The Nebo Education Foundation is composed of 20 volunteer board members who live in cities serviced by Nebo School District. Board members meet each month to review and award grant requests, consider fund-raising avenues and other items that advance the educational opportunities for Nebo School District students. Many of the donations received are for selected projects, yet a substantial amount is available for the greatest need. Greatest need monies are considered for grants submitted by area schools.
“That’s what the foundation is all about – to give our students the best educational opportunities possible through classroom grants,” said Lana Hiskey, executive director.
Congratulations to the following teachers that continue to bless the lives of students.
Hobble Creek Elementary – Tami Johnson
“Thank you for giving us this grant. Due to the generosity of the Nebo Foundation, we will be able to get fraction math manipulatives. By using these, students will develop a concrete understanding of fractions. This will provide them with a greater opportunity for math success. Thanks to this grant, our fourth-graders will have more ways to express their understanding of fractions. Thank you so much!” exclaimed Tami Johnson, a fourth-grade teacher at Hobble Creek Elementary.
Diamond Fork Middle – Leah Carter & JeanMarie Anderson
“This grant means a great deal to me and my students. It will be used in sixth- and seventh-grade classrooms to give the students an opportunity to learn the basics of wheel throwing. I've been hosting an after-school clay club in which students that are not currently in my art class get to experience the therapeutic qualities of creating with clay,” said Leah Carter, art teacher at Diamond Fork Middle. “The soothing qualities of this medium are extremely helpful for students who suffer from anxiety. This approachable medium can be related to playing in the mud or the wet sand, and students are excited to dive into the new artistic avenue. Pottery involves a lot of mistakes and mishaps and requires students to simply create and be present in the current moment. The students quickly learn how easy it is to re-roll the clay and begin anew. There is also a major enhancement in fine motor skills and hand eye coordination with such a hands on medium. I personally have received so much stress relief and excitement from making a small ball of clay into a beautiful vase or a towering sculpture. The light in the eyes of the students when they see the glossy, glazed pieces that they have created is what makes teaching so enjoyable for me. Thank you so much to the Nebo Education Foundation for making another creative medium possible in the classroom.”
Maple Grove Middle – Thomas Bawden
Thomas Bawden, science teacher at Maple Grove Middle, said, “I am thrilled to be awarded the Nebo Education Foundation Grant. I plan to use this money to build up my science library with engaging and exciting books that cover my subject area. These books will provide my students with a fast finisher option that will continue to peak their interest and extend their understanding through reading. This will not only allow me to extend students' thinking but it will provide me with more time to work with students who need extra help. In addition, I plan to purchase snap atoms to help provide hands on instructions of molecules. In the end, this means a lot to me, I've always been passionate about doing my best to differentiate my instruction and provide the best tier 2 instruction possible. I feel that the money awarded to me can help me achieve this long and hard fought goal that teachers struggle with day in and day out. Thank you!”
Spring Canyon Middle – Bree Heaton & Cristina Ashcraft
“We are so grateful to have been selected as recipients of a grant from the Nebo Education Foundation in the amount of $880 for our ESL classroom! This grant money, with the addition of matching funds, will allow us to buy the much needed Chromebooks for our EL students. We work with a variety of well developed online programs that help our students gain the skills necessary to be able to function and, eventually, thrive in our local community. One such program is Amira, an AI program to help students learn to read. Our class has been chosen to help pilot the use of this program, something we are very excited about. However, when we don’t have access to computers, we are unable to access incredible programs like Amira during class time,” stated Breeann Heaton, Cristina Ashcraft, and the EL students at Spring Canyon Middle School.
“Ever since our school opened, our access to Chromebooks has been unreliable since the Chromebooks we currently use are computers that the whole school shares. Because of this, there are days, and sometimes weeks, where the Chromebooks are not available for our EL students. This creates a significant disruption in their learning and in our ability to teach and work with them effectively, especially when we are unaware in advance that the Chromebooks are needed elsewhere. Now, because of this grant, we will have access to Chromebooks at any time, we will be able to teach and work with students without the fear of not having access to the vital programs that are helping our students excel! The benefit of this grant for our students, their schooling and in the community is immeasurable. We are so grateful for this gift from the Nebo Education Foundation!”
Maple Grove Middle – Shannon Hales
Shannon Hales, a counselor at Maple Grove Middle, said, “Thank you again so much! That was so fun yesterday!! We are so appreciative of the Nebo Education Foundation. When the sources of strength training and curriculum came to our attention, we were a little discouraged because we didn't know where we would get the kind of money it would take to purchase the curriculum. We have been looking for just this kind of positive program to continue our prevention efforts in a more positive way. The program teaches students to identify their own personal sources of strength and how to lean on them when things aren't great. We, as a counseling department, are grateful for this generous contribution and for a foundation who sees the importance of mental health and overall wellness for students and school staff. We are so excited to get this program running and see the way it improves student lives at MGMS.”
Spanish Fork Junior – English Team
“The funds from the Nebo Foundation Grant will be used in conjunction with our scheduled assembly with famed, young adult novelist, Neal Shusterman! We are purchasing 150 copies of his forthcoming novel Gleanings: Stories from the Arc of a Scythe. Schusterman will be hosting an assembly and signing copies of his books for both students and teachers. We are excited to give classroom libraries and the school library copies of this next installment in the Scythe series. The English Department at SFJHS is very grateful for the support from the Nebo Foundation as we bring great storytelling to our campus,” stated Jonathan Lawrence and English Team at Spanish Fork Junior.
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