by sewing and  distributing “hot dog” pillowcases. 

Grade 5 Rancho Rosal Elementary School, Pleasant Valley SD To help children in need of organ transplants at the UCLA Medical Center by raising funds through collecting  and recycling aluminum cans and plastic bottles. Proceeds will be used to purchase stationary supplies  (coloring books, pens, crayons, stickers, etc.) which will be distributed to hospitalized children. 

Grade 8 Sycamore Canyon School, Conejo Valley USD created a math-based educational gaming software for children in kindergarten through 5th grade. The game  helped children who struggled with math or were in need of additional practice.  

Grade 4 Sycamore Canyon School, Conejo Valley USD organized a group of students to observe and identify birds in their natural habitat using field guides and  disposable cameras. Students prepareed a report on their findings and shared it with other classes.

Grade 9 Oak Park High School, Oak Park School District Organize team to design and build a rocket which can reach an altitude of 825 feet. Compete in the Team  America Rocketry Challenge (TARP). 

Grade 6 Vieja Valley Elementary School, Hope School District expanded the Hand Towel Project from one class to the entire school. Funds were used to minimize the use of paper towels by providing individual hand towels and clips for each student. The recipient also conducted a study to record financial and  environmental savings. 

Grade 6 Adams Elementary School, Santa Barbara School District painted a flag of the United States of America on the side of a school building to promote patriotism. Students used the flag at the daily school-wide flag ceremony. 

Ms. Tepper, Grades 7 & 8 A.E. Wright Middle School, Las Virgines USD  helped students develop and use their natural creativity to become problem-solvers by forming an Odyssey of the Mind (OM™) team. Students developed skills in teamwork, budgeting, time management, public speaking, creativity, and competition. 

Ms. Linginger, Choir Teacher Redwood Middle School, Conejo Valley USD developed camaraderie and community among students by producing a school musical, “Chitty Chitty Bang”. 

Ms. Burton, 6th English and Social Science/ASB 7th and 8th grade Leadership Colina Middle School, Conejo Valley USD encouraged critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, collaboration, and communication by purchasing a teacher subscription and kit for Breakout EDU, an immersive learning games platform, to create enriched learning opportunities in the classroom.

Ms. Haver Gr. 6-8 Sequoia, Conejo Valley USD promoted collaboration with peers, as well as critical thinking skills and community involvement through an online “product testing" activity. Students chose 2 products to test in interest-based Zoom breakout rooms then, in the name of authenticity and real-life connections, students' evaluations and feedback were sent to the corresponding companies. 

Ms. Shelton & Ms. Flores Gr. 7 Monte Vista Middle School helped students develop and create videos (PSA) to demonstrate the threats to biodiversity on  our ecosystems in Ventura County. Students designed and implemented a local project to increase biodiversity and ecosystem services by planting more local, native tree species throughout the community of Camarillo in empty tree planters, parks, and throughout the community.  

Ms. Hatakeyama Gr. 4/5 Conejo Elementary School, Conejo Valley USD increased students’ critical thinking, engagement, and problem solving by utilizing the LEGO Education WeDo 2.0 Core Set, to enhance science lessons by giving opportunities to create hands-on solutions to real-world problems. This grant allowed exploration of STEAM principles as well as gave students the opportunity to work with coding to see their creations come to life. 

C. Greeley Grade 8 La Cumbre Jr. High School, Santa Barbara Unified School District provided students with an authentic, multifaceted literary experience centered around Norse Mythology, by Neil Gaiman, by organizing a book club which includesd discussions with experts and a field trip to UCSB’s Museum of Art, Design, and Architecture to view the Carl Jung exhibit. 

Ms. White Grade K Mesa Union School District purchased STEM-based items to engage deeper thinking and interest in the kindergarten classroom.

Ms. Green Grades 3-8 Pleasant Valley School District purchased sets of a trilogy of cross-curricular novels, Mathematical Nights, by Robert Black, to engage  students in reading, critical thinking, and math strategies, then provided them with an opportunity to meet the author. 

Ms. Hebert Grade 8 El Camino Jr. High School, Santa Maria Bonita SD developed students’ creative and technological skills using iMovie to create short movie trailers about their book club novels. 

Ms. Collins Grades 4/5 Carpinteria Family School, Carpinteria USD purchased materials to teach students coding language in order to develop, design, and build a robot to aid with an identified environmental or humanitarian concern locally, globally, or both.

 Grades 4/5 Summerland Elementary School, Carpinteria USD encouraged students to engage in strategic and extended thinking by participating in weekly science lessons  and hands-on labs, based on the NGSS standards. 

Ms. Waggoner Grades 4-8 Mesa Union School, Mesa Union SD enabled students to create an “Expert Project” on a topic of interest and share their findings with the school  community. 

Ms. Hansen Grades 6-8 University Prep Charter School, Pleasant Valley SD provided materials to support the creation of student “Passion Projects,” based on individual interests. These projects were shared with classmates and school administration.

Ms. Eby & Ms. Huchinson Grade 4/5 Banyan Elementary, Conejo Valley USD created a MakerSpace in which students participate din Master Builder STEM-style challenges using LEGOs and explored how scientists at JPL have used LEGOs to make advancements in their field of study. 

Ms. Blauschke Grade 6 Brandon Elementary, Goleta USD researched cooling systems on the internet, interview a UCSB engineer and visited a science lab, then conducted experiments using fans and solar energy. 

Ms. Nolan Grade 8 Fremont Middle School, Oxnard USD investigated the historical and current issues with industrialized farming in their community through  literature, interviews, and a field trip to the Agricultural Museum of Ventura. Students will create web pages  and position papers to share information.

Ms. Hoppe Grade 6 Hueneme School District provided students with safe, motivational technology to express themselves, their experiences, and their learning. Funds were used to subscribe to GoAnimate, Powtoon, and Storyboard, which are paid apps that  align with Edmodo, a free video production website. Students will use Edmodo to create videos addressing  peer-related social and emotional issues (such as making friends or antibullying). 

Ms. Stout Grade 9-11 Carpinteria High School, Carpinteria USD supported the collaboration of the advanced ceramics class at Carpinteria High School and the 5th grade GATE class at Canalino Elementary School. Students learned about the Santa Barbara Empty Bowl Project then worked together to create and paint ceramic bowls. Students wrote about their experiences and a student authored article that was submitted to the local newspaper. 

Ms. Ybarra Grade 6 Taylor School, Santa Maria Bonita School District explored the lives and artwork of four different artists (Van Gogh, Georgia O'Keeffe, Paul Klee, and Pablo  Picasso). Students conducted research, participated in discussions, and created replicas of the art. Each student created an art palate pop-up book. Work was displayed in an art gallery/museum where students served as docents.

Ms. Belmonte Grade 8 Fesler Junior High School, Santa Maria Bonita School District involved students in all stages of the writing process with an emphasis on publication. Students selected one piece of writing to publish professionally and include an ISBN (barcode). Books were stored in the school library. 

Ms. Fickenscher Grade 4 Mound Elementary, Ventura Unified School District helped students work collaboratively to create an elementary school version of an online school newspaper using a Wordpress blog. Students met weekly in the computer lab to develop writing, editing and journalism skills, in addition to enhancing leadership and interpersonal skills. 

Ms. Dinges Grade 5 Haycox Elementary School, Hueneme School District encouraged school wide recycling by purchasing classroom recycling bins and holding a recycling competition. Students created a bar graph poster then recorded, monitored, and analyzed progress of each classroom using Google Drive spreadsheets. The class used Sandra Kaplan's Icons of Depth and Complexity to discuss patterns, trends, and changes over time.

Ms. Bluestein Grade 5/6 Washington Elementary, Santa Barbara USD assisted in conducting Paper Nor Plastic, an environmental initiative to achieve a ban on single-use bags  (paper and plastic) in the City of Santa Barbara. Students learned their role and responsibility as citizens/activists and the collaboration required to work towards a common goal. 

Ms. Cravioto Grades 3-5 Peabody Elementary, Santa Barbara USD increased participation in the Peabody Robotics Team by purchasing a Lego Mindstorms NXT robot. Participation on the team enhanced creative problem solving skills, analytical thinking, public speaking, and research skills. 

Ms. Payne Grade 3 Sycamore Canyon Elementary, Simi Valley USD enhanced the core curriculum by having students write original stories and create stop-motion movies utilizing  digital cameras and computer technology. Students developed a script, created dialogue, prepared a storyboard, designed claymation figures, filme the story, and inserted audio in the finished video.

 Ms. Danley All grades Santa Maria Bonita Unified SD assisted Math Superbowl teams in preparing for the May 2011 competition by providing supplementary math and challenge books.  

Ms. Garner Grades 4-6 Monte Vista, Vieja Valley, & Hope School, Hope SD helped 6th grade classes design and create a 3-D pop-up book on life in Ancient Pompeii. GATE students served as editors, paper engineers, authors, and illustrators.  

Mr. McCarter Grade 8 Valley View Middle School, Simi Valley organized The High Altitude Balloon Photography Project, a STEM-inspired learning opportunity for 8th grade GATE science students. Three classes organized into companies and competde to assemble the components necessary to launch a high altitude balloon, take photos or video of the curvature of the earth, successfully retrieve the camera using GPS technology, then prepare a presentation to win a fictitious contact.

Mr. Caballero Grades 11 & 12 Santa Barbara High School, Santa Barbara School Districts purchased a Renewable Energy Education Set which demonstrated critical engineering concepts. 

Ms. Varju Grade 3 Brookside Elementary School, Oak Park USD create dan IMovie of students dancing to document events throughout the school year. Students created a virtual scrapbook. 

Ms. Suddeth –Rodriguez Grades 3-5 EP Foster Elementary School, Ventura USD had students use art and technology to create a video depicting how daily life changes depending on where people live to encourage multiculturalism.