Almost $30,000 across 29 grants given to Port Angeles schools by foundation

PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles Education Foundation has announced its School and Teacher Grants for the 2014-15 school year.

The foundation awarded 29 grants totaling $29,821.30 — $4,000 more than in the 2013-14 school year — to educators in the Port Angeles School District.

The foundation committee reviewed 56 grants totaling $75,550 in requests.

“While we are excited to have received a record number of applications, the volume of quality applications made the grant-review process particularly difficult this year,” foundation board member Chris Riffle said in a news release.

Education Foundation Grants for the 2014-15 school year were awarded to the following schools:

Dry Creek

■ Dry Creek Elementary fifth-grade teacher Brian Clark, Dungeness River field trip: busing costs for two trips to collect water samples, test air and water conditions, observe and count insects and determine river health, $500.

■ Dry Creek teacher Jennifer Soule, sixth-grade team, model rockets: end-of-year project to build and launch rockets; purchase of 40 A6-4 motors and 50 rocket kits, $210.

■ Dry Creek teacher Joe Kemmer, fourth-grade team, “Museum in a Box”: rental of boxes from Burke Museum artifacts designed to enrich study of cultural and natural history, including that related to state history, fossils and mammal skulls and skins from various species, $290.

■ Dry Creek teacher Anne Mitchell, infant toddler program and K-2 students, “Big Books for Little Kids”: purchase of 24 books to build an early childhood lending library of books that teachers can read to classes and that are large enough for students to see when reading to entire class, $458.73.

■ Dry Creek teacher Mickey Branham, K-6 students, American folktale storytelling: funding to bring Colleen Squier for a half-day monthly for seven months focusing on American folktales, $700.

Franklin

■ Franklin Elementary principal Amity Butler, sixth grade, Finch robots computer programming enrichment program: volunteer Mike McCarty will teach a series of lessons using Scratch, a simple computer program designed by MIT for young students, $881.91.

■ Franklin teacher Suzanne Keegan, Multi-Aged Community students, transportation for enrichment clusters: help with transportation for 16 busing trips, $700.

■ Franklin teacher Gunnar Thomas, Multi-Aged Community program, implementing the arts in a STEAM program: busing and ferry fees to visit Seattle Art Museum in June 2015, the culminating activity for the program’s thematic enrichment theme of “Arts and Artists,” $2,341.32.

Hamilton

■ Hamilton Elementary teachers Laila Camacho and George Kheriaty, fifth-grade team, technology in the classroom: provide opportunities for proficiency in tablet use by all fifth-grade students; purchase 12 Apple tablets, $1,875.

■ Hamilton teacher Rebecca Gundersen, sixth-grade team, Seattle Museum of Flight field trip, $750.

■ Hamilton teacher Lisa McCoy, K-6, Missoula Children’s Theater visit, $2,500.

■ Hamilton teacher George Kheriaty, fifth-grade team, field science: transportation funding as part of a seven-year project called “Field Science at Dungeness,” $645.

Jefferson

■ Jefferson Elementary teacher Karl Meyers, physical education, “Yoga for Kids!”: grant to purchase a yoga classroom kit to facilitate implementation of yoga/balance unit into the physical education curriculum, $340.49.

■ Jefferson teacher Sue-Ellen Kraft, fourth-grade team, swimming lessons for fourth-grade students, $1,338.

Lincoln High

■ Lincoln High School teacher Coco Carlson, Pacific Science Center and Seattle adventures: grant to fund transportation and entrance fees for all Lincoln students to travel to Seattle, take the monorail to the Pacific Science Center, tour the center and walk through Pike Place Market, $1,000.

Port Angeles High

■ Port Angeles High School teacher John Gallagher, science club, field trips: transportation costs for science club’s quarterly field trips to Paramount Theater, Burke Museum, University of Washington lecture and Museum of Flight, $264.30.

■ Port Angeles High School teachers Jennifer Duncan-Taylor and John Gallagher, science department, field trip: transportation costs to allow students from the biotechnology class and science club to visit the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, $594.92.

■ Port Angeles High School teacher Douglas Gailey: instrumental music, renewal of Smart Music software subscription, $780.48.

Roosevelt

■ Roosevelt Elementary principal Michelle Olsen, K-6, “Science in our Backyard”: funding to pay for a day with NatureBridge at Roosevelt, $1,200.

■ Roosevelt teachers Mary O’Kief and Jennifer Reynolds, third/fourth grade ridge, Seattle Children’s Theater field trip: “Robin Hood” in April/May 2015, $2,900.

■ Roosevelt teachers Lambert Grimes, Terri Login and Karen Doran, first-sixth grade ridge, developing scientific mind-set in elementary students: funding for implementation of pilot experimental projects, $2,601.

■ Roosevelt teacher Julie Haskins, K-6, science classes: funding to purchase 12 Omano microscopes, $1,108.

■ Roosevelt teacher Molly Hibler, kindergarten team, “Cooking the Alphabet”: funding to purchase supplies to allow students to “cook” letters of the alphabet, $600.

Stevens

■ Stevens Middle School teacher Darren Mills, eighth grade language arts, history, film editing and production: purchase of an iMac computer, iMovie software and a flip camera/HD recorder, $1,000.

■ Stevens teacher Stacey Sanders, seventh grade, language arts: high-interest books for struggling/reluctant readers, $597.21.

■ Stevens teacher Brenda Manson, eighth grade, science department, earthquake simulator machine (Tremor Table), $945.

■ Stevens teachers Brian Gunderson and Rodger Johnson, seventh/eighth grades, math and science, first Lego League Club: allows middle schools students to compete in robotics competition, $1,900.

■ The School District received $800 for sound equipment support for the Juan de Fuca Festival performance in May 2015 for all students.

More in News

Children pick up candy along the parade route in Forks on Friday during the Forks Old Fashioned 4th of July Parade. (Lonnie Archibald/for Peninsula Daily News)
Festivities on the Fourth

Children pick up candy along the parade route in Forks on Friday… Continue reading

A new parking lot next to the Sequim Civic Center will be completed by the end of the summer, according to Sequim city staff. The city purchased three lots adjacent to the center in June 2022 to convert the properties into a parking lot. The lots also were known for common calls to 911. (Matthew Nash/Olympic Peninsula News Group)
Sequim sets its list of projects

Summer work includes paving streets

Weekly flight operations scheduled

There will be field carrier landing practice operations for aircraft… Continue reading

Security exercise set for Wednesday at Indian Island

Naval Magazine Indian Island will conduct a security training… Continue reading

Project SAFER aims to help those with disabilities

Form identifies sensitivities for law enforcement officers

Summer meal programs help out families in Jefferson County

Jefferson Healthcare and Jefferson County Food Bank Association offer assistance

Violinist Kristian Bugge plays traditional Danish folk songs with Fiddle Tunes found Bertram Levy, July 2. (ELIJAH SUSSMAN/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS)
Fiddle Tunes fill the air at Fort Worden

Traditions flourish, musical and otherwise

Beaver Valley fire sees road closure

One acre vegetation fire controlled quickly

Public meeting on Rayonier Mill Cleanup on Tuesday

The Washington State Department of Ecology on Tuesday will… Continue reading

Port Angeles City Council taking applications for seat

A vacancy on the City Council must be filled… Continue reading

KEITH THORPE/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
Construction workers stand on what remains of the old U.S. 101 bridge over the Elwha River on Wednesday as the aging structure is dismantled. The old bridge, built in 1926, was in danger of washout when the river beneath changed course and engineers discovered the bridge piers were built on gravel instead of bedrock, leading to constructon of a new bridge, at right, which was opened to traffic in 2024. The old bridge was to remain in place until a fish-spawning window, which runs from mid-July until the end of August.
Bridge removal

Construction workers stand on what remains of the old U.S. Highway 101… Continue reading