Enrichment Grants

Enrichment Grants
Enrichment Grants

FOUNDATION ENRICHMENT GRANTS SUPPORT STUDENT PROJECTS

Since the 2011-2012 school year, the Kokomo Schools Education Foundation has awarded 12 enrichment grants worth a total of $10,550 to fund initiatives that support career, International, STEM, and arts education.

Most recently, the foundation used funds from the enrichment endowment to help the choral department purchase a special piano, and to make it possible for the Kokomo Area Career Center welding program to acquire needed tools for their involvement in community and school projects.

The enrichment endowment has helped the Kokomo High School Debate Team attend the National Forensics League National Tournament. The KHS Debate Team has boasted national qualifiers every year now for more than a decade. In the 2015-2016 school year, the team produced three national qualifiers in policy debate and congressional debate. The three KHS students competed at the National Tournament in Salt Lake City, Utah in June thanks, in part, to the Education Foundation.

MAGICAL EXPERIENCE

The enrichment endowment also has allowed the KHS Marching Band to participate in a Disney parade in Florida, and has supported Disney internships for students in the Culinary Arts program at the Kokomo Area Career Center.

Foundation Board Member Dana Davis said she had the opportunity to speak to some of the Culinary Arts students about their internship, and learned that it was a magical experience. Students received behind-the-scenes culinary training and participated in culinary workshops at Disney World.

“What those students learned about service, hard work, and dedication to their craft went beyond what you can teach in a classroom,” Mrs. Davis explained. “Knowing that our sponsorship helps to provide this hands-on learning to students makes me proud to be a part of the Kokomo Education Foundation. Also, two of the students who participated in the Disney internship have gone on to Johnson and Wales University in Charlotte to study Culinary and Hospitality Management. We truly are investing in the future!”

The enrichment endowment also helped the KHS TechnoKats robotics team attend the World Championships, where students test their STEM skills against more than 500 robotics teams from across the globe. Last season, the TechnoKats ended qualification rounds at the World Championships ranked 7th in their division (out of 75), and went on to compete in the finals bracket.

TECHNOKATS GIVE BACK TO FOUNDATION

The TechnoKats students showed their appreciation to the Foundation for its continued support by donating $1,200 back to the enrichment endowment. The students raised the money by co-hosting the Indiana Robotics Invitational last summer.

“Having had children who participated in band, debate, guard, soccer, and robotics, I know the value extra curricular activities can add to education,” Mrs. Davis noted. “Sometimes what is learned outside of the classroom is as valuable as what is learned during the school day in the classroom. I really appreciate the support that the Kokomo Education Foundation is providing, beyond the classroom, to help our Kokomo students reach their full potential.”

The Education Foundation plans to award additional Enrichment Grants during second semester (2016-2017). These grants will be funded, in part, by a recent donation from Wells Fargo.

Website by SchoolMessenger Presence. © 2024 SchoolMessenger Corporation. All rights reserved.