On October 27, 2022, the Topeka Public Schools Foundation "grant patrol" made its rounds, presenting big checks to grant awardees. The following grants were awarded during the 2022-2023 school year, 10 grants were funded, totaling over $10,000.
Tidwell Educational Grant Recipients 2022-2023
TPS Music Department: Instrumental Music Scholarships
The TPS Music Library maintains an instrument pool that provides musical instruments to students at a very low yearly cost. The pool remains self-sustaining due to the collection of rental fees. This scholarship allows the TPS Music Department to provide instruments free of charge to 110 students, who would otherwise be unable to participate in the band or strings program in their school.
TPS Music Department: Summer Music Program
The Summer Music Program provides an opportunity for participation in band, strings, and choir beyond the regular school year. The program will be held Monday-Friday at Highland Park High School, June 1-26, 2023 from 8:00-11:00 AM. The program offers musical instruction during the summer to enhance skills of band students in grades 5-8, strings students in grades 5-8 and choir students in grades 4-8, and high school students as peer mentors based on music teacher recommendation.
Shaner Early Learning Academy: Dramatic Play Theme Boxes
This grant provides items for Shaner Early Learning Academy's dramatic play station that students can use during their free choice time. With this grant funding, the station will turn into a veterinarian's office, ice cream shop, pizza shop, garden, campsite and a farmer's market. Teachers will be able to choose a theme and add it to their classroom. Theme boxes will be rotated among Shaner classrooms.
Jardine Middle School: Community Book Tasting Initiative
The plan is to recruit a group of 20-25 students and their families to engage in a one-month novel study. They will receive a "secret book" packet containing a family-friendly young adult novel and instructions for a project they will be asked to bring to our school-wide Book Tasting Night. Everyone in the school will be invited to taste books and good food!
Jardine Middle School: Renewable Energy
Students will learn several types of renewable energies (solar, wind and hydropower) by building models. These models will show and demonstrate to students energy alternatives to fossil fuels used today.
Jardine Middle School: Build It/Code It/Roll With It
The plan of action is to incorporate STEAM based projects to a larger number of subjects using a flexible platform.
French Middle School: Art in History
6th Graders at French Middle School will be studying Ancient Egypt. To cover specific learning targets and competencies, the project focus will be on Ancient Egypt's government (pharoahs), religious beliefs, and accomplishments. Recreating King Tut's frieze will give students hands on experience with items from the Ancient times, and creating art in history.
Highland Park High School: Ceramics Program
The HPHS Ceramics Program relies on expensive commercially made pint sized jars of glaze. Grant funding will allow instructors to revamp this area of the program by purchasing bags of raw materials to mix their own glazes (up to 5 gallons).
Highland Park High School: Digital Cutting With Various Media
With the ability to purchase a new digitized cutting machine (Cricut maker) students will be able to cut original designs, cut stencils, design shirts, and cut leather, wood, and metals in shapes students have designed.
Topeka High School: Art Community Partnerships
This project will allow students the opportunity to experience the power of presenting artwork to the fullest extent! Choosing and preparing art for presentation is an important part of the art curriculum, and this grant will allow Topeka High School the opportunity to expand it's abilities and quality of presentation in the Topeka community and within Topeka High School, pushing students to learn a broader scope of the art world, and prepare them for future endeavors as artists, patrons, and community art members.