PSUSD Foundation Presents More Than $32,000 in Classroom Grants

The Foundation for the Palm Springs Unified School District recently presented classroom grants totaling over $32,000 to fund over 33 classroom, school site and collaborative programs, projects or pieces of equipment to school site representatives who applied for the grants.

Grants ranged from $120 to $2,500 depending on the scope of the applications and were presented at a recent Board of Education meeting. Mini-grants up to $500 were awarded to staff members at Agua Caliente, Bubbling Wells, Cabot Yerxa, Cathedral City, Katherine Finchy and Sunny Sands Elementary Schools; Desert Springs and Nellie N. Coffman Middle Schools; Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Mount San Jacinto, Rancho Mirage and Palm Springs High Schools; and Desert Learning Academy. Projects for those grants include: musical instruments, a literacy in the arts program, STEM materials, a bucket air conditioner, voice amplification system, a Journalism experience project, additions to a choral library, a history project, scientific calculators, technology for digital storytelling, items for a fashion class, recreation and fitness equipment and a debate podium.

School site grants ranging from $930 to $1,000 went to Agua Caliente Elementary for a Leo Project and Multicultural Physical Education Program, Bella Vista Elementary for a Wind Energy project and Desert Hot Springs High school for a band program project.

Collaborative grants ranging from $2,050 to $2,500 were awarded to: Cahuilla and Julius Corsini Elementary Schools; Cielo Vista Charter; Desert Springs and Nellie N. Coffman Middle Schools; Desert Hot Springs and Mount San Jacinto High Schools. The over $19,000 in collaborative grants will fund projects including fifth grade science camp, recording equipment, weight room equipment, visual and performing arts supplies and materials and digital storytelling equipment.

Funding for the grants, which are awarded through an application process to the Foundation, comes from employee contributions to the Foundation, the Foundation’s annual Glo Fest fund-raiser, individual contributions, the CBS Local 2/Berger Foundation Spotlight Award and the Don Aikens Memorial Fund.  An additional $8,000 will be awarded for other projects during this school year.

 

 

Joan Boiko is the Coordinator of Communications and Community Outreach for the Palm Springs Unified School District. She can be reached at jboiko@psusd.us or (760) 416-6010.