Education Grants Program

Each spring, Corn Belt Energy supports innovation in the classroom through our Education Grants Program. For 2013, we will award five classrooms $1,500 each to fund programs that enrich students’ education.

Public or private schools that serve children of Corn Belt electric members may apply; the school does not need to receive power from Corn Belt. An impartial panel of judges will review the grant applications and preference will be given to projects and programs that enhance learning and are not currently being funded through the school’s budget.

Teachers and administrators of public or private K-12 schools that serve Corn Belt cooperative families may apply. (The school itself does not need to receive electricity from Corn Belt.) The application deadline for 2013 has expired; the five grant recipients will be announced by late April. Applications for our 2014 Education Grants program will be posted here from January - March.

2012 Grant Recipients:

Heyworth Elementary School
Applicant: Anna Hanrahan, 3rd Grade Teacher
Request: To purchase materials for a "vermicomposting" worm farm project

Midland Middle School, Sparland
Applicants: Ginny Moore and David Hoshaw, Middle School Science Teachers
Request: To purchase supplies for an alternative energy science fair

Normal Community West High School
Applicant: Barb Bush, Family & Consumer Sciences Department Chair
Request: To purchase several indoor grills to teach students healthy cooking options

Olympia High School
Applicant: Chris Embry Mohr, Science Department Chair
Request: To purchase materials for aqua-culture projects where student raise and harvest tilapia

2011 Grant Recipients:

Bloomington School District 87
Applicants: Linn McDonald (Bloomington Jr. High) and Kristi Sutter (Sheridan Elementary)
Request: To purchase fourteen document cameras for use in BJHS and Sheridan classrooms

Fieldcrest South Elementary, Minonk
Applicant: Barbara Baumann, 4th Grade Teacher
Request: To purchase maps, a globe, and GPS devises for geography curriculum

Hartsburg-Emden School District
Applicant: Dr. Mary Ann Manos, Superintendent
Request: To cover expenses for a NASA traveling exhibit in November

Regional Alternative School, Bloomington
Applicant: Ron Folkens, Technology Coordinator
Request: To purchase online accounts to ixl.com to track and assess students' math skills

2010 Grant Recipients:

Annawan Grade School
Applicant: Justin Hovey, 4^th Grade Teacher
Request: To purchase two Mimio interactive white boards for use in K-8 classrooms

Le Roy Elementary and Middle Schools
Applicant: Charlene Bokesch-Parsons, K-7 Art Teacher
Request: To fund a visual arts interdisciplinary library for K-7 classrooms, including a visually rich collection of multimedia art history resources

Trinity Lutheran School, Bloomington
Applicant: Karin Burwell, Lay Director of School Curriculum and Instruction
Request: To purchase and implement the Tri-Fit integrated health management program that allows educators to track fitness assessments and develop personalized health portfolios

Tri-Valley High School
Applicant: Jeff Benter, Science Teacher
Request: To purchase the i>clicker classroom response system which will accommodate immediate student feedback and evaluation of material retention, providing valuable information to the instructor

2009 Grant Recipients:

Bloomington Junior High School
Applicant: Michael Jones, Science Teacher and Dept. Chair
Request: To purchase equipment to create and post podcasts which will be available for student download

Knoxville High School
Applicant: Gay Johnson, Curriculum Director
Request: To purchase a weather station system to enhance the school’s science curriculum

ROWVA High School, Oneida
Applicant: Jeffrey Heinrich, Chemistry and Physics Teacher
Request: To purchase Personal Response Devices (also referred to as classroom clickers) which allow the teacher to accurately assess the comprehension of all students in the classroom

St. Mary’s School, Bloomington
Applicants: Marta Mason and Donna Zvonar, Teachers
Request: To purchase GPS equipment and mapping software, and then use that technology to create meaningful learning activities in several fields of study