Foundation 153 has announced that it has awarded over $15,000 to fund various learning projects and educational technologies throughout District 153.  The funded projects will be implemented during the remainder of the current school year.

Foundation 153 President Alex Bosch credits strong community support for these grants.

"We were able to offer this funding opportunity to our teachers because of the community's tremendous support of our Homewood Schools Fund Run and Pasta Palooza fundraisers this past fall," said Bosch.

Grants awarded include:

Girls on the Run. Support is provided to establish "Girls on the Run" chapters at Churchill and Millennium Schools.  The national "Girls on the Run" program combines training for a 5K event with lesson plans to promote positive choices and active lifestyles among pre-teen girls.

A Visit from the Skokie Holocause Museum. The Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center will send a speaker, a survivor of the Holocaust, to James Hart School to enhance the 8th-grade's study of World War II history.

Yoga in the Classroom.  Expanding upon a current pilot project at Willow School, funding is provided to replace classroom chairs with stability balls in Ms. Townsend's 2nd-grade classroom. The balls are showing great success in improving students' attention, concentration, posture, coordination and balance.

Gym Teachers Go Back to Class. Support is provided to allow physical education staff at James Hart and Millennium Schools to attend the 2012 State Convention of the Illinois Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance to learn the latest developments in their field.

Churchill School Explorer Club. Support is provided for Churchill School's Explorer Club, an after-school club that maintains and develops the school's outdoor garden area.

Technology. Funding is provided to purchase various classroom technologies including a SMART Response System at Millennium School, a new camera for the James Hart School Newspaper Club, and additional computers for learning labs in Hart's reading and Spanish classrooms.

Foundation 153 is a volunteer, not-for-profit corporation that raises money to support inspired teaching and innovative learning projects throughout School District 153.  Funding is distributed to staff and their proposed projects via a competitive grant process.