FEPS is proud to announce this year’s grant winners, totaling over $32,000!
In January 2013, the FEPS board of directors awarded $32,160 to district educators for innovative new programs in EP schools. Funding for these grants was made possible through donations to FEPS and from fundraising efforts such as Taste of Eden Prairie, the Alma Mater Trotter, and the Golf Classic.
The following grants support FEPS mission to support and enhance the legacy of excellence in Eden Prairie Schools:
Solar Telescope at CMS: Bill Prem, CMS, was awarded $7,480 to provide a custom built Lunt Solar Telescope with a mount, zoom eyepiece, and imaging software. It will allow every 8th grade science student at CMS to have a breathtaking view of the sun in a level of detail that even the most jaded teenager will find inspiring. We will be able to directly view sunspots, solar flares, prominences, and the swirling plasma surface of the sun. This will add immeasurably to our hands-on experiences.
Can You Hear Me Now? at Prairie View: Nathan Gabel, Prairie View, was awarded $7,690 to provide audio distributed sound systems to equip five classrooms, impacting about 150 students per year. Sound systems create an environment where the spoken word, a DVD, the computer, MP3 devices or any other sound of learning fills every corner of the room. This impacts engagement because students can hear and follow the classroom discussion at all times.
Bookmaking: Containers for Ideas at Cedar Ridge: Andrea McCarty & Mike Terwilliger, Cedar Ridge, were awarded $4,490. This grant will involve Artist-in-Residence, Kathy Coulter, guiding students to produce individual, unique, one-of-a-kind books to fill with their thoughts, connections to life and literature. This will impact 600 students in 1st and 2nd grades as they produce 14 books each in all of the elementaries.
A Choral Legacy at EPHS: Ellen Meier, EPHS, was awarded $3,500 to provide a choral legacy piece commissioned to be written for an 8th through 12th grade performance taking place in January 2014. It will be used again for future choral festivals in Eden Prairie. The choral piece, designed to meet the needs of the adolescent voice, will be the work of Tim Takach (a 1996 graduate of Eden Prairie High School).
Portable Light and Sound System at EPHS: Adam Voreis & Deb Karulf were awarded $9,000 to provide a portable light and sound system which will give student technicians in dozens of programs the ability to have full computer control of LED light fixtures which is the new standard in professional stage production. Adding them to our inventory will give our students the chance to build a college-level core foundation of knowledge.
“Woo-hoo! Awesome! Fabulous! Yahoooo! Might I say that I’m thrilled to hear this tremendous news?! This will be so marvelous for our students. We are incredibly, and deeply, appreciative of the graciousness and generosity of FEPS! Please let the FEPS Board know how truly grateful we are for the largesse of FEPS. EP schools are so blessed to have FEPS in our corner; you make our schools even better through your dedication and commitment to our teachers and students.” ~ Deb Karulf, EPHS Drama
