2024-2025 Mini-Grants

Mrs. Brooks, Principal OHS

Oscoda High School Principal Rebecca Brooks received a grant for Veteran’s Day. This will be the 4th Annual Veteran’s Day Assembly at the High School. Having the veterans in the building and taking part in the event this year will be great as the students will be able to see how many people have been in the military fighting for our rights. In the past this has been very powerful, and the High School feels this year it will be even more of an impact as the have moved their assembly to November 8th so more veterans are available to attend. This assembly all ties into the Social Studies and Language Arts curriculums as the students write an essay and share their essays. Students this year allowed to invite their own veteran in to share and be involved in this event.

1st Grade Teachers at RES

The 1st Grade team at Richardson Elementary, Mrs. Kenyan, Ms. Negro, Mrs. Omelau, Mrs. Deller and Mrs. Fenelau, received a grant for Help Our Students Become Doctors, Explorers and Travelers. This grant will provide additional tools for the knowledge portion of the CKLA (Core Knowledge Language Arts) curriculum and help enhance student learning by providing hands on experiences in the classroom. These tools will help the students become more engaged and excited to learn. Students will get to feel like doctors, explorers and travelers and all of it is done inside a transformed classroom. These items will give students tools to use instead of just reading it in a book or watching on TV.

3rd Grade Teacher Megan Beglin at RES

Mrs. Beglin received a grant for Stock the Room. This project allows her to acquire items that helps meet the needs of all her students while learning. These items will allow her students, who are always on the move, a chance to stay moving while listening, discussing and working. Other items are classroom activities, more grade level books, and things to use for inside recess for those inclement weather days. Having the sensory and movement items for the higher energy students gives everyone a more quiet and relaxing learning environment.

5th Grade Teachers Mrs. Williams and Mrs. Mervyn at RES

Fifth Grade teachers Mrs. Williams and Mrs. Mervyn received a grant for Boogie Boards for Math. It is important for 5th grade students to be able to work on math problems, share and have an easy way to show their work. These board will be used in place of white boards, which use many dry markers, erasers and boards in general. The Boogie Boards will reduce the marker and eraser waste, as well as replacing white boards. Fifth Grade does lots of mental math & fluency practice every day. These boards provide a quick way to see where the students are at and what they are struggling with. It allows the students to practice and yet the teachers can asses their progress.

Mrs. Brooks, Principal and Ms. Moore, Counselor at OHS

Oscoda High School Principal Mrs. Brooks and Counselor Ms. Moore received a grant Senior Traditions. This year we want to start 1 or possibly 2 new traditions with the seniors before graduation. These traditions will involve staff and younger students. This would help to build rapport with students and staff and then also with the community when we are able to share pictures. This would also help with school climate.

Ms. Winter & Ms. Negro at RES

Fourth Grade teacher Ms. Winter and First Grade teacher Ms. Negro received a grant for all of 1st and 4th grades to do a Boston Tea Party project. This activity will be a culminating activity at the end of their American Revolution units in CKLA (Core Knowledge Language Arts and Literacy). Project Goals Students will have learned about why we became a new nation and the hardships of the Founding Fathers. In celebration of their learning, we would like to have a Boston Tea Party and have conversations about our new knowledge across both grade levels and curriculums.

Mrs. Doherty, Mrs. Buckman & Mrs. Vargo RES Teachers

Richardson Elementary teachers Mrs. Doherty, Mrs. Buckman and Mrs. Vargo received a grant to receive more Adaptive Skills Classroom Supports. Young students with autism need their sensory needs met on a regular basis throughout the day. Progress on learning is difficult unless the students have doses of appropriate proprioceptive input throughout the day. Proprioceptive input helps to connect feeling with the mind. The teachers shared “Since incorporating this into our adaptive skills classroom, we have noticed some remarkable changes in student regulation. Noted challenges in our classroom are appropriate and easily accessible academic tasks.” The varying level of these students makes it challenging to have functionally appropriate academic tasks that allow staff to use adaptive assistive communication devices, which is a goal for the many students in our classroom.

Ms. Moore, Counselor at OHS

High School Counselor Ms. Moore received a grant for Senior Decision Day. Ms. Moore explained that Senior Decision Day is a celebration of the postsecondary education plans that each senior has decided to pursue. This is a time for each senior to be recognized for the individually unique paths they have chosen. Staff are involved in this event as presenters of certificates for colleges, military, and other chosen paths. This event is looked forward to by seniors and serves as an incentive to continue their hard work through high school.