OEF Grant Program
The purpose of OEF Grant Program is to fund creative and innovative projects in Olentangy Schools. Grants are used for materials, resources and programs that fall outside school budgets. For more information on the grant process or to submit an application, please visit the grant application page.
2025-26 Classroom Grant Highlights
Reimagining Creativity: Integrating 3-D Printing into the Art Classroom for Innovation and Expression
Written by Kaitlyn Kennedy at Olentangy Berlin Middle School
Sponsored by:
Reimagining Creativity: Integrating 3D Printing into the Art Classroom for Innovation and Expression will provide students with hands-on experience using cutting-edge technology to bring their artistic visions to life. The grant will fund a 3D printer and essential accessories, allowing students to design, model, and print sculptures and other art forms. This innovative tool will enhance creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, empowering students to explore new artistic methods and bridge the gap between traditional and digital art. The project will inspire future artists, fostering a deeper appreciation for technology and design in the creative process.
Request to Purchase Elmo 1379 Model TT-12W STEM-CAM Visual Presenter(Document Camera)
Written by Shannon Mitchell Olentangy Liberty High School
Sponsored by:
With my grant request for the Elmo 1379 Model TT-12W STEM-CAM Document Camera, I am hoping to gain funds to purchase the above mentioned classroom tool. I am a visual arts teacher at OLHS who focuses on running the Jewelry and Metals Program. The funds from this grant would allow me to purchase the Elmo TT-12W camera for my classroom.
Supporting SLC Students in the Elementary Art Room
Written by Jonathan Juravich Liberty Tree Elementary School
Sponsored by:
This grant, "Supporting SLC Students in the Elementary Art Room," will fund specialized and adaptive materials for elementary students in our SLC classrooms across the district. Purchases include ergonomic brushes, textured paper, adaptive scissors, and sensory-friendly art supplies. In each art classroom, these tools will be organized in centers and carts that are accessible to these specific students and their intervention aides to promote inclusivity, the creative process, and meaningful art-making.
Innovative and Collaborative learning in the Unified Arts
Written by Leslie Castorena Heritage Elementary School
Sponsored by:
Our grant will provide 15 iPads for our elementary music and art programs, enhancing creativity and collaboration through technology. Students will use digital tools for music composition, audio workstations, visual art creation, art research, and directed learning. This initiative will expand access to modern tools, support differentiated instruction, and foster 21st-century skills like creativity, communication, and problem-solving. The impact will be a more engaging and inclusive learning environment, allowing students to explore and express themselves in new ways while preparing for a tech-integrated future.
Creating Beautiful Bow Holds with Tadpoles!
Written by Jill Bixler Olentangy Liberty High School & Olentangy Liberty Middle School
Sponsored by:
"Creating Beautiful Bow Holds with Tadpoles!"
Setting up a beginning string player with the correct way to hold the bow is the most important skill to be mastered in the first year of learning the instrument. Achievement in playing the instrument, and therefore, the success of any ensemble made up of our musicians hinges on this grasping of this early lesson.
Tadpoles are 3D printed bow frogs with raised guides to give tactile understanding.
Creating a Sustainable Future and Enhancing Production for Musical Performances at OMES
Written by Sarah King Olentangy Meadows Elementary School
Sponsored by:
This grant will fund professional video and audio equipment and eight new musicals to enhance production quality and ensure the long-term sustainability of OMES’s musical program. Pre-recording acting and narration allows more students to take on leadership roles without the pressure of memorization or live performance. This initiative fosters leadership, creativity, and technical skills while aligning with the district’s strategic goals of leadership development and advancing our digital environment. Additionally, a digital music library will provide a lasting resource for future productions, ensuring continued student participation in high-quality performance.
ViewSonic Wide-Angle Conference Camera
Written by Michael Haugk Berlin High School
Sponsored by the Elaine K. Eddy Endowed Fund
This grant is for the purchase of a wide angle camera that will connect to ViewSonic TVs that are in all classrooms in Berlin High School. This camera will allow teachers to integrate career programing into the classroom with interactive video.
Amplifying Student Voice and Digital Creativity with a Soundproof Booth
Written by Beth vanKan Johnnycake Corners Elementary School
Sponsored by:
This grant funds the purchase of a soundproof recording booth for our school library, providing students and staff a professional space to create podcasts, videos, and digital projects. It will enhance classroom learning, support cross-curricular collaboration, and empower students to share their voices with authentic audiences. From student-led podcasts to districtwide librarian collaborations, the booth will amplify creativity, digital fluency, and community connection—making a lasting impact on our school and the greater Olentangy district.
Critter Cam
Written by Sara Casper Alum Creek Elementary School
Sponsored by:
Connecting Classrooms to Nature
With the help of this grant, we would be able to install a live-streaming camera in our outdoor classroom to observe birds and local wildlife in real time. This grant funds the purchase of a weatherproof live camera, binoculars, bird food, and wildlife presenters. The Critter Cam will enrich science and environmental lessons, spark curiosity, and support project-based learning. Students will document animal behavior, practice data collection, and build awareness of local ecosystems. The live feed will be shared with the Olentangy community, promoting conservation and outdoor engagement for all. This initiative bridges classroom learning with real-world environmental learning.
SLC Classroom Library
Written by Carly Barnes Berkshire Middle School
Sponsored by:
The Education Grant would impact my classroom library. As a Middle School SLC Teacher I have a wide array of students with unique needs and reading levels. I would love to be able to purchase different levels of books, especially classroom sets. With classroom sets purchased I could have small group reading activities for our 6th, 7th and 8th grade SLC Students. Currently, If I want to have multiple books in my classroom for each student I have to purchase the books on my own or try to use the funds allotted for the Intervention Specialists to share.
Outdoor Classroom for Monarch Scientist: Expanding Hands On Learning with Storage and Seating
Written by Many Robek Shale Meadows Elementary School
Sponsored by:
Outdoor Classroom for Monarch Scientists: Expanding Hands-On Learning with Storage and Seating will increase engagement in our Shale Meadows Monarch Garden. We’ve spent four years establishing our Monarch Garden and it serves as a perfect living lab for students to actively engage in scientific inquiry, environmental activism, and cross-curricular learning. We will be purchasing a storage shed for easy access to garden tools and learning aides., Other purchases will include a class set of camping stools, waterproof outdoor blankets, a storage shelf and mesh wire baskets. With these additions to our living lab our community can be citizen scientist.
COFFEE FOR A CAUSE
Written by Kriyanshi Shukla Olentangy High School
Sponsored by:
Coffee for a Cause will help build community by improving the DECA program at OOHS and allowing them to continue their tradition of donating a percentage of their sales to a local non-profit.
Ready, Set, Support: The Intervention Closet Initiative
Written by Nicole Karnes Peachblow Crossing Elementary School
Sponsored by:
Peachblow Crossing Elementary School is pleased to present this proposal for your review. We are creating an “Intervention Closet” which would contain resources and tools for teachers to implement as a part of the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) process. These materials would be accessible for all students within the building this school year and in years to come. As a brand-new building, we find it crucial that teachers have the resources and tools easily accessible to use daily with their students.
Engaging Science through LEGO Spike Kits
Written by Jenna Srivastava Berlin Middle School
Sponsored by
The Ohio 8th Grade Science Standards emphasize physical science topics, including Newton’s Laws, energy transformation, and forces. Traditional teaching methods often struggle to engage students in these abstract concepts. LEGO SPIKE Kits offer an innovative, inquiry-based approach, allowing students to build, program, and test models that demonstrate these principles. The need for such interactive learning tools is crucial for enhancing students’ problem-solving skills and scientific literacy.
Wonderbooks
Written by Marissa Eau Claire Walnut Creek Elementary School
Sponsored by:
The grant would provide the opportunity to purchase a set of Wonderbooks , hard back audiobooks to be used within the 4th grade classrooms at WCES. The company Wonderbooks offers many age appropriate, high interest chapter books to read! The grant would promote inclusion within the classroom with the goal of making chapter books accessible to all readers!
Challenge Island STEAM Projects
Written by Lynn Shirk Scioto Ridge Elementary School
Sponsored by:
This OEF grant would cover the costs of two Challenge Island presentations and STEAM tasks. The first Challenge Island presentation and STEAM task is based on 5th grade science standards of tracking the flow of energy through Ohio ecosystems. The second Challenge Island presentation and STEAM task is based on 5th grade social studies standards of Economics; decisions based on the economy, scarcity, production, consumption, markets and financial literacy.
Berlin Journalism Podcast and RADIO STUDIO
Written by Keenan Meadows Olentangy Berlin High School
Sponsored by:
Berlin Journalism Podcast and Radio Studio: This grant would allow us to purchase recording equipment (such as a soundboard, mounted microphones, and soundproofing tiles) to outfit a section of our studio for recording podcasts and radio broadcasts. We believe that student voice is important, and podcasting will allow students to express their voice in a more focused and detailed way than they might be able to using our daily news show, newsmagazine, or website. Students also want to begin a radio show that they can use to reach both the student body and the Olentangy community at large.
Sparking Brilliance: DiGging Deeper to Engage Students through Curiosity
Written by Andrea Vescelius Olentangy Orange High School
Sponsored by:
This grant focuses on implementing Designed inGenuity (DiG), a creative learning framework that enhances student engagement and promotes deeper learning through iterative cycles inspired by the Agile Movement. DiG uses neuroscience-backed strategies to boost achievement. The Spark Workshop will immerse 16 educators in the framework, allowing them to experience it before implementing it in classrooms. Afterwards, teachers will be supported by Catalyst Learning Labs to integrate DiGs, fostering purposeful, creative thinkers who ask deeper questions. Therefore, this initiative can transform classrooms into dynamic, student-centered environments, benefiting the OLSD community by promoting innovation, academic growth, and personal development, maximizing student potential.
Storied Spaces: Transforming Classrooms into Reading Communities through Student-Driven Libraries
Written by Alessandra Zahran Olentangy Liberty High School
Sponsored by:
On the first day of school, teachers usually have everything set up to welcome their students. This is meant to welcome the students, but I believe that there is something beautiful about building an environment that is representative of the unique students that enter the classroom each year. Launching a classroom library ALONGSIDE students communicates that the space belongs to EVERYONE, not just the teacher; the teacher is releasing control because together, we can build something and get to know each other along the way.
Music Therapy in the Classroom-Rocking the SLC
Written by Mary Eisel Scioto Ridge Elementary School
Sponsored by:
According to the American Music Therapy Association, music therapy services for young children with disabilities have proven very effective for improving communication, interpersonal skills, personal responsibility, and play. Music therapy interventions may elicit joint attention, enhance auditory processing and motor skills, and improve an individual's ability to identify and appropriately express emotions. For these reasons, a certified and licensed music therapist is incorporating 30-minute sessions 2 times each month in (your classroom). Leading the students in activities that utilize instruments, picture books, scarves and parachutes, and include movement, verbalization and vocalization, listening, and cooperation, the music therapist created a fun and motivating environment that is inclusive and accepting of all students.
In our classroom we have a wide range of students. Anywhere from non verbal to verbal , from a Kindergartener to 5th grader. Each student in our class would benefit from the music therapy. The students enjoy music and we are looking for a way to engage them beyond just what we do in our classroom. Music therapy would be a tool to allow our students to gain access to music interventions and enhance auditory processing, motor skills, and overall engagement.
Parent Book Study: "Never Enough" by Jennifer Breheny Wallace
Written by Jennifer Sabo Oak Creek Elementary School
Sponsored by:
Parent Book Study: "Never Enough" by Jennifer Breheny Wallace will be a dive into the book and how today's strive for excellence may effect student's mental health. The parents will read and discuss the book with administration and guidance counselor. The information obtained will be summarized in the weekly newsletters so all families can benefit from this resource and ensuing conversations.
STEM exploration for grades k-5
Written by Kimberly Gregory Glen Oak Elementary School
Sponsored by:
Glen Oak Elementary is home to a very diverse population of learners. Our intervention and classroom teachers work cohesively to provide a variety of learning experiences to support all learners, both in and out of the classroom. ELL, Intervention, Gifted, and Twice Exceptional students especially benefit from hands-on, collaborative opportunities aligned with the curriculum to access the content in a way that coincides with their individual learning styles. Ensuring that GOES has access to a variety of STEM kits will help to prepare students for the 21st century and give them the opportunity to be problem solvers and critical thinkers.
I Like To Move It, Move It!!
Written by Roscoe Holt Berlin Middle School
Sponsored by:
Berlin Middle School is committed to fostering a holistic educational environment, we recognize the critical role that active outdoor learning experiences and physical education play in the overall development of our students. Our school seeks funding to enhance our existing physical education and outdoor learning experiences by acquiring new equipment that promotes active play, teamwork, and healthy lifestyles. With the appropriate resources, we aim to offer a diverse array of activities that cater to various interests and skill levels, ensuring that all students are engaged and motivated to participate. Investing in items such as basketball hoops, Gaga Pits, and other interactive games will not only boost physical fitness but also support social skills, emotional well-being, and academic performance. By enriching our physical education curriculum and outdoor learning experiences, we hope to cultivate a vibrant school community that prioritizes health, wellness, and lifelong learning.
Drone Racing Team
Written by Matthew Longley Olentangy Middle School
Sponsored by:
The Drone Racing Team or Drone Club is a unique opportunity for students to participate in a collective that offers the chance for students to learn valuable life skills in a fun and engaging environment. Students work collaboratively in many facets of project management, digital design, critical thinking, and engineering, all the while flying drones and competing. This program provides the team atmosphere in a very unique situation with lifelong benefits for the student. We would use this money to purchase the stock drones and basic software we would need to get started for our multiple teams.
Choir and Theater Microphones
Written by Walter Thomson Olentangy Orange Middle School
Sponsored by:
Choir and Theater Microphones. These microphones will impact hundreds of students every school year. The choir program is now large enough that concerts need to be held in the gymnasium, where it is sometimes difficult for students to be heard. Not only will audience members have an improved experience, but students will also feel better knowing the hard work they put into their performance can be fully heard. These microphones will greatly impact our theater department. Students rehearse countless hours, and these microphones will ensure their hard work can be fully appreciated. These will help maximize student opportunity and potential!
Metal CNC Router for OZone Robotics teams
Written by Drew Bachmann Olentangy Academy
Sponsored by:
Metal CNC Router for OZone Robotics teams: Over the past several years, our OZone Robotics teams have grown with the support of OEF and other community partners. We now support over 80 students on 4 different teams ranging from 6th to 12th grade. We would like to purchase an Omio X8 CNC router for these teams to use to fabricate robotics parts using aluminum and polycarbonate. Students would be able to use this tool to design parts that are limited only by their imagination and make parts completely customized to the needs of their design.
Improve CPR/AED training and certification with high quality CPR Manikins
Written by Sarah McCloskey Olentangy Berlin High School & Heritage Elementary School
Sponsored by:
Olentangy School Nurses are seeking funding to purchase CPR manikins with monitors to support and improve our CPR and AED training and certification. With this grant, we will be able to provide hands-on, realistic, and effective training for staff, teaching them life-saving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills. The ability to practice on high-quality manikins will ensure that our participants are better prepared to respond to emergencies and save lives. This initiative will benefit our community by increasing the number of people trained in CPR, ultimately enhancing public health and safety. We would like to purchase updated Manikins.
Tonie Boxes for Preschool classrooms
Written by Amanda Lucas Wyandot Run Elementary School
Sponsored by:
Tonie Boxes for Preschool classrooms aims to provide a Tonie Box and a small selection of figurines to each preschool location (WRES, ACES, AES, SMES, PCES, OSP). This innovative toy is a great option for teachers, aides, and therapists to use with students to work on basic motor control (grasp and release, visually-guided reach) or cause and effect in a fun, interactive way. It's also a great way for students to interact with their peers in an age-appropriate way even when skill levels vary greatly.
Kitchen of life
Written by Tiffany Lewis Olentangy Orange High School
Sponsored by:
25 students from OOHS will attend Kitchen Of Life programming, located in Bexley, OH, one time per quarter during the 2025-2026 school year. Kitchen of Life is a non-profit organization dedicated to building resilience and strengthening interpersonal skills through culinary arts. The program provides an immersive environment where students engage in activities that promote resilience, connection, a sense of belonging and teaches students self-determination, communication, belonging, teamwork, professionalism, problem-solving, leadership, creativity, and culinary skills. This program will help students earn their Ohio Means Jobs Readiness Seal needed to meet graduation requirements and learn valuable employability and independent living skills.