August 31st marked the end of round one of grant applications for the 2026-2027 school year!
Our grants provide Cherokee County teachers with up to $2,500 to fund unique, hands-on learning experiences for their students. Here are some of the ways our round one recipients used their grant funds:
2D and 3D Art Supplies – Free Home Elementary School
Ms. Pair, a visual arts teacher is using her grant funds towards purchasing a variety of consumable 2D and 3D art supplies directly aligned with Georgia Elementary Visual Art Standards. The materials will be used to create a variety of meaningful, hands-on learning experiences in both 2D and 3D art. These tools will help students master the ability to create, present, respond, and connect with the visual art world.
Students can thrive as an artist when they get to discover the joy of creating through a variety of ways and tools. Providing a diverse selection of materials will allow students to engage in standards-based projects throughout the school year and experience art-making processes that may not be possible without adequate classroom supplies.
Color Your Thinking – Freedom Middle School
Ms. Loden, a 6th grade ELA teacher, is using her grant funds to purchase materials to create 200 reusable Active Reading Annotation Kits for students. The reusable kits will provide students with immediate, equitable access to the tools needed to actively engage with text and make thinking visible as they read. Kits will remain in classrooms for repeated use across class periods, allowing grant-funded materials to support many students throughout the school year.
Color Your Thinking: Active Reading Annotation Kits will provide students with hands-on, color-coded tools that make their thinking visible as they actively engage with text using Freedom Middle School's established Active Reading Strategies. The primary goal of Color Your Thinking: Active Reading Annotation Kits is to strengthen students' reading comprehension, engagement, and independence by providing consistent, hands-on tools for actively interacting with text.
GEORGIA MATCH DAY – Cherokee High School
Ms. von Schilling, a 12th grade counselor is using her grant funds to purchase materials for a school-wide GEORGIA MATCH initiative for the Class of 2027. GEORGIA MATCH DAY will be a school-wide college and career readiness initiative designed to celebrate and educate seniors as they receive their personalized GEORGIA MATCH letters. The primary goal of these funds is to transform the school lobby into a college-going environment highlighting Georgia's postsecondary institutions, and students will be encouraged to review their school matches, access their GA futures Student Dashboard, research institutions, ask questions, and learn about the next steps in the college admissions and financial aid process.
The goal is to make college exploration feel accessible, exciting, and attainable for every senior, including students who may not have previously considered themselves college-bound.
Making Our Mark – R.M. Moore Elementary School STEM Academy
Ms. Daniel used her grant funds to establish a reusable printmaking studio in the art classroom. These funds are going to purchasing student-friendly printmaking tools and materials, including brayers, reusable printing plates, printing trays, water-soluble block-printing inks, printing paper, and more! A majority of the grant funds will be used to purchase reusable materials that will be used for years on end across multiple grade levels.
This project will establish a printmaking studio that allows elementary students to experience printmaking as a hands-on artistic process. Students will learn how artists create images through stamping, pressing, layering, repetition, texture, and positive and negative space.
STEAM Lab Library – Oak Grove Elementary School STEM Academy
Ms. Johnson used her rapid grant funds to build Oak Grove Elementary's STEAM Lab Library with books related to STEAM and its related fields. She hopes that this project boosts student interest in STEAM subject areas as well as helps boost literacy skills in a multidisciplinary way. Funding the STEAM library will allow students to gain exposer to specific vocabulary, ability to apply literacy skills in cross-curricular ways and increase student confidence in science literacy.
Next Grant Application Round
If you missed the first round of grant applications, round two is just around the corner. Mark your calendar for October 15th to submit your round two grant application! We can't wait to see the amazing ideas you come up with to provide your students with unique learning experiences!
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