The Highline Schools Foundation announced more grants this year to Highline Public School teachers, including $10,000 to one school or program through their Impact Grant, funded in part by Alaska Airlines.
They continue to support classroom innovation in the district, and provide teachers resources they need to help our students be successful through the annual Excel Grant program; and they recently partnered with Highline’s Department of Technology Services (DoTS) to offer Technology Grants specifically designed for all K-12 Highline Public School teachers.
The Impact Grant for $10,000 was created as a way to make a meaningful difference in a specific program in Highline Public Schools. The 2014 Impact Grant winner was “Making an Impact: Building Bright Futures for Young Women in Computer Science” submitted by Highline’s Career Access Department. This grant provided funds to help increase the number of high school females in computer science classes, to spark their interest in technology related careers, and to help them graduate prepared for a future in the computer science field.
“Students need and deserve to know about high wage/high demand careers they can begin preparing for but likely won’t without early awareness and encouragement. The average salary for a computer programmer is $95,000 and employers in our region can’t hire fast enough,” said Julie Burr, Highline’s Career Access Manager.
With funding from the Highline Schools Foundation, 126 young women, underrepresented in the field, came from all middle and high schools in the district to participate in a fun “Hackathon” where they heard from inspirational professionals and learned how to code.
Excel Grants became a staple program of the Foundation in February 2002. In 2014, the Foundation awarded $76,206 to 89 classroom grants throughout all schools in Highline Public Schools. Teachers are encouraged to submit grants each year, for a maximum amount of $1,000 each.
New in 2015 and in support of the District’s Strategic Plan where every student in the class of 2026 will graduate tech-savvy and tech-literate, and in support of all academic goals, the Department of Technology Services the Department of Technology Services (DoTS) is offering Technology Grants. Technology grants are open to all K-12 HPS teachers for projects which advance student achievement through the use of technology. The goals of this new grant are: to encourage excellence and innovation in teaching; to fund the use of technology in innovative or additional programs that might not otherwise be possible within the current district budget priorities; and to expand upon current curriculum with innovative teaching strategies.
Grant application deadlines:
- Technology Grants 10/08/15
- Impact Grant 10/18/15
- Excel Grants 11/05/15
All grant applications are available on the Highline Schools Foundation website: www.highlineschoolsfoundation.org.