Latest Grants Awarded

ZEF 2023 Fall Grants Announced

The Zionsville Education Foundation (ZEF) announced $20,038.55 in grants to Zionsville Community Schools (ZCS) teachers on Wednesday, October 11, 2023. The ZEF prize patrol, consisting of ZEF Board members, community Grants Committee members, and ZEF staff, visited classrooms to surprise teachers with the funding for their grant applications.

Among the 2023 Fall Classroom Grants, students will gain the opportunity to build and program robots, gather and analyze weather data, learn science and social studies state standards through gardening in an outdoor classroom, immerse themselves in the creation of flip books and stop motion animation, and learn the life-long game of disc golf. These creative projects will promote academic excellence this year and for students in future classes.

ZEF is grateful to all donors that make these grants possible. A special thanks to the Duke Energy Foundation for awarding ZEF $5,000 through their Local Impact Grant program to be used for these projects. ZEF is grateful for their partnership and their steadfast support of ZEF’s mission.

ZEF Classroom Grants are awarded twice a year in the fall and spring. Classroom grants combine with other types of ZEF grants to provide much-needed funding to ZCS teachers, students, and schools. Classroom and Imagine Professional Development Grant applications are reviewed by a combination of ZEF Board members and community members. The generous work of these volunteers is essential to ZEF’s grant process.

2023 Fall Classroom Grants
Total Awarded: $20,038.55

Empowering Minds Through Math Strategy Games ($920.02)
Jonann Lamaster – Boone Meadow Elementary
Students will learn to play a variety of math strategy games that reinforce computational fluency, number sense, and critical thinking while having fun and being challenged.

Robots for Coding ($3,715.02)
Andy Seward, Melissa Betustak, Hillary Shaffer – Zionsville Middle School
Provides funding for eight robots to introduce students to basic programming and then lead them to more advanced coding. Sixth grade students will work in groups to write code that will cause the robots to perform maneuvers and complete specific tasks.

Trailside Outdoor Classroom and Garden ($2,175.00)
Katie Clark, Stacey Off, Kiley Kemmerling, Allyson Knue, Chelle Smitson, Kelly Hine, Lisa Mueller, Abbey Dybel, Abby Wyatt, Audra Wirkowski – Trailside Elementary
This grant creates a garden on the school premises that will serve as an outdoor classroom. The garden will be designed to align with the first and second grade Indiana Science and Social Studies Standards, providing students with an opportunity to explore various topics while actively participating in garden-related activities.

Happy Handwriting Helpers ($1,516.34)
Kimberly Gray, Sara Abu-Rumman, Laura Nolan – Boone Meadow Elementary and Union Elementary
Enables the purchase of materials that will add an effective layer of developmentally appropriate writing tools to support student writers.

A World of Books ($2,909.00)
Randi Schreiner – Zionsville West Middle School
This media center/ENL join project provides funding for whole class novels, literature circle books, and popular books for ENL students written in their language and at a reading level that will make the experience possible and enjoyable for students.

Following and Documenting the Weather ($353.00)
Molly Seward – Trailside Elementary
A school-based weather station will enable students to learn how to gather weather data and explore what role each tool plays in making weather predictions. This daily observation and weather station reading will give kindergarten through fourth graders real life experiences with weather data.

SoundBites: Amplifying Young Voices in the Digital Age ($199.95)
Kaley Hendrickson – Zionsville West Middle School
This project equips students with state-of-the-art podcase equipment and skills, nurturing their communication, creativity, and critical thinking abilities, while preparing them as informed, tech-savvy citizens ready to make their voices resonate in the digital age.

100 Years of Animation: Flip Book to Stop Motion ($5,338.60)
Jen Gibson – Zionsville Middle School
Provides tools to help students discover the world of animation, spanning from 1923-2023, and be immersed in the creation of flip books and stop motion animation.

Portable Disc Golf ($2,911.62)
Fred Powell – Trailside Elementary
Enables the purchase of disc golf equipment to use the game as a means of teaching a variety of gross motor skills within elementary wellness classes and providing all students with experience in an activity they can engage in throughout their lives.

Past Grants Awarded