The GIPS Foundation is excited to announce the opening of its annual Classroom Grants program, empowering dedicated GIPS teachers to bring innovative learning experiences to life for their students. This vital program funds educational opportunities that extend beyond the district’s general budget, fostering creativity and enriching the academic journey for thousands of Grand Island students.

Students at Gates Elementary took a journey through space without ever leaving their school, thanks to the “Our Solar System and Beyond” project, funded by a GIPS Foundation Classroom Grant. This initiative brought the Edgerton Explorit Center’s portable planetarium to campus, giving first, third, and fifth graders an unforgettable, immersive experience with the solar system.

Second-grade students across the district are exploring the world in greater detail, thanks to the “Microscope Marvels” Classroom Grant, funded by the GIPS Foundation. This project provided digital microscopes to all 36 second-grade classrooms, transforming how young learners experience science. McKenna Supencheck, second-grade teacher at Dodge, said about this grant, “I think it's awesome to use grants for things like this so we can do hands-on things, because we're teaching and we're talking all the time, but being able to provide an actual experience where they can see things and remember… they will remember this for a long time.”

At Shoemaker Elementary, first graders are gaining confidence and improving their reading skills, thanks to the “Decoding Our Way Through First Grade” grant, funded by the GIPS Foundation. This Classroom Grant provided a collection of decodable books to help early readers strengthen their phonics skills and develop a lasting love for reading.