School News

The Foundation for Andover Schools surprised educators throughout the district Nov. 18 with announcements for 2025-26 educator grants.

In all, The Foundation awarded $50,000 to teachers, principals and counselors for a wide variety of projects. Grants “demonstrate imagination, creativity and innovation that promote excellence in education for Andover Public Schools. In addition, awarded grants should engage students to achieve more, learn more, and experience more through the grant.”

Below is a full list of grants and descriptions for the 2025-26 year.

District

Grantee: Andover High School and Andover Central High School
Title: National Competition Opportunities
Description: Split support between the high schools to offset student costs for national competitions.

Grantee: Andover Middle School and Andover Central Middle School
Title: Reality U
Description: Reality U brings a bit of reality to eighth-graders, teaching them about careers, personal finance, life choices, etc... in an interactive and engaging way. Students imagine their lives as a 26 year old and complete an online lifestyle survey which includes questions about their occupation, marital status, use of credit cards and their current GPA. This information is entered into the Reality U software that will link each student's answers to a unique individualized profile which will create for each student a monthly income, credit card/school loan debt, as well as marital and family status. The students use this information to make required purchases at 12 booths that represent services or products that adults typically purchase or must consider each month. Students learn how their habits and decisions impact their bottom line.

Andover Central High School

Grantee: Cassandra Conley
Title: Empowering Creativity: Enhancing Theatrical Excellence with Model Set Pieces
Description: Fostering Imagination: The acquisition of model set pieces allows students to visualize and experiment with stage designs in a tangible way. This hands-on approach encourages imaginative thinking by enabling students to explore various design possibilities and bring abstract concepts to life.

Enhancing Creativity: By providing students with the tools to physically manipulate and design sets, we cultivate an environment where creativity can flourish. Students can test different configurations, experiment with spatial dynamics, and innovate set designs that enhance storytelling and engagement.

Promoting Innovation: Integrating model set pieces into the curriculum represents an innovative approach to theater education. It bridges the gap between theory and practice, allowing students to apply their learning in real-world scenarios. This innovative method promotes critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Promoting Excellence in Education:This grant supports Andover Public Schools' commitment to excellence by providing resources that elevate the arts program. By investing in tools that enhance creative learning, we prepare students to excel not only in theater but in any field that values innovation and creative problem-solving.

Grantee: Mary Ellen Chaffin
Title: Meet SAM the Skeleton
Description: I am in my 5th year teaching Anatomy and Physiology and have done so using diagrams, pictures, small models and 18-inch skeletons. The 18-inch skeletons are ineffective for whole class instruction because only students seated at the front of the room can see it. For the same reason we have large whiteboards at the front of the classroom, a life-sized skeleton would be visible to all students in the classroom. 

It can be difficult for students to understand anatomical structures and the relationships between body systems; the fact that one body system cannot function effectively without others working in concert. (cardiovascular system and respiratory system work together to circulate oxygen and remove carbon dioxide). 

SAM the skeleton is a life-sized model that would give my students the ability to see the interactions of bones, muscles and ligaments in the human body. In addition, SAM would allow them to visualize real-life anatomical relationships. Examples include but are not limited to: the relative size of the femur vs. the bones in the lower leg (tibia/fibula), the actual size of the rib cage and the organs and body systems it protects, identification of bones and muscle origins and insertions, human pelvis anatomy which they often struggle to understand (pelvis, hip, ilium, ischium and pubis bones), kinesiology and joint motion. There are absolutely no limits to the impact this could have on my instruction and my student’s learning. My Biology classes would benefit from SAM as well because we talk about body systems, cellular hierarchy and homeostasis. I could give you page after page of the enormous impact(s) SAM would have on student engagement.

Grantee: Lori Sprague
Title: Kiln Shelves with Storage Cart
Description: I am asking for funds to replace the kiln shelves for our two ceramic kilns, as well as a kiln shelf cart to replace the rusted metal shelf we currently have. The cart has size-specific dividers for the shelves, which hold them upright and three shelves for the kiln shelf supports and stilts.

I would guess that most of the current shelves are 15+ years old. Most of the current shelves have been damaged in glaze firings, scraped, sanded and re-primed for use. Because this has happened so many times over the years, the shelves have deep gouges in them that make it difficult to keep projects level during the firing process. We need 6 half round shelves for the smaller kiln and three for the larger kiln.

Grantee: Mark Fleske
Title: Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum Experience
Description: The proposed field trip for gifted students at Andover Central High School to the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum is an initiative that embodies imagination, creativity, and innovation in several key ways:

Imagination: By organizing a field trip to a historical site like the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum, we are encouraging students to step outside the traditional classroom setting and engage with history in a more dynamic and impactful way. This experience will inspire students to imagine the historical events, personal stories, and societal impacts in a manner that textbooks alone cannot convey. It provides a fertile ground for imaginative thinking by allowing students to envision themselves as part of a larger historical narrative.

Creativity: This trip is designed to foster creative thinking by offering students a chance to explore the complex themes of resilience, healing, and hope that the memorial embodies. Through interactive exhibits, students can creatively interact with history, analyzing and interpreting information in a way that encourages personal reflection and artistic expression.

Innovation: Innovation in education is about finding new ways to engage students and enhance learning outcomes. This field trip leverages experiential learning, which is a powerful educational tool. By immersing students in a real-world learning environment, we are using an innovative approach to deepen their understanding and retention of historical events. Furthermore, integrating this experience into the curriculum encourages cross-disciplinary connections, such as linking history with social studies, ethics, and even art, thereby promoting a more comprehensive educational experience.

In conclusion, this grant will support a field trip that not only enriches the educational experience of gifted students but also aligns with the mission of Andover Public Schools to promote excellence through imaginative, creative, and innovative educational opportunities.

Grantee: Erika Barron
Title: Building a Functional Pit and Manufacturing Space for JagWire Robotics Team
Description: The JagWire Robotics Team is seeking funding to purchase essential manufacturing tools and workspace equipment, including a band saw and new tool benches. These additions will enhance the team’s ability to manufacture robot components efficiently and create an organized, professional pit setup for competitions. As the only team currently competing without a dedicated pit area, this project will help level the playing field and improve both performance and safety.

Grantee: Leah Ward
Title: French Sister Cities Pen Pal Exchange
Description: Our Andover high schools have been paired with a high school in Wichita's sister city - Orléans, France. We have been exchanging pen pal letters, sending teachers and students back and forth for visits, and otherwise building connections between the next generations of Wichitans and Orléanais youth. This partnership formally began back in the 1970s between military service personnel who helped liberate Orléans from Nazi occupation during WWII who went on to befriend the deeply grateful locals. As the years have passed, the friendships and partnership began to decline & fade, but a new group of active and engaged individuals is reviving the partnership with the goal of passing it down to future generations. Students at AHS & ACHS regularly exchange handwritten letters as well as communicate on social media (if they so desire). Their enthusiasm for sending and receiving real letters with hand-drawn pictures, school schedules, photos, and doodles is incredible. They also want to send their school news publications, local papers, political flyers, and magazines/advertisements that share our ideas, values, and way of life. They strive to use their best French as they write their letters, which motivates and deepens their classroom learning; however, the true goal is expansion of horizons, understanding people with different perspectives and experiences, and finding many beautiful commonalities with very diverse pen pals - many of whom are immigrants to France from Ukraine, North Africa, the Middle East, or Asia. Additionally, students from both high schools will be traveling to Orléans spring of 2026 to spend an afternoon at their high school. We look forward to experiencing public school in their system and would like to have some relevant Kansas themed historical and cultural gifts to offer on this visit.

Andover Central Middle School

Grantee: Susan Jantz
Title: Kozy Kidz
Description: Kozy Kidz is a heartfelt service-learning project designed to bring warmth, comfort, and hope for the children in crisis at the Wichita Children's Home. Each year on our students' Exploration Day, students dedicate their time and creativity to hand make tie blankets. These blankets are tangible symbols of care that remind the vulnerable children that they are seen, valuable, and not alone. This is our fourth year to do this beloved tradition. Each year, the Wichita Children's Home looks forward to our donation of upwards of seventy blankets.

Grantee: Jalayne Bacon
Title: Stronger Every Day: Building Confidence Through Movement
Description: The ACMS Strength and Conditioning Equipment Grant aims to enhance student health, fitness, and overall well-being by providing access to safe, high-quality training equipment. This initiative will support the comprehensive strength and conditioning program designed specifically for middle school students which promotes physical literacy, confidence, and lifelong healthy habits.

Grantee: Tracy Cobb
Title: Class Materials for Student Success
Description: The materials desired will help students be engaged and prepared for learning while helping them work at their highest potential. Students often time do not have headphones that work or they forget their headphones for class. Whether it's for state testing, interim testing, classroom testing, or interactive class work students need a good reliable pair of headphones. Having a classroom set of headphones will allow me to have students on task or prepared for testing without students asking to borrow some from a friend. 

Additionally, having classroom cushions for students to work around the room and engage in lessons with their partner allows them to work in a comfortable environment, furthermore, cushions allow them the opportunity to get comfortable and lost in their reading.

Grantee: Megan Highfield
Title: Spin, Create, Inspire: Turntables for Middle School Artists
Description: For this grant, I am requesting funds to purchase 34 individual turntables for my clay and sculpture students. These 10 inch turntables will give my students the opportunity to more efficiently create their three-dimensional sculptures. This efficiency will be promoted as they place their sculpture on a turntable and rotate their creation 360 degrees. This full rotation of the sculpture will allow students to evaluate and reflect on their creation better, which will increase their academic success throughout the curriculum. These turntables will also enhance student creativity and engagement, because they will have a more efficient tool to use during the creation process.

Andover High School

Grantee: Joel Schaefer
Title: Saturday Academy
Description: Saturday Academy is a History Enrichment program in which students in grades 6-12 enroll in a teacher designed course with an emphasis on a specific facet of American History. Students enroll in a particular course related to American History and, once enrolled and approved, they attend an 80-minute course on Saturday mornings for five weeks in which they delve into topics related to our nation that offer more depth and specificity to topics often that cannot occur in a regular school day. Breakfast is provided for students, and teachers create a student-centered, relaxed learning environment to learn about our nation's institutions and unique eras or events that shape who we are as a people. Typically, five classes are offered so we can accommodate up to 150 students.

Grantee: Kathleen Rytych
Title: The Bard and the Beat
Description: The Sonnet Man, Mr. Devon Glover, is an internationally known Shakespeare workshop artist. He works with students to create and showcase Shakespearean style writing, while teaching the Shakespearean form. The AHS English teachers who have Shakespeare in their curriculum would like to have Mr. Glover for a two week artist in residence to make classical Shakespearean literature come alive for students.

Grantee: Clifford Brubaker
Title: Automotive Tooling
Description: Updating to new and complete tool sets for our students while also replacing damaged or broken tooling. Such as socket sets, ratchets, screw drivers, pliers, torque wrenches, pry bars, and impact wrenches.

Grantee: Austin Bohanon
Title: Content Bellies = Class Engagement
Description: We in the school counseling department are a bridge for students and families from all walks of life. As counselors, we operate under 3 domains: career, academic, and personal-social. The challenge that we can never account for is who went hungry last night, or who doesn't have a content belly at the moment. Research from many psychologists, including Abraham Maslow, indicates that the hierarchy of needs must be met before students can thrive. The base of those needs is physiological, i.e, food, water, shelter, sleep, etc. We in the counseling department are often thrust into helping students meet their psychological needs daily. To do this effectively, some support is needed.

Andover Middle School

Grantee: Tanya Schroeder
Title: Sound and Spirit: Equipping Andover Middle Level Choirs for Engaging Performances
Description: This grant will provide percussion instruments for the middle school vocal music programs, enriching student learning by combining choral singing with hands-on rhythmic experiences. Adding percussion expands the traditional choir setting into a more interactive, engaging environment where students can explore the connections between rhythm, melody, and text.

This grant also will provide a portable sound system to enhance middle school choir activities, including karaoke in the classroom and caroling in the community.

Grantee: Sarah Johnson
Title: Ancient Greece Hands-On History Trunk
Description: History comes alive when students can explore hands-on primary and secondary sources without having to travel across the globe! I would like to create a "trunk" of artifacts so my students can learn more about Ancient Greece. This grant will allow me to purchase hands-on materials so students can take their learning of Ancient Greece to a deeper level. Students will collaboratively explore the different artifacts in the trunk to reinforce and expand their knowledge of Greece that we did in the classroom. I will ultimately be able to bring a museum experience to my classroom in Andover Middle School.

Grantee: Molly Carrier
Title: Speed Rack for FACS Class
Description: A bun/speed rack with cookie sheets and cover will help students efficiently cool and store baked goods, maximize kitchen space, maintain hygiene/proper food storage, and support hands-on learning in baking labs. It also keeps projects organized, promotes food safety, and allows multiple groups/hours to work simultaneously.

The purpose of the covers and stacking clips is to maximize refrigerator storage and reduce limitations on lesson planning, since more projects can be stored safely and efficiently. An example of how the covers and stacking clips would help is during the bread unit. Currently, students must shape and bake their loaves in a single day because we cannot store all the loaves in the refrigerator at once. Since our baking sheets are not uniform in size across all student kitchens, students often cannot remove their loaves from the oven early, as the class period is not long enough. With standardized baking sheets and a proper storage system, students could shape their loaves the day before and refrigerate them, allowing them to participate in all steps of bread making. This would give them a sense of completion and the opportunity to see how their loaves look before slicing, which I believe will add even more pride to their project.’

Grantee: Molly Carrier
Title: Edible Airbrush for FACS
Description: This grant will fund airbrush equipment and supplies for cookie decorating in the Family and Consumer Sciences classroom. Students will bake and ice cookies, then learn to use food-safe airbrush tools to add color and designs. The project teaches practical kitchen skills, creativity, and attention to detail while introducing students to modern baking techniques.

Grantee: Kylie Turner
Title: Beyond the Byline: Amplifying AMS Journalism with Podcasting Equipment
Description: Journalism students will create and share podcasts about school events, sports, fellow students, staff, and community members. They'll practice speaking, writing, and teamwork while telling real stories about their school community. This program will help students build confidence, leadership, and pride in their school, while giving families and peers a fun way to stay connected here at AMS.

Cottonwood Elementary School

Grantee: Cottonwood Kindergarten Team
Title: Move, Groove and Learn in Kinder
Description: We are seeking funding to purchase hands-on, movement-based learning games and materials for our kindergarten classroom. At this critical stage of development, young children learn best through play, physical activity, and sensory engagement. Traditional desk work often does not meet the diverse needs of early learners, especially those who benefit from kinesthetic and active learning styles. This grant will help us nurture curious, confident learners who are actively engaged in their own educational journey.

The goal of this grant is to provide more interactive games and learning tools that allow students to move, explore, and engage with educational content in meaningful ways. These materials will support foundational skills in literacy, math, and social-emotional learning, while also promoting motor development, collaboration, and joy in learning.

Grantee: Bethany Fox
Title: Books to Go!
Description: This grant will allow us to better serve students in several ways. The first is the purchase of a book cart for our K/1 students. These learners are scheduled to come to the library once a week. They are able to come daily, but it's a long walk, and sending a five year old on a trek to the library takes time out of the classroom. By loading up a book cart and taking it down to the K/1 hallway for 15 minutes each morning for check out, it puts new books in the hands of students more often. We currently have a cart "rigged" for this purpose but really need something that is easy to wheel down and can hold ample options for our readers. We compared numbers from last year and this year and we now have a 119% increase in K/1 circulations as we have made access easier. We are excited about students reading literature (fiction and non-fiction) that they LOVE on a daily basis and this is the easiest way to get new books to them. There’s no doubt they love coming to the library cart!

Our second request is for a smaller cart. This cart would have fiction and non-fiction options pulled for each grade level that tie into what they are learning in class. For example, our fourth grade students are learning about Medieval times, so we pulled books ranging from knights, castles, Excalibur, archers, the Plague medieval jobs, King Arthur and put them in a bin to easily access if they desired to learn more. Students saw variety and could choose exactly what they wanted to read to expand their learning. We would like for it to be a wheeled cart so if we need to locate it outside classrooms for easy access while researching a topic it will be easy to do so.

Grantee: Abigail Fulghum
Title: Artistic Illuminations
Description: Art is about creating in new and innovative ways. Black Light glowing artwork is a growing medium I want our students to explore. My classroom is very bright and isn't ideal for this type of art. I want to create a "dark room" environment in my classroom. I also want to have all the excess supplies to organize and create this artistic environment. This means Blacklights, Pop up, Paintbrushes, Paint, storage etc. My Goal is then to integrate blacklight into artworks and create an Art Show for the entire school!

Grantees: Jalynn Michler, Julie Davidson, Yumi Quijano and Tiffany Pentz
Title: Safe Landing
Description: The Cottonwood special education teachers are requesting soft furniture to go into our sensory room. We are requesting a "nugget" and "chunk." These furniture pieces are soft, washable, and buildable (making a fort etc.). 

Prairie Creek Elementary School

Grantee: Lindsay Triplett
Title: Outdoor Learning Space
Description: We are asking to help create an outdoor learning space that is easily accessible for the K-2 students at Prairie Creek Elementary. However, it would be available to any class in the building. We would like to create a space with 6 outdoor metal picnic tables, as well as umbrellas. We would also like to purchase garden boxes from ACHS in order to enhance learning from the curriculum and begin to learn about gardening.

Grantee: Nicole Nickel
Title: Autism Learning Resources
Description: This grant request is for the Autism Little Learners subscription. This evidence-based resource subscription was developed by a Speech-Language Pathologist/Early Learning educator who specializes in working with Autistic children. The membership is based on foundational elements: regulation, connection, routines, and teaching. Included is access to hundreds of downloadable resources and teaching activities with new products every month, access to the Adapted Book Library-with visuals and extension activities for board books and paperback books that foster active engagement, on-demand video trainings on a variety of related topics for professional development, one-page handouts on a variety of topics to quickly and easily train support staff or to send home to parents, and optional affordable graduate credits available for continuing education.

Robert Martin Elementary School

Grantee: Megan Bonebrake
Title: LEGO Learning: Building History Together
Description: Imagine a group of second graders designing and constructing the Great Wall of China, significant buildings and structures from ancient civilizations such as the Greeks, recreating the Oregon Trail, and the battles that occurred in wars like The War of 1812. Using LEGO bricks, baseplates, and accessories, my students will become young builders—planning, designing, and creating models that connect what they are learning in their reading curriculum.

This project allows students to explore the same skills that carpenters, structural engineers, and construction professionals use every day. As they work in small groups, they will measure, problem-solve, and collaborate to bring their structures to life. Building with LEGOs helps students understand how civilizations designed homes, temples, and cities, while also showing them how modern careers in construction science continue to shape the communities we live in today.

By incorporating LEGO building into our reading lessons, students will not only deepen their comprehension of history but also practice critical thinking, teamwork, and creativity. They will learn that every structure—whether from ancient times or modern cities—starts with an idea, a plan, and the teamwork to make it stand tall.

Most importantly, this project gives my students the chance to see themselves in future careers. Many of my students have never considered that they could become architects, engineers, or builders. With these hands-on experiences, they begin to realize that the curiosity and creativity they show in second grade can grow into real-world opportunities that impact their communities.

Your support will provide the LEGO kits, baseplates, and accessories that transform our classroom into a construction lab. With your help, my students can build the past while also imagining themselves as the future builders.

Let’s build a future where curiosity and construction go hand in hand—one brick at a time!

Sunflower Elementary School

Grantee: Kiley Wackerly
Title: Lunch Bunch Book Club
Description: The Lunch Bunch Book Club is a literacy-focused initiative designed to foster a love of reading, build community, and encourage thoughtful discussion among students during their lunch period. To support the growth and sustainability of this program, we are seeking funding to purchase multiple sets of high-interest, age-appropriate books that will be used in small group settings

Wheatland Elementary School

Grantee: Elisabeth Dugger
Title: Sensory Path Playground Stencils and Paint
Description: I am requesting a grant to help transform our playground into a child friendly, thematic, and safe area for movement. I have selected the pirate theme stencil as it includes lots of different activities for students to complete. Some of these activities include jewels with letters, a path to walk around, crab crawl area, along with other gross motor activities like 10 jumping jacks, 10 arm circles, etc. These stencils will appeal to kindergarteners all the way up to 5th graders by providing appropriate proprioceptive and vestibular sensory input. This addition will help decrease sensory seeking behaviors. Fulfilling this grant will help all of our students and give them a chance to help increase their focus as well as their attention inside the classroom.

Grantee: Heather Rainey
Title: Regulation Station
Description: "Regulation Station" will provide students and teachers access to additional tools to promote and support self-regulation strategies. Teachers utilize calm corners in classroom, and we have sensory rooms that all students can use. The items from this grant will be used in the counseling classroom calm corner and in other sensory rooms.

Grantee: Stephanie Unruh
Title: Book Nook - Listening Comprehension
Description: With this project, we would like to pair books with audio stories to enhance our independent reading time. This will be a valuable tool for learning language acquisition, improving reading fluency, and improving reading comprehension.