Knox County ROE33 - Grant Opportunities

GRANT and TEACHER RESOURCE OPPORTUNITIES

The following are grant sources that classroom teachers may apply for. If you need further assistance, please contact the ROE at (309) 345-3828.

Thinkfinity is the cornerstone of the Verizon Foundation’s Literacy, Education and Technology
Initiatives. It is a FREE internet resource. There is no need to register or log on and never any
fees to pay. This program is built upon the merger of two highly acclaimed programs – Marco
Polo and the Thinkfinity Literacy Network.

Thinkfinity is designed to improve learning in traditional settings and beyond the classroom by
providing high-caliber content with over 55,000 lesson plans, learning activities, worksheets
and rubrics and the professional development needed to use the resources to improve student
achievement anytime, anywhere, at no cost. To find out more about this resource go to:
www.thinkfinity.org.

Free in-service workshops on how to bring these Internet resources into the classroom are
available to local schools, pre-service teachers and community service organizations. We are
also looking for dedicated educators to become field trainers. These field trainers will train
other teachers in the use of this new resource.

For more information, contact Debbie Potts, Thinkfinity state coordinator, Illinois Office of
Educational Services, at dpotts@ioes.org or at 800-252-4822, ext. 233.

DonorsChoose.org is a simple way to provide students in need with resources that our public
schools often lack. Teachers can submit project proposals for materials or experiences their
students need to learn at this not-for-profit web site. These ideas become classroom reality
when concerned individuals, whom we call Citizen Philanthropists, choose projects to fund.
Proposals can range from “Magic Math Centers” to “Big Book Bonanza,” to “Cooking Across
the Curriculum.” Any individual can search such proposals by area of interest, learn about
classroom needs, and choose to fund the project(s) they find most interesting.

To take advantage of this grant opportunity, go to www.DonorsChoose.org and submit a
project. DonorsChoose.org can be used by any public school teacher to help secure free
materials for the classroom to help students learn.

Teachers and librarians in grades 6-12 are encouraged to apply to participate in Toyota’s
International Teacher Program in Costa Rica from April 18 through May 2, 2009. The fully
funded international professional development opportunity offers educators the opportunity to
interact with local Costa Ricans, to connect with the country’s history and culture and to study
environmental solutions in a new area of the world.

To apply online, go to www.iie.org/toyota. For additional information contact the Institute of
International Education by e-mail at toyotateach@iie.org or call 877-832-2457.

The National Endowment for the Humanities has extended the deadline to apply for “Picturing
America” through Friday, November 14. The extension will allow additional schools, libraries
and school and library districts to apply for this free resource that offers educators a way to
teach American history and other subjects through great American art.

“Picturing America” includes 40 laminated large, high-quality reproductions of significant
American art and a comprehensive teachers’ resource book with lesson ideas to use with the
images in K-12 grade levels and subject areas.

School and library districts may also apply for every institution in their jurisdiction with a
single application.

The American Association for Health Education (AAHE) and Health Teacher are announcing a
partnership to bestow students in grades K-12 with the Blue Apple Health Education Awards.
The new health education award will recognize up to 12 U.S. schools for their commitment and
creativity in teaching students about the power of practicing a healthy lifestyle.
Schools receiving the Blue Apple Health Education Award will be honored during AAHE’s
national convention in Tampa, Florida, in April 2009. Award recipients will receive:

• Recognition award and flag denoting their school as a Blue Apple recipient
• AAHPERD/AAHE Convention registration and travel stipend.
• Inclusion in national and local public relations campaign highlighting Blue Apple
recipients.
• Free one-year subscription to HealthTeacher, a comprehensive online health education
curriculum.

Applications for the Blue Apple Awards will be available beginning this month and must be
received by Friday, December 12. For an application and more information about Blue Apple Awards go to: www.blueappleaward.org.

The 2009 Economics Poster Contests have begun at the Regional level. For complete information as to how to involve students in grades 1-8 in your regional contest, go to:
http://www.econed-il.org/icee/econposter.shtml and click on the link to the flyer for your
school’s regional contest. To request a copy of the 2009 Economics Poster Contest Calendar
(reflecting state winners of the 07-08 contest), email to ice@niu.edu and provide your complete
mailing address. You may request more than one copy if you wish to give them to other
educators in your building. Supply is limited.

This fall, the U.S. Treasury Department will again conduct the National Financial Literacy
Challenge. The National Financial Literacy Challenge is a 35-question voluntary test offered to high school students via this website. It provides an opportunity for teachers to recognize high school students for their financial literacy. As a public service from the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Financial Education, it is offered at no charge. For information on how to participate, please go to http://flc.treas.gov/index.htm.

The St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank has a presentation on the current financial crisis for use in
high school courses. Go to http://www.stlouisfed.org/education to download the presentation
“ A Word on the Economy: Why is the Country Facing a Financial Crisis?” by Julie
Stackhouse, senior vice president of the Fed’s Banking Supervision and Regulation division.
The download includes a PPT, a glossary, timeline and events and the full presentation with
audio commentary.

The new DVD series entitled The Power of Choice from John Stossel is now available. The
DVD includes eight specially-selected segments from 20/20 for use in your classroom. Topics
include Global Warming, Debate, Federal Spending, “Running” the Country, Debt and
responsibility, Prediction Markets, Swimming and Lawsuits, Healthcare and Profit, and Costs
of “Free” Healthcare. For information about this free DVD, including segment descriptions, or
to place your order, please go to: http://stosselintheclassroom.org/selectdvd.php.

For further information contact: The Staff of the Illinois Council on Economic Education,
Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115, 815-753-0356 or www.econed-il.org.

The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation has announced that the national Profile in Courage
Essay Contest is accepting entries from U.S. high school students through Saturday, January
10, 2009.

The annual essay contest, a companion program of the Profile in Courage Award, invites
students from across the nation to write an essay describing the political courage of a U.S.
elected official.

The winner of this competitive award receives a $5,000 cash prize. The student’s nominating
teacher receives a $500 public service grant to be used for school projects involving student
leadership and civic engagement. A second place winner receives $1,000 and up to five
finalists each receive $500. The essay contest winner and nominating teacher will also receive
an expense paid round-trip to Boston, where they will be honored by Caroline Kennedy and
U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy at the annual John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award
ceremony in May 2009.

More detailed information about the essay contact is available at the John F. Kennedy Library
Foundation website www.jfklibrary.org.

Those interested in writing about a Lincoln-like hero they admire are encouraged to enter the
Looking for Your Lincoln Hero contest. Participants should tell why this person inspires them
in an online essay or they can also create a piece of artwork to illustrate how their hero is like
Lincoln.

Essay and artwork categories include elementary, middle, or high school students, college and
graduate students and adults and professionals.

The entry deadline is Monday, December 1. For complete details on the contest, go to
www.MyHero.com and click on Looking for the Lincolns of Today.

The contest is sponsored by Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition and the My Hero Project.

The Ready Illinois High School Challenge encourages public and private high school students
to develop a creative script that addresses disaster preparedness measures and directs people to
the state’s Ready Illinois website at: www.Ready.Illinois.gov .

The winning spot will be professionally produced and aired statewide on radio and/or TV as
part of the state’s campaign to encourage people to prepare for natural and man-made disasters.
The contest is sponsored by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and the
Illinois Broadcasters Association (IBA).

The winning student(s) will have their spot produced and broadcast statewide and receive
commemorative plaques. The winners’ school will receive a $10,000 award to be used for
school curriculum or instructional supplies and activities. The prize money is being provided
by the IBA.

Contest entries can be submitted between Wednesday, October 1, and Wednesday,
December 31; the winner will be notified prior to February 28, 2009. Official contest rules
and an online entry form are available at: www.Ready.Illinois.gov. Questions can be directed
to IEMA at 217-558-1334.

The 2009 C-SPAN Studentcam Documentary Contest asks students to create a documentary
addressing the following: What is the most urgent issue for the new president to address and
why?

The national competition invites students in grades 6-8 and 9-12 to enter the contest. Students
can upload their entry forms and videos online at: http://www.studentcam.org/

A total of $50,000 in prizes will be awarded, which includes 75 student awards and 11 teacher
awards. The deadline for entries is 4:00 p.m. (ET) January 20, 2009. Winners will be
announced March 10, 2009.

The Grand Prize winner with the best overall entry will receive $5,000 with multiple cash prize
awards of $250, $500, $750, $1,500, and $3,000.

The 4th Annual Illinois Work Zone Safety Calendar Contest for elementary students in
kindergarten through 6th grade is underway. The contest was started in an effort to reduce work
zone-related crashes in Illinois.

The work zone safety calendar contest is sponsored by the Illinois Department of
Transportation, the State Board of Education, the American Traffic Safety Services Foundation
and the Illinois Chapter of the American Traffic Safety Services Association.

The National Center for Urban School Transformation (NCUST) is accepting applications for
the Excellence in Urban Education Award. The award recognizes the dedication and talent of
urban school educators and students. Districts are encouraged to nominate schools for this
award.

Ten schools will receive the 2009 Excellence in Urban Education Award. Winners will be
announced at the NCUST Symposium in San Diego on May 7-8, 2009. The will receive travel
costs and a check for $1,000 along with other prizes.

The application deadline is Friday, November 14. For eligibility criteria and application
information go to: http://www.ncust.org, e-mail ncust@mail.sdsu.edu or call 619-594-7905.



	Knox County Regional Office of Education \| 121 S. Prairie St., Galesburg, IL 61401 Phone (309) 345-3828 Fax (309) 345-6735