Complete list of projects funded for the 2025-26 school year

School/Department Project Title Description
Beaumont Middle School – Allyson Ellingsworth Enhancing Literacy for Multilingual Learners Enrich Beaumont Middle School’s library collection with a diverse range of books in students’ native languages. By providing culturally relevant and linguistically appropriate materials, we seek to foster literacy development, promote bilingualism, and support academic achievement among our multilingual learners.
Crawford Middle School – Debbie Glenn Sustainable Food System Project deals with sustainability, enabling our students to garden, cook, and work with an aquaponics system. We will facilitate this program via Bridge Builders, our before and after school program, and our partnership with FoodChain.
Deep Springs Elementary – Tionna Dudley Mental Health Matters Empowering students by providing comprehensive resources for implementing various therapeutic approaches. This includes practical support for techniques like Sand Tray Therapy, Play Therapy, and EMDR Therapy.
Deep Springs Elementary – Tionna Dudley Social Emotional/Behavior Instructional Resources Empower students by providing essential resources and positive reinforcements, directly integrating with the five CASEL Competencies. As we teach social-emotional skills, we’ll equip them with the tools they need for self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.
Deep Springs Elementary – Amber Brooks Dragon’s Lair Store School store where our students earn “eOS bucks” for positive behavior, which they use to purchase prizes. This project tackles an equity issue by providing essential positive reinforcement our Title I school lacks compared to wealthier schools.
Deep Springs Elementary – Myron Blair Noble- Boys Mentorship Program Unfunded boys’ mentoring program at Deep Springs for 4th and 5th graders, currently relying on staff donations. It empowers our 83% economically disadvantaged male students by building positive skills and providing crucial male role models.
Deep Springs Elementary – Anitrea Burks Dazzling Divas- Girls Mentoring Program Empower 4th and 5th-grade girls through mentorship, sustained by dedicated staff and community support. This program targets our 83% economically disadvantaged students, enhancing their confidence and social-emotional skills, which directly boosts academic engagement and literacy.
Deep Springs Elementary – Amber Brooks Attendance All-Stars New project where students will track their attendance and earn awesome rewards! Being at school and on time every day helps you learn more and achieve your goals.
Districtwide: Multilingual & Gifted and Talented Services Department – Barbara Grattoni Unlock Your Genius Provide assistance to active English Learner (EL) students K-12 grade on homework and tutoring with Multilingual tutors twice a week.
Districtwide: Multilingual & Gifted and Talented Services Department – Barbara Grattoni Code Without Borders: Robotics and Multilingual Learning with Spheros STEM education is vital for equipping students with skills needed for future careers. This project integrates Sphero robots into sessions with English Learner (EL) students during parent Multilingual Workshops.
Districtwide: FACE – Cierra Spaulding Roots to Readiness: Postsecondary for All Generations Culturally responsive, year-long family learning initiative designed to support Black and Brown families in navigating postsecondary pathways. Through workshops, a fall college visit, financial literacy education, and a culminating celebration, the program fosters intergenerational learning, community trust, and advocacy.
Frederick Douglass HS – Yue Hu Multicultural Fair 3.0: Taking Culture to the Next Level Third annual school-wide celebration of global cultures. This event brings students, families, and staff together through interactive cultural booths, performances, and food to foster unity, student voice, and cultural appreciation.
Garden Springs Elementary – Amanda Simmons Newton’s Attic Field Trip Newton’s Attic STEM field trips bring to life the engineering process, simple machines, mechanical advantage, force, motion, energy and aerodynamics.
Garrett Morgan Elementary – Heather McQueary “One Book, One School” Schoolwide literacy initiative that engages all students and staff in reading the same books through daily read-alouds, trivia challenges, and inclusive learning activities. By providing adapted materials for English language learners, special education, and gifted students, the project ensures equitable access and fosters a shared culture of reading.
George Washington Carver STEM Academy for Boys – Ginny Jenkins Cave Run Storytelling Festival Field Trip Field trip to the Cave Run Storytelling Festival in Morehead, KY for a day of listening to professional storytellers in an outdoor setting next to Cave Run Lake.
George Washington Carver STEM Academy for Boys and Rise STEM Academy for Girls – Carolyn Ford Our Stories Matter In the children’s and young adult literary world, children of color often struggle to see themselves in the characters and stories, leading to feelings of invisibility and decreased self-esteem, which can diminish their interest in reading. Research shows that culturally relevant literature positively impacts students’ academic engagement and social-emotional well-being.
Lafayette High School – Joseph Wrightson Student-Powered Music Festival: Experiential Learning in Live Audio Production Equipment to run a student-led music festival at Lafayette High School. The grant will also fund a professional mentor from Pro Sound to teach students how to use live sound equipment and mentor them as they execute the event.
Lansdowne Elementary – Katherine McDonald Project Based Learning with Multilingual Students Multilingual students in English Language Learning (ELL) classes will work on various projects using the Gold Standard Project Based Learning model, which engages them in solving a real-world problem or answering a complex question. They will demonstrate their knowledge and skills by creating a public product or presentation for a real audience.
Lansdowne Elementary – Jessie Fletcher Sources of Strength Start a Sources of Strength after school club. The club will support many of the practices and programs that our school is already using such as restorative practices, mindfulness, PBIS.
Leestown Middle School – Jenny McCall Drones, BiteScized, and Databot Sensors Students engage in an immersive and interdisciplinary learning experience that integrates STEM concepts through the utilization of innovative tools and technologies. Through the combination of CoDrone Edu drones for district and state competition, BiteScized curriculum and materials for engaging ways to teach rigorous chemistry standards at the middle school level, and the Databot sensors for teaching meaningful ways to collect and analyze data, students will delve into the realms of engineering, design, and data analysis while fostering creativity and problem-solving skills.
Lexington Middle School – Takara Jones Culinary Connections: A Thanksgiving Feast for Families Provide students with hands-on culinary experiences through a partnership with Food Chain, culminating in students preparing a Thanksgiving meal for their families. The initiative aims to foster life skills, promote community engagement, and enhance academic achievement.
Mary Todd Elementary – Devonda Williams Mary Todd African Dance Group Continuation of the African Dance Team at Mary Todd.
Mary Todd Elementary – Austina Bruton Mary Todd Choir Due to Mary Todd’s lack of a music program, create a choir for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. This program will teach students how to read music, introduce them to the fundamentals of music theory, and teach them to read basic musical notation (notes, rests, rhythm).
Mary Todd Elementary – Lindsey Patrick Book Vending Machine Purchase new, highly engaging, and high quality titles for our book vending machine.
Mary Todd Elementary – Sandra Justice Slone Past Meets Present: Hand on Journeys Through History Purchase novel sets and hands-on materials that immerse students in American history through interactive, literacy-rich experiences. Students will engage in interactive read-alouds, novel studies, historical simulations, hands-on projects, and readers theater performances that bring historical events and figures to life.
Mary Todd Elementary – Kyleigh Thurmond VEX IQ Robotics at MTE Robotics club to so students to continue building upon the foundational skills in STEM education and reinforce critical thinking and problem solving skills. Serves a diverse group of students that are under-represented in the STEM field which allows us to continue the initiative to continue planting seeds for future career pathways in STEM.
Picadome Elem – Tiffany Cook Exploring STEM Concepts through Experiential Project-Based Learning 4th and 5th grade students will explore engineering and robotics lessons using LEGO Education SPIKE kits and the accompanying online materials. The 6-week unit will end with a team-based Robotics Challenge and a student showcase of STEM projects presented to the school community.
Rise STEM Academy for Girls – Namkyung Joh The Global Garden: Cultivating Cultural Connections Interdisciplinary project where the students explore the shared latitude between Lexington, KY, and South Korea to understand climate similarities. Guided by a Korean Master Gardener, students will cultivate traditional Korean vegetables in the school garden, culminating in a community event where families harvest produce and share cultural recipes, fostering inclusivity and global awareness.
Rise STEM Academy for Girls – Heidi Jack Science Under the Stars Provide 5th-grade girls from our Title I STEM-focused school with an immersive educational experience at the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) in Columbus, Ohio. The field trip will offer hands-on learning opportunities and immersive experiences in various STEM fields, fostering curiosity/critical thinking, and reinforcing classroom instruction.
Rise STEM Academy for Girls – Kristen Witt Beyond the Brush Purchase portable Wacom devices that connect to scholar Chromebooks, allowing for the creation of digital art. This project supports our goal of integrating technology into all special area classes, ensuring that our visual arts program aligns with our STEM school’s mission.
Tates Creek Elementary – Sujung Jung Bridging Cultures: Korean Language and Culture Enrichment Program Introduce elementary students to the Korean language and culture through interactive lessons, hands-on activities, and cultural exploration. By fostering global awareness and cross-cultural understanding, the program will help students become more inclusive and informed global citizens.
Tates Creek High School – Jennfer Eldridge High School Book Fair Capitalize on the nostalgia high school students feel for book fairs in order to give them books of their own to keep. While students can choose to pay for books outright, they will also be allowed to “purchase” books using their PBIS behavior rewards called ebucks.
Tates Creek High School – Ben McWhorter Tates Creek Orchestra and LexPhil – Building Excellence Through Music Collaboration with the Lexington Philharmonic aims to provide students with a unique, immersive musical experience by working alongside professional musicians. This partnership will offer differentiated small-group instruction and mentorship opportunities to enrich the students’ musical education and foster a deeper connection with the local arts community.
The Learning Center – James McGuire Empowering Student Success Through Technology Our school has no Windows Lab, so our Media Arts students do not have equitable access to the applications and programs that are used at other District High Schools, and that are relevant to current industries. Will purchase Windows Tablets that Media Arts students can use to develp 3D projects using Oculus applications, scan designs with the Creality Scanner, design with Blender, and possibly begin certification courses for Adobe.
The Learning Center – Bryan Kennedy TLC’s Robotics Class/Yet-to-be-Named Robotics Team Needs Another Robot Procure a wish list of Rev Robotics Starter Kit and additional equipment that was created by students who have taken the Robotics class for the last two years, have already designed robots from similar equipment, and have competed with our school team (Yet-To-Be-Named Robotics) in FIRST Robotics statewide events.
The Learning Center – Kate Doctor Tools of the Trade: Empowering Student Creators Through Arts & Crafts Provide students, many of whom lack access to creative tools outside of school, with sewing, embroidery, and Cricut machines to explore hands-on, technical skills. By removing barriers to industry-relevant equipment, this project creates an inclusive space where all students can build confidence, express themselves creatively, and prepare for future opportunities in both artistic and career pathways.
Veterans Park Elementary – Crystal Peters Soundwaves of Imagination: Exploring Music, STEM, and Literacy Offers all VPE elementary students a dynamic, interdisciplinary learning journey that strengthens literacy and deepens STEM understanding through hands-on exploration of sound, music, and storytelling. This creative approach fosters critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and self-expression.
Winburn Middle School – Spencer Gravitt Lego Arduino Robotics Kits for 7th Grade Science – Forces/Motion Purchase Lego Arduino Robotics Kits for 7th grade science at Winburn Middle School. These robots will be used for 7th Grade Science, Unit 2 – Force and Motion and Unit 3 – Force and Motion Engineering Internship.