Following are examples of the many grants focused on increasing student engagement.
Grants that Enhance
| Title | Description | Year | Schools |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stock Market Game | Purchased computer software incorporating the use of technology in the study of the stock market, a hot dog stand business, and supply and demand theory. | 1996-1997 | Katherine Curren |
| Success Maker Software | Purchased Success Maker, computer courseware to increase student achievement in math and reading. | 1997-1998 | Katherine Curren |
| Success Maker Software | Purchased Success Maker, computer courseware to increase student achievement in math and reading. | 1997-1998 | Tanglen |
| Young Writers Conference | Sponsored attendance at Young Writers Conference. | 1998-1999 | Alice Smith |
| Glen Lake Writers Consortium | Created a Writers' Consortium fpr all 4th and 5th graders to introduce them to the varied writing opportunities. | 1999-2000 | Glen Lake |
| Calculator-Based Learning | NJH Calculator-Based Learning | 2000-2001 | NJH |
| Booster Camp | HEF awarded a grant for a four day “Booster Camp” experience for children entering the first grade who need additional reading instruction. | 2001-2002 | Meadowbrook |
| Writing Curriculum Training | Granted funds to improve the writing assessment skills of teachers, and help them integrate the writing curriculum with the new reading curriculum. | 2001-2002 | Eisenhower |
| Math Enrichment | Provided funds for staff to enrich fifth grade math and writing skills. | 2001-2002 | Katherine Curren |
| SET Libraries for Literacy | Provided books for the SET libraries to insure motivation and success for all students. | 2001-2002 | WJH |
| Guided Reading | Funded a guided reading program providing 1,200 books for students ranging from pre-readers to fluent readers in three grades. | 2001-2002 | Katherine Curren |
| Tools for Writing Skills | Awarded a grant for the Success Maker Enterprise program providing computerized, individual instruction in reading and math allowing each student to enter into the program at their ability level and move at their own pace. | 2002-2003 | Eisenhower |
| Math Acceleration | Awarded a matching grant for an Accelerated Math program in Grades 2 through 6 tracking student performance and generating practice exercises based on teacher goals and student levels of ability and skill. | 2002-2003 | Eisenhower |
| Guided Reading | Funded a grant to purchase Guided Reading materials that supplies all teachers and students with multiple copies of books for all reading levels and various interests. | 2002-2003 | Alice Smith |
| Read 180 for Struggling Readers | Provided funding for the Area Learning Center’s Read 180 program (software and print materials) allowing struggling readers to achieve grade level performance through interactive technology and independent reading. | 2002-2003 | NJH |
| Success Maker Software | Purchased Success Maker, computer courseware to increase student achievement in math and reading. | 2002-2003 | Katherine Curren |
| Readers' Workshop | Granted funds to continue the Reading Workshop program for Grades 5 and 6 providing a week-long concentrated reading intervention aimed at English Language Learner (ELL) students and others who struggle with reading. | 2002-2003 | Meadowbrook |
| Reading Fluency | Supported a grant to address reading fluency among 5th and 6th grade students with small-group, concentrated reading study and continued intervention in order to develop fluent, independent readers | 2003-2004 | Alice Smith |
| West Junior High Book Club | Granted funds to continue a book club designed to encourage a love of literature among all students. | 2003-2004 | WJH |
| High School Book Clubs | Provided funding for Men’s and Women’s Book RAP groups, designed to encourage literacy and create a social setting outside of school to promote reading for enjoyment. | 2003-2004 | HHS |
| Elementary Learning Centers | Awarded funding for the development of Learning Centers at all elementary schools in the district. This sizable grant of $45,000 will fund specialized instruction for students requiring basic skills instruction. The Learning Centers will provide direct instruction in reading, writing and/or math. | 2003-2004 | All elementary |
| STAR Fund -- HHS Writing Class | Awarded $30,000 to restore sections of a writing class, preventing the number of students in those classes from rising to 28 from the current 16-20 students. This allows teachers to give individual, immediate feedback leading to improved writing skills. | 2003-2004 | HHS |
| STAR Fund -- Junior High Core Classes | Awarded $48,000 for the schools to restore five sections in core classes like English, Math, Science and Social Studies. This helps to decrease class size allowing instructors to sustain a higher level of teacher to student/family contact and services. | 2003-2004 | NJH, WJH |
| STAR Fund -- LRT Support in Elementary Schools | Awarded $115,000 buying back over 4,900 hours of LRT (Learning Resource Teacher) support. This is equivalent to restoring one hour per day to a grade level across all elementary schools. | 2003-2004 | All elementary |
| LeapFrog Learning systems | Supported the purchase of additional LeapFrog Learning Systems to improve reading and comprehension skills for struggling readers. Already in use in two classrooms, this highly successful tool will now be available in all classrooms Grades K-2. | 2004-2005 | Eisenhower |
| Multi-Level Reading Kits | Awarded a grant to fund multi-level reading kits for fourth grade students that allows for each student to progress according to their own abilities and take responsibility for their own learning. | 2004-2005 | Tanglen |
| Area Learning Centers | A $45,000 award provided certified instructors to work with individual or small groups of elementary students who need assistance with basic skills in core subjects. This tutoring takes place outside the normal school day allowing teachers time to provide for the learning needs of all students, including middle and upper achievement level students. | 2004-2005 | All elementary |
| Leapfrog Literary Centers | A $40,000 award for Leapfrog Literacy Centers used by kindergartners and first graders to reinforce letter recognition, rhyming words, sounds, word recognition and fluency. HEF funded a pilot of this program at Eisenhower, which received enthusiastic reviews and prompted the request to take the program district-wide. | 2004-2005 | All elementary |
| Drop Everything and Read | Drop Everything And Read (D.E.A.R.) provides grade appropriate mini classroom libraries and common novels for “North Reads” to strengthen reading comprehension of all North Junior High students, regardless of the level of reader. | 2005-2006 | NJH |
| Enhanced Library | This grant updates the library collection at Katherine Curren Elementary in order to better match students’ interest and reading level. | 2005-2006 | Katherine Curren |
| Young Authors | Young Authors allows high achieving writers at Eisenhower Elementary to attend a seminar where exposure to a variety of writing, illustrating, and publishing provides inspiration for future writing. | 2005-2006 | Eisenhower |
| Matching Books to Readers | Matching Books to Readers expands the library collection to better meet the needs of beginning and early readers. Glen Lake Elementary will add books that are categorized by content and level of difficulty. This enhances independent reading by matching student reading level to book difficulty. | 2005-2006 | Glen Lake |
| West Writers' Club | The West Writer’s Workshop offers an after school activity for West Junior High students interested in multiple styles of writing and gives students an opportunity to gain measurable progress in their writing abilities. | 2005-2006 | WJH |
| Pre AP Social Studies | Social studies interactive curriculum challenges and prepares gifted learners for high school Advanced Placement classes. | 2005-2006 | NJH |
| Digital Cameras | Digital Cameras enable students to demonstrate the concepts they are learning in language arts, math, science, and other classes. By integrating digital photography into the lessons, more learning styles are addressed. Students and teachers alike gain experience with digital technology. | 2005-2006 | Tanglen |
| Reading Comprehension Materials | This grant provides Reading Comprehension Materials for students who need assistance in understanding and retaining what they are reading. | 2005-2006 | WJH |
| Good Books | This grant provides a collection of “Good Books” that appeal to reluctant readers and encourage recreational reading. | 2005-2006 | WJH |
| Culture of Literacy | This grant stocks classrooms with mini-libraries specific to the subject the teacher is teaching. | 2005-2006 | WJH |
| Young Authors' Writing Enrichment | Provides 30 fifth and sixth grade Eisenhower students the opportunity to learn from professional writers at the Young Authors Conference at Bethel College. Student writers attend a keynote with a published author as well as participate in small group workshops. | 2006-2007 | Eisenhower |
| Harley Hopkins Children's Library | To promote early formation of literacy skills, this grant provides books and listening activities for the 700 children and their families in the early childhood classrooms at Harley Hopkins including ECFE, the Hopkins Kaleidoscope Program, and ECSE. | 2006-2007 | Harley Hopkins |
| Modeling Constructive Responses Using Student Work | This program gives students the courage to try new problems and improves the quality of their written responses. | 2007-2008 | HHS |
| Future Cities Competition | Students use computer software to design a city, build a scale model, write an essay and present a speech. | 2007-2008 | NJH |
| Teaching Pre-AP Writing Skills | Students will build confidence as writers, peer editors and collaborators while gaining a sharp eye for detail. | 2007-2008 | NJH |
| Collaboration Time for High Critical Thinking Science / Social Studies | Students acquire the knowledge, concepts and skills needed to engage in a higher level of learning, combining curricula from science and social studies. | 2007-2008 | NJH |
| Resident Video Curriculum Development Specialist | This technology pilot project at WJH increases curricular engagement with students through the medium of video. The Resident Video Specialist will work with classroom teachers to illustrate classroom topics through the use of video, many times featuring Hopkins students. Through writing and participating in the videos, students will have the opportunity to become teachers of their peers. | 2007-2008 | WJH |
| ActivBoard Interactive Whiteboard | Our 2008 Special Appeal funds provided an ActivBoardTM Interactive Whiteboard for each of the nine schools in the District. Read the MinnPost article. | 2007-2008 | District-wide |
| Four-Level Analysis: A Grammar Instruction Pilot | This grant funds a document camera that is fundamental to this grammar instruction pilot program. It allows students to showcase their work for class discussion. | 2008-2009 | NJH |
| Personal Math Manipulatives | Much of a children's math sense is developed through play. This grant provides diecuts of math manipulatives so that hands-on math play can occur in classrooms and continue at home. | 2008-2009 | Meadowbrook |
| Student Support with Programmed Reading | This grant funds a reading program to help below-grade readers and ELL students achieve success in reading. | 2008-2009 | Alice Smith |
| Listening Center | This grant funds multi-user listening centers for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th graders, to help expose students to literature that is at their maturity level but beyond their reading level. | 2008-2009 | Glen Lake |
| RTI Reading Intervention | This early reading intervention pilot program provides 1st graders with literacy assistance including phonemic awareness, word decoding and vocabulary skills. | 2008-2009 | Glen Lake |
| Lexia Reading Program | Lexia software provides reading assessment, lesson plans and teaching tools that adjust to students’ progress and individual needs. Students at home can also access the web-based technology. Read more | 2011-2012 | Tanglen |
| Enhancing Teen Literacy via eBooks | Students in grades 7-12 will have 24/7 online access to 900 titles of popular fiction and nonfiction e-books. Read more | 2012-2013 | NJH, WJH, HHS |
| iPod Listening Centers | Books with audio CDs for iPod to enhance the Daily Five. Read more | 2012-2013 | Meadowbrook |
| Academic Support Center | Teachers and student mentors provide after-school homework assistance in math, science, and language arts. Read more | 2012-2013 | HHS |
| Magnifying the Power of STEM | Bash 2013 Special Appeal, year one of a two-year initiative. This Special Appeal provided STEM kits in elementary schools and rolling robots labs in Junior highs. Read more | 2012-2013 | All elementary, NJH, WJH |
| Literacy Intervention | Exciting, well-paced materials to help bring struggling readers to grade level. Read more | 2013-2014 | Meadowbrook |
| Summer Reading Library | A library of 'high interest' books for NJH students to check-out during the summer to maintain their reading habit. Read more | 2013-2014 | NJH |
| Increasing Success and Rigor in Advanced Placement | This HEF grant funds initial access to Albert.io, online practice multiple choice questions with immediate results and feedback. This vehicle targets higher achievement by allowing students to practice fact-based knowledge at home. Read more. | 2015-2016 | HHS |
| Creating Sustainable Mini-Ecosystems | Excited 7th graders formulated the idea for this project and undertook the initial research into designing and building two hydroponic gardens and an aquaponic garden.Read more. | 2015-2016 | WJH |
| Designing a Coding Curriculum for K-6 | This HEF grant to Alice Smith Elementary will fund the design of a Coding Curriculum for grades K-6, building the necessary soft and hard skills needed for computer programming, and offering access to the vast opportunities awaiting our students in the future. Read more. | 2015-2016 | Alice Smith |
| Boogie Boards | Young hands learn through practice and class participation, and these Boogie Board Jot eWriters encourage both. Read more | 2016-2017 | Tanglen |
| One-on-One Royal Readers | HEF will fund this updated collection of high-interest culturally-relevant books for an exciting new reading initiative. Trained literacy volunteers will work one-on-one with first grade students on a weekly basis, and the books will also be available for classroom teachers’ use. Read more | 2016-2017 | Tanglen |
| ACT Online Test Prep | With this grant, every HHS student's Chromebrook will have Albert.io software, providing skill-strengthening activities and practice ACT tests. Read more | 2016-2017 | HHS |
| Creative Project Zone | A mobile cart of creativity will now be available to all 800 NJH students and staff to support countless imaginative projects throughout the building. Read more | 2016-2017 | NJH |
| Read, Read, Read! | Physical books possess an intangible power that cannot be found in a device. Adroitly harnessing that power can turn even reluctant students into passionate life-long readers. Read more | 2016-2017 | Meadowbrook |
| Sequels on the Shelves | Classroom libraries promote literacy through easy access to high-interest material. This grant of sequels to popular teen novels promises to keep readers intrigued far beyond the assigned reading. Learn more. | 2016-2017 | NJH |
| Permanent Recording and Playback System | Permanent installation of a recording/playback system in each of the 3 large music practice rooms in HHS is a simple – yet huge – enhancement to the high school’s music program. Directors can record and play back a few measures for review, or an entire week-old rehearsal to measure progress. Learn more. | 2016-2017 | HHS |
| Let's Learn About Our Amazing Bodies | Preschoolers are naturally curious about how their bodies work (Where does my food go when I eat? What are muscles? Why do I have bones?) and these new hands-on learning materials will provide a fun, exciting way to get those questions answered. Read more | 2017-2018 | Pre-School and Early Childhood |
| Giant Maps: Sitting on Top of the World | Short of viewing Earth from space, National Geographic’s Giant Maps are the most exciting way for students to explore their world in realistic scale to develop a global understanding of its size and scope. This HEF grant will purchase two permanent vinyl maps: a 20’ x 26’ North American map, and a 17’ x 21’ Minnesota map. Read more. | 2017-2018 | District-wide -- K to 6 |
| Experiential Language Learning | Links to Learning, a special education program located at Gatewood Elementary, serves our students with severe cognitive disabilities. This HEF grant provides a library of engaging materials to foster active and enthusiastic learning through hands-on activities, and to provide the repetition needed to enhance core skills and vocabulary. Read more. | 2017-2018 | Gatewood |
| MCubed (Math x Mental Health x Mindset) | MCubed is an innovative and exciting approach for bringing students up to grade level in math while practicing life skills in a socially, emotionally safe afterschool setting. Targeted students are those facing a variety of ACE’s (Adverse Childhood Experiences). Learning the ‘hard skills’ of math dovetails well with training in the ‘soft skills’ needed for all areas of their lives. Read more. | 2018-2019 | NJH |
| STEM Enrichment for Young Learners | The focus of this grant is to build problem-solving skills in Alice Smith’s K-2 learners through more exposure to STEM activities. Enrichment, challenge, and hands-on learning will benefit all students and help decrease the opportunity gap. Read more | 2018-2019 | Alice Smith |
| Opportunity=Access=Achievement: Closing the ACT Opportunity Gap | The ACT test is a high-stakes ‘entrance exam’ for college-bound students. HHS will offer a class specifically for those who have the desire, but not the means, to crack open this sometimes elusive window to higher education. Read more | 2018-2019 | HHS |
| Computerizing the Lending Closet | This HEF grant allows for a modern computerized/scanner system to streamline the whole library and greatly increase access to those high-demand learning activities and resources, including the Autism Library. Read more. | 2018-2019 | Harley Hopkins |
| C4 (Challenge, Create, Construct & Connect) | Tanglen’s Media Center will use this grant to innovate into a hub of access - to digital information, to collaborative learning, and to a warm welcoming environment. Read more. | 2019-2020 | Tanglen |
| Bigs Tutoring | HEF’s Awesome Fund for student clubs has awarded $1,000 to Bigs Tutoring, an inspiring group of Hopkins High School upperclassmen and alumni providing tutoring via video. This grant is the equivalent of 67 hours of tutoring, which will allow Bigs to offer free and reduced-price services to any student who needs it while proving a stipend to tutors. Learn more. | 2020-2021 | HHS |
| Micro Home Libraries | This grant puts two books by BIPOC authors (black, indigenous, people of color) into each of the hands of Reading Acceleration students whose home libraries are small to nonexistent. The pandemic makes this endeavor all the more important and timely, as these students are experiencing school in isolation at home. Learn more. | 2020-2021 | NJH |
| Fine Motor Kits for Distance Littles | Development of fine motor skills and muscle memory is essential to successful writing, cutting, gluing, and many other tasks. This grant funds 22 Fine Motor Kits to be sent home with students, along with engaging, instructive lessons and games. Learn more | 2020-2021 | Tanglen |
| Grade 5 Virtual Literacy | Currently, fifth graders are acquiring 60-100% of their learning virtually. This grant funds subscriptions to a slate of digital literacy resources to enhance and engage their endeavors during this very unusual year of COVID-19. Learn more | 2020-2021 | All elementary |
| Reading Groups, Together At Home | For the 66 Tanglen second graders enrolled in the Distance Learning Academy, the typical access to multiple books is not available. This grant provides multiple copies of 35 titles, both fiction and non fiction selections, with a diversity of main characters. Students will engage in small reading groups tailored to their needs, along with their teacher, via Googlemeets while staying safe at home.Learn more | 2020-2021 | Tanglen |
| Literacy in the Music Room | This classroom library in the music room at Tanglen will feature multicultural songs, stories, poetry, biographies of musicians and composers, and activities for exploring sound and movement. These resources will be used for lessons for all Tanglen students - and for many years to come – to broaden the scope of music education beyond a European-centered cannon. Learn more | 2020-2021 | Tanglen |
| Albert.io | This user-friendly platform for AP History has received a big thumbs up from HHS students and staff in the past, and the ability for HEF to pick up the funding this year has been crucial for distance learners. Learn more | 2020-2021 | HHS |
| Becoming Anti-Racist and Authentically Inclusive in Early Childhood | Early childhood is a critical age group in which to begin the work of anti-racism. This project begins with toys and books that illustrate multiple cultures and includes materials to help staff guide difficult and open conversations between themselves, and among parents. Learn More | 2020-2021 | Harley Hopkins |
| DIY STEM Tinker Kits | This HEF grant funds six different sets of crates full of interesting gadgets to be sent home, encouraging all students to fully participate along with any siblings who care to join in. Some enthusiastic learners have already created videos of themselves with their projects, and now the excitement can grow and spread. Learn more | 2020-2021 | Glen Lake |
| Gizmos and Reflex Subscriptions | These online programs offer a solution to the problem of too much online learning. Reflex(Math) and Gizmos (Science) are fun and engaging interactive programs that promote rapid understanding and send boredom to the back of the class. Learn more | 2020-2021 | Gatewood |
| A Great Hopkins Read-Along | This grant will bring all Hopkins scholars together through a shared reading experience. Different books will be chosen for different grade levels and purchased with HEF funds. Learn more | 2020-2021 | All elementary |
| Distance Learning Microphone | This grant purchases an external microphone and stand for each elementary school music teacher, greatly improving the quality of their lessons and level of student engagement. Learn more | 2020-2021 | All elementary |
| ACT Prep Class | How to Take the ACT offers equitable access to 11th grade scholars who traditionally do not have the means to take a class like this, and helps to level the playing field with their peers. As these students are already in distance learning, access to the online class will be free; this grant pays for the tutor’s time to work with, guide and support the students. Learn more | 2020-2021 | HHS |
| Cultivating Digital Health and Wellness | It’s difficult right now to screen less, but students can learn to screen well. All 970 students will benefit as NJH partners with Minnesota nonprofit LiveMore, ScreenLess to implement a deliberate culture of digital health and wellness. Learn more | 2020-2021 | NJH |
| VariQuest Design Center | This wonderful tool is much more than a time saver for creating beautiful bulletin board displays. VariQuest Design Center quickly “cuts out” visual and kinesthetic learning tools and manipulatives from heavy-duty re-usable vinyl.At-home kits can be created for reinforcement and fun.Learn more | 2020-2021 | Alice Smith |
| Personalized Literacy | This grant purchases ‘flash fiction’ anthologies – good writing with high rigor that can be consumed in a single sitting (one hour). It allows for personalized learning and engagement, choice of material reflective of many cultures, and skill development through small-group literary circles. Learn more. | 2021-2022 | HHS |
| 'Learner Profile' Book of the Month Club | This Book of the Month Club is for all 850 Eisenhower K-6 students on the school’s three learning pathways: Community School, XinXing Academy and Juntos Spanish Immersion. It benefits the larger goal of fostering internationally minded young people who recognize the common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, and who help to create a better and more peaceful world. Learn more | 2021-2022 | Eisenhower, XinXing, Juntos |
| Building Thinking Classrooms in Math | Math in Tanglen fifth grade classrooms (nearly 70 students) is going vertical. This HEF grant provides large, double sided white boards for an entire math class to use at once. The multiple 2’ x 4’ portable, nesting whiteboards can be slid around the room to offer enough space for each student to stand up as they work, and enables the teacher to see what everyone is working on. Learn more | 2021-2022 | Tanglen |
| Building STEAM | The materials purchased with this grant provide STEAM instruction, investigations, and studies of such topics as: inclined planes and simple machines, bridges, buildings, structures, and architecture, design, cause and effect, stability, weight, systems and parts and wholes, forces, motion, gravity, balance, speed, distance, and measurement. Learn more. | 2021-2022 | Eisenhower, XinXing, Juntos |
| Royal Voices Library | Yes, Hopkins student, YOUR creative visions may someday become published works shared with the world! Need proof? Look no further than the impressive array of Royal Voices, a new special collection coming soon to the HHS Media Center, exclusively containing the published works of your Hopkins alumni. Learn more | 2021-2022 | HHS |
| Multi-Grade-Level Choice Novels | Two teachers new to North Junior High are energized to increase the selection of novels for their students to choose from. With this grant, the Language Arts department will purchase about 300 curricular-appropriate novels to engage students across multiple genres, topics, and reading levels, all designed to positively impact student engagement, self-confidence, and growth. Learn more | 2021-2022 | NJH |
| Kinesthetic Classroom | First graders sometimes need to move their bodies while learning and some are simply more productive when they keep moving. This high-level need for movement is not ‘fixed’ by redirection or intermittent breaks for physical activity; in fact, these interventions can be interpreted by young children as negative feedback. Learn more | 2021-2022 | Eisenhower Juntos |