The Salina Education Foundation focuses on creative, innovative, project-based grants. Why project-based? Students are active, not passive; a project engages their hearts and minds and provides real-world relevance for learning. Students not only understand content more deeply but also learn how to take responsibility, build confidence, solve problems, work collaboratively, communicate ideas, and be creative innovators.
Rewards creativity aimed at expanding students’ understanding of their community and the world.
Scott Chrisman and Dustin Dooley, Lakewood Middle School and South Middle School – Cultural Crawl. All district 7th graders will participate in Salina’s Cultural Crawl. Students will visit arts and cultural locations in Salina and learn about our community’s unique arts and cultural experiences.
Megan Alley (SMS 6th grade ELA teachers), South Middle School – Technology Immersion Experience. 6th-grade students at SMS will travel to KSU Salina for an all-immersion technology day. Instead of only reading and writing about how technology impacts our lives, students will step onto a college campus and see innovation firsthand. By combining literacy, hands-on learning, and community partnerships, this project goes beyond a typical field trip to create a meaningful, future-focused learning experience.
Elizabeth Burke, South High School – “Open Book” Initiative: Learning Beyond our Walls. This grant would fund “First Page Friday,” a school-wide initiative in which students would listen to the first page of a new book and have it displayed on the daily slides during advisory time. There would be hints about the title, followed by a QR code to place a hold on it to boost reading for pleasure across the school. Additionally, funds will support the “Overbooked” Book Club by providing sets of titles for members to read the same books, discuss them, and complete a fun activity together.
Jamie Hoff, Cottonwood Elementary – WAW Ceremony Trip to Emporia. Funds will be used to send 3-5th graders from five elementary schools to the William Allen White Award ceremony in Emporia, where they will meet the nominated authors, participate in educational activities, and hear each author speak. Students will also visit the historic home of William Allen White, and Peter Pan Park, a space donated by William Allen White and his wife in memory of their daughter, allowing students to connect literature, history, and community legacy through place-based learning.
Shilind Wheaton, South High School – James and the Giant Peach Outreach. This project brings SHS and Coronado students together through storytelling, mentorship, and the arts. South theater students will visit Coronado classrooms to share a puppet adaptation of James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl. Coronado students will then visit South High to attend the stage production. This project fosters literacy, creativity, and collaboration while providing many students with the opportunity to experience live theater.
Support creative and innovative classroom projects.
Amanda Araujo, Heusner Elementary – Learning and Lockboxes. Using lockboxes in the classroom is a fun, hands-on activity that can boost engagement, teamwork, and critical thinking. Lockboxes will become puzzle containers that students must unlock by solving clues. Through teamwork and collaboration, all students will be involved in opportunities for communication, curiosity, and embracing challenges, which are just a few of the Learning Dispositions at Heusner as part of the Visible Learning journey.
Lindsay Carlson, Central High School – Read, Respond, Respect. The CHS Book Club offers students the opportunity to develop critical thinking, communication, and reading skills by discussing diverse, equitable, and inclusive literature with peers. They get to read challenging literature from a wide array of authors, giving students an opportunity to respond and respect one another while collaborating and conversing over books that would not otherwise be read in a regular classroom setting.
Lisa Hall, Meadowlark Ridge – Fun with Fact Fluency. These hands-on materials will allow students to engage in meaningful math practice. The materials are colorful and engaging, and they help students practice challenging skills in ways other than just another worksheet. The resources this grant would provide can help increase math fluency, increase time on task during independent work, and build students’ confidence in learning.
Hernan Hernandez & Jennifer Kay-Higgins, Salina South Middle School – Listen, Look, and Learn with VOX Books. Vox Books offer an innovative solution that supports literacy growth, helping ELL students (English Language Learners) to strengthen vocabulary, pronunciation, comprehension, and overall confidence in reading. Vox Books provides students access to both printed text and built-in audio in each book. Students can practice independently by listening to fluent reading and following along with the printed text.
Katie Lidgett, USD 305 Libraries – Book Break Virtual Author Visits. In 2026, all elementary school libraries will participate in the Book Break Author Visit program. These virtual author visits create excitement among students and enhance their reading experiences.
Grants benefiting students receiving special education services.
Brandon Befort, Coronado Elementary School – Sensory Support. Access to a variety of sensory tools in classrooms would enable students to receive instruction for academic growth. Benefits include but are not limited to stress reduction, enhanced focus, sensory skill development, learning support, emotional regulation, and motor skill improvement. Sensory tools provide controlled sensory experience with processing challenges. It creates a calm environment to ease stress and anxiety in a safe, structured setting and promotes sensory integration and skill development.
Ashley Huber, Central Kansas Cooperative in Education. Developing Communication Through Play. This grant would provide toys, games, books, and materials to support our students’ communication development. Play-based therapy is key to working with early learners, and diverse materials help teachers apply evidence-based strategies that strengthen students’ communication skills as they grow.
To contribute to these funds, or any other funds held at Salina Education Foundation, or to establish your own fund, please contact Kate Lindsay at 785-309-4729.
Total SEF Grant Funding for 2026-27: $28,300.00
