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  • December 29, 2024

By funding this grant, the FTC robotics team was able to design and build a new robot to tackle this year’s unique challenge and compete for a spot at the World Championship. FTC challenges students to solve problems, score points, and win matches through innovative and collaborative design. Beyond competition, the program instills the principle of “gracious professionalism,” emphasizing respect, high-quality work, and community collaboration.

The robotics program integrates science, math, coding, and engineering, bridging classroom concepts with real-world applications. Students gain hands-on experience building and coding a physical robot, developing critical skills that prepare them for advanced classes and potential future careers in STEM fields.

This grant enabled the team to compete at a higher level, broadening their learning opportunities and reinforcing the practical applications of their classroom knowledge. By participating in FTC, students not only built a robot but also honed their teamwork, problem-solving, and innovation skills, setting them up for success in future endeavors.

  • December 26, 2024

With this funding, a Nintendo Switch gaming console was purchased to create a unique and inclusive opportunity for social and emotional learning. The console was used to host a bowling tournament that brought together general education and special education students, fostering connection and collaboration. The tournament culminated in a field trip to a local bowling alley, providing an exciting real-world extension of the activity.

This grant emphasized diversity, inclusion, and social-emotional development. Students learned to support one another, handle disappointment with grace, and celebrate the successes of their peers. By creating a space for meaningful interactions and shared experiences, the project fostered empathy, teamwork, and a stronger sense of community among students.

  • December 25, 2024

Through this grant, we provided pianos that significantly enhanced the music education experience across the district. These pianos supported the entire 6th-grade population and a substantial portion of 7th and 8th graders, benefiting over 17,000 students throughout their lifespan.

The pianos offered a range of features that elevated classroom activities, including metronomes for independent work, Bluetooth connectivity, playback options for playing along with recorded tracks, and recording functions to document students’ progress. By ensuring the pianos remained in tune, students had reliable resources to match pitch, receive accompaniment, and collaborate effectively in team and group projects.

This project not only improved the quality of music education but also expanded the opportunities for students to engage with technology and creativity, aligning with our mission to support innovative and lasting educational initiatives.

  • December 25, 2024

The Listening Library for Spanish provided students with the opportunity to listen to and read in Spanish through an online platform. With access to hundreds of online books, students were able to strengthen their Spanish listening and reading comprehension skills both during class time and at home.

Thanks to the grant, a second subscription was also secured, allowing students to listen to a variety of Hispanic music genres while enhancing their listening and vocabulary skills through an engaging and interactive platform. The Listening Library proved to be an accessible resource for all secondary language learners, offering incentives to read and listen in Spanish while integrating seamlessly with the curriculum.

Additionally, the platform enriched the learning experience by including cultural extension activities and resources, providing students with a broader understanding of Hispanic cultures. This grant empowered students to build language proficiency in an innovative and immersive way.

  • December 25, 2024

The Saline Middle School Sports Card Club, launched in the fall of the 2022-23 school year, quickly grew from five students to over 30 members within its first month. Thanks to the FSAS grant, the club was able to secure essential supplies that not only maintained its popularity but elevated it to the next level. Guest speakers from local card shops and online marketplaces enriched the experience, making the club a resounding success.

As a result, the program expanded to include two Sports Card Clubs held during different lunch periods at SMS. The club connected directly to academic subjects, including Mathematics (pricing and trading), Language Arts (public speaking and negotiation), and Social Studies (player/card/team locations). Conducted during school lunches, the club provided an expanded learning opportunity for all attendees.

Students developed real-world skills such as pricing, fair trading, making eye contact, and closing deals with a handshake. These lessons extended beyond the classroom, with students applying what they learned at local card shows and shops. This grant enabled a vibrant, educational, and practical experience for the students, fostering personal and academic growth.

  • February 7, 2024

This grant helps to bring new Spanish texts to students of Spanish 1A and 1B. This grant allows students to
read an entire class novel in Spanish 1.

Spanish 1A students will read the novel “La Familia de Federico Rico”.

Spanish 1B students will read the Spanish novel “Cabybara con botas”.

  • February 7, 2024

The Saline robotics community for grades 4-8 had been struggling with the setup and teardown of large competition fields and the management of tools and materials 4-6 times each week, which consumed much of their practice time and left them with less time to focus on planning, designing, and building their robots and other innovation projects. A separate space for practice would not only have improved their performance but would have made their meetings more about learning and preparing rather than moving supplies.

The grant was proposed as a partnership between the Saline robotics teams for grades 4-8 and the Saline Middle School Media Center to repurpose an old book storage space into a thriving STEM lab by moving the books out of storage into the Media Center where all students could access them.

The grant covered the cost of making the books in storage available to students in the Media Center while also repairing water damage and outfitting the space as a STEM space with storage and simple, second-hand workspace furniture.

  • February 7, 2024

The grant provided chromatic tuners to a large-format music classroom of 50-80 students at Saline Area Schools, where individual teacher attention was limited. These electronic devices offered immediate feedback on tuning and intonation, which are foundational skills in music, indicating to the musician whether a note was in tune and, if not, whether it needed to be adjusted higher or lower. The chromatic tuners enabled students to receive the necessary feedback to improve their sound independently, which is crucial for playing in tune—a fundamental aspect that enhances the overall quality of music and facilitates the development of higher-level skills and satisfaction in the music classroom.

Through the use of these tuners, students demonstrated key educational skills such as collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity. They worked in various sized groups, including partnerships and sections, to learn how to play in tune. This collaborative approach not only helped build a sense of community among the students but also made creative use of the learning space, providing numerous learning opportunities.

  • February 7, 2024

The grant enabled the Girls Who Code club to purchase 8 Makeblock mBot Starter Kits and 4 Arduino Education Starter Kits. The mBot Starter Kits, which are robots that can be programmed using Scratch and Python, allowed the girls to code the robots to move and interact with their environment. The Arduino Education Starter Kits provided lessons in coding, hardware, and electronics.

The project was designed to align with the core curriculum and broaden learning opportunities for students in a creative and innovative manner. By introducing these kits, the club aimed to enhance coding skills among a demographic underrepresented in computer science and the tech sector, specifically girls. The hands-on experience with robotics and coding was intended to spark interest in future computer science, graphics, and engineering classes at SHS. Additionally, having access to these resources significantly improved the overall enjoyment and engagement of the club members.

  • February 7, 2024

The “Keep Calm and Clean” grant supported the practice of daily living skills for students while at school. The grant facilitated the acquisition of a working dryer, enabling students who swim 3-5 times a week to learn and practice proper laundry techniques, including washing and drying their clothes. Additionally, the grant provided the means for students to practice loading and unloading a dishwasher, which is an essential skill for job preparedness, employability, and living independently.

The primary goal for the Life Skills students was to enhance their employability and independence. The grant allowed students to engage in hands-on activities that prepared them for their future by reinforcing job skills and everyday life competencies. As students transitioned to high school, the opportunity to practice laundry and dishwasher skills became increasingly important. The items purchased with the grant played a significant role in continuing the students’ education and preparing them for this transition.