Downers Grove Junior Woman's Club Awards Education Grants to Nine Deserving Downers Grove Area Teachers
DOWNERS GROVE, ILLINOIS – Last week, the Downers Grove Junior Woman’s Club (DGJWC) Education Committee surprised nine deserving District 58 teachers with education grants. The teachers and winners range from Preschool through Middle School.
In the past, the DGJWC offered their Teacher Grants in the spring and presented them during Teacher Appreciation Week. However, back in 2019 they decided to shift the grant timeline for the funds to go toward having an immediate effect on the teachers and their current student population, rather than waiting until the new school year.
DGJWC Education Committee Co-Chair, Allison McNulty said, “It was such an honor to surprise and celebrate the nine recipients from District 58 who were awarded Downers Grove Junior Woman's Club Teacher Grants for 2020! The applicant's submissions were incredibly heartfelt and thoughtful. The grants will assist the winners in bringing additional books, technology, resources and manipulatives to their classrooms to further assist their students. We are so proud to have such amazing, dedicated and caring teachers in our community. We cannot wait to see their resources put to great use in their classrooms in the upcoming months!"
Ami Johanson, Co-Chair of the DGJWC Education Committee added, “Since last March, these educators have been going above and beyond for our students every day. Having a chance to give back to them has been such an honor. All the educators who applied, even the ones who were not selected for the grant, proposed innovative ideas to make our children's education experience as best as it can possibly be.”
The winning DGJWC applicants for the December 2020 Teacher Grants are listed below:
Keri Bernhardt (O’Neill Middle School, 8th grade Reading/Language Arts) – Ms. Bernhardt will be utilizing the grant to supply additional hard cover books (for longevity and durability) to her in-class library.
Jenn Barnick (Belle Aire Elementary, 4th Grade) – Ms. Barnick will be utilizing the grant to add soft lighting to her classrooms, to create a comfortable atmosphere, when in class and on Zoom.
Katie Gallagher (Kingsley Elementary, 4th Grade) – Ms. Gallagher will be utilizing the grant to purchase a variety of culturally diverse books for her classroom library for all students to be represented.
Georgina Cervantes (Highland Elementary & Herrick Middle School, K-8 English Language Learner (ELL)) – Ms. Cervantes will be utilizing the grant to purchase literature that promotes cultural perspectives and encourages global awareness for her students.
Colleen Sciacca (Lester Elementary, 4th Grade) – Ms. Sciacca will be utilizing the grant to purchase picture books to help support students' social emotional learning, to help understand and speak about their feelings.
Donna Haidle (Grove Preschool) – Ms. Haidle will be utilizing the grant to add toys and manipulatives to encourage creativity and imaginative play.
Laura Bucaro (Grove Preschool) – Ms. Bucaro will be utilizing the grant to purchase mini objects and structured play-base activities to engage students during speech and language activities, both in the classroom and over Zoom.
Rachel Bush (Kingsley Elementary, 1st Grade) – Ms. Bush will be utilizing the grant to purchase Toobaloo Auditory Feedback Phones for students to be able to hear themselves while working on learning to read and working on their reading fluency.
Mandy Zimolzak (El Sierra Elementary, K-6) – Ms. Zimolzak will be utilizing the grant to purchase materials for kits containing games, art and discussion to produce an engaging Virtual At Home Math Night for students and their parents.
The Downers Grove Junior Woman’s Club will be issuing another call for District 58 & District 99 teacher grant applications in the fall and looks forward to supporting the visions and professional development interests of additional teachers within the District.
About Downers Grove Junior Woman’s Club: The Downers Grove Junior Woman's Club is a non-partisan, non-denominational, volunteer women's organization. Its members are dedicated to supporting and raising the awareness of charitable organizations, individuals in need and the community. Women interested in joining the DGJWC, should plan to attend their Virtual General Meeting on January 26th. If you would like to learn more about the DGJWC, please visit: www.dgjwc.org.