It all starts with an idea, a great idea! Each year, Seminole County Public School teachers have the opportunity to put their great ideas into action for their students through the Foundation’s Grants for Great Ideas (GFGI) program. Teachers are eligible to apply for up to $1,000 for an individual classroom project and up to $2,500 for a grade or school wide initiatives which is an increase from previous years. There are three categories that the teachers can apply for funding for: STEM, ELA, or Arts. Since 1989, the Foundation has awarded over $1.89 million to support the great ideas of our Seminole County teachers.
These projects go beyond normal classroom instruction and allow teachers to provide memorable experiences for their students. With nearly $65,000 given out in grants, 44 projects received funding throughout the district impacting over 15,700 students.
At Eastbrook Elementary, the current class of third graders were just kindergarteners when COVID happened, that time of distant learning and quarantine really took a toll on the young students. While trying to return to normal, many students struggled with fluency and tracking left to right. Funds received from their grant were used to implement Bucket Drumming which helped improve language arts reading and musical rhythm reading. Since implementing this great idea, teachers noticed a 19% over increase in the FAST overall proficiency testing. “Although my main focus was on third grade reading, 5th grade also used the bucket drums. There was noticeable improvement in the rhythm reading with my older students.” Stated Lisa Langston, Grants for Great Ideas Recipient. “The special equipment fosters a love of learning and growth in our students and staff.”
While all our teachers do an outstanding job, projects like these can make the difference between developing a good lesson plan and developing a great lesson plan that will make a meaningful impact on your students that they will not forget. These hands-on projects help students observe, question, learn, and most of all, achieve!
Thank you to all the teachers who take advantage of 
this program and all the funders who make Grants for Great Ideas possible! The Foundation is proud to support these great ideas. This year, The Foundation team and committee members personally presented funds to grant recipients and even had multiple opportunities to see these projects in action, which was an incredible experience!
SCPS Teachers – Learn more about how you can put your great idea into action! Cycle deadlines for the 2023-2024 School Year will be announced this August.
Learn more about Ms. Langton’s project at Eastbrook Elementary.