SAN DIMAS/LA VERNE – Twenty-eight Bonita Unified educators were awarded nearly $10,000 in mini-grants by the La Verne/San Dimas Educational Foundation (LVSDEF), which will help enhance hands-on learning opportunities for students across the District in the 2024-25 school year.

Members of the LVSDEF presented the mini-grants, which ranged from $100 to $500, to educators from 13 BUSD schools during the Nov. 6 Board of Education meeting.

“We are very honored that we are able to do this year after year and take our hard-earned fundraising efforts and put them back into our district to benefit our teachers, staff, and students,” LVSDEF member Michelle Riddell said. “The grants may be mini, but the impact they have on our students and their learning is anything but.”

Grace Miller Elementary kindergarten teacher Julie Prager, who has always had a passion for gardening and involving her students in the gardening process, said she will apply her mini-grant toward getting new gardening supplies like soil, plants, seeds, and watering cans for all the kindergarten classes.

“I have seen my students grow since I brought the mini-gardens to each kindergarten class,” Prager said. “They started on a small scale since the funds had to come out of pocket, but with this mini-grant I will be able to take these gardens to a much larger scale. I am so happy and thankful that I will be able to establish a real, official garden for our students to enjoy!”

For Shull Elementary kindergarten teacher Robin McConathy, the mini-grant will be used for magnetic tiles to support fundamental lessons in reading, spelling, and drawing.

“I saw that these magnetic tiles have worked for many other kindergarten teachers, and I’ve always had an interest in them, but they can be pricey,” McConathy said. “I plan to use these tiles while working with my students in small groups and believe they will help them with learning fundamental skills. I am honored to have received this mini-grant because it will provide me with a new tool to help teach my students.”

The 2024-25 LVSDEF Mini-Grant recipients are:

• Allen Avenue Elementary: Genevieve Heng, Casie DeSalvio, Dawn Blondi
• Ekstrand Elementary: Valerie Gray, Carol Phipps, Chelsea Wyrick, Alina Hubbell
• Gladstone Elementary: Kristen Vomacka, Madison Feola
• Grace Miller Elementary: Julie Prager
• La Verne Heights Elementary: Jen Cerecerez
• Oak Mesa Elementary: Audrey Shendrick
• Roynon Elementary: Erin Moffitt, Janene Frank, Laura Eldridge
• Shull Elementary: Kelly Montgomery, Kimberly Morton & Erin Roundtree, Robin McConathy
• Lone Hill Middle School: Steve Guiles, Kimberly Otten, Jillian Farmerie, Aaron Hageman
• Ramona Middle School: Belinda Rodriguez
• Bonita High School: John McLuckey
• Chaparral-Vista High School: Dustin Myers, Cristina Cortez
• San Dimas High School: Monica Redfox

PHOTO:

BUSD_LVSDEF_MINIGRANTS_24-25: Bonita Unified teachers are awarded mini-grants from the La Verne/San Dimas Educational Foundation during the Nov. 6 Board of Education meeting.