McElroy Excellence in Education Enrichment Grant
The purpose of the McElroy Excellence in Education Enrichment Grant is to provide funding for classroom teachers to develop innovative, educational experiences for their students in their current school year. These projects must be an integral part of your current curriculum as well as demonstrate excellence in education.
This funding is provided by the McElroy Trust as part of the Excellence in Education Grants Program. The McElroy Trust has identified the following eligible Central Rivers AEA districts (this includes all accredited non-public institutions within these district boundaries):
- Aplington-Parkersburg
- Cedar Falls
- Clarksville
- Denver
- Dike-New Hartford
- Dunkerton
- East Buchanan
- Gladbrook-Reinbeck
- Grundy Center
- Hudson
- Independence
- Janesville
- Jesup
- Nashua-Plainfield
- North Butler
- North Tama
- Sumner-Fredericksburg
- Tripoli
- Union
- Wapsie Valley
- Waterloo
- Waverly-Shell Rock
- Central Rivers AEA special programs (North Iowa Juvenile Detention Services and River Hills School)
Grants will be awarded from $100-$3,000 which is selected by a committee of Educational as well as community leaders.
Apply
Either an individual teacher or a team of teachers may submit a grant. No teacher may be involved in more than one grant for the 2024-2025 school year. To be eligible, a teacher must hold a current teaching license and must be teaching in one of the school districts listed above (including non-public institutions) that is Department of Education accredited.
The application process will close on Friday, December 20th at 4:00 pm. Interested applicants should use the online application platform.
2023-2024 Awarded Projects
This grant is a testament to the following winner’s dedication to providing students with innovative opportunities that will enhance the educational experience of our students. The Central Rivers AEA grant selection committee is confident that the following projects will make a significant impact. We believe in the power of innovative ideas to shape the future of education, and these applications exemplifies this commitment.
| Applicant | District | Application Title | Requested Amount | Proposed Amount |
| Joanna Seymour | Dike-New Hartford | Let’s Make Algorithms – CS for Littles | $1,679.86 | $1,679.86 |
| Bridget Bakula | Cedar Falls | Independent Living Skills | $2,000 | $2,000 |
| Jay Beichley | Gladbrook-Reinbeck | Specially Designed Instruction Materials | $200 | $200 |
| Kasey Sents | Aplington-Parkersburg | A-P Paw Pack | $1,200 | $1,200 |
| Craig Hemsath | Union | Digitial Tools for Health Investigation & Evaluation | $1,612 | $1,612 |
| Lindsey Truax | Aplington-Parkersburg | Bridges Literacy Connection | $1,079.37 | $87.15 |
| Christine Bailey | CVCS | Ready, Set, SPIKE! | $1,869.60 | $1,869.60 |
| Natalie Williams | Waverly-Shell Rock (LIED) | Spring Time Fun | $1,600 | $240 |
| Linda Pollock | Dunkerton | Aquaponic Growth, plants and supplies | $186 | $186 |
| Hunter Hamilton | Dike-New Hartford | Ornithology and Birding Unit | $2,000 | $2,000 |
| Monika Kerkove | Jesup | Coding in the Special Education Classroom | $1,500 | $1,500 |
| Rachel Swales | Denver | Oviparous Hatching | $2,000 | $2,000 |
| Stephanie Estling | Union | Bee Bots | $950 | $950 |
| Kathleen Reed | Cedar Falls | Preschool Motor Development | $1,790.01 | $511.95 |
| Lynn Gerbig | Cedar Falls | Authentic Learning 3D Printers | $1,263.37 | $1,263.37 |
| Jackie West | Waterloo | Living Skills in the Kitchen | $2,000 | $414.10 |
| Paula Buchholz | Aplington-Parkersburg | Forensic Science Class | $2,000 | $2,000 |
2024-2025 Awarded Projects
This grant is a testament to the following winner’s dedication to providing students with innovative opportunities that will enhance the educational experience of our students. The Central Rivers AEA grant selection committee is confident that the following projects will make a significant impact. We believe in the power of innovative ideas to shape the future of education, and these applications exemplifies this commitment.
| Applicant | District | Application Title | Requested Amount | Proposed Amount |
| Christine Bailey | Cedar Valley Catholic Schools | Code, Create, and Conquer: Sphero BOLT+ in the Classroom | $1,816.24 | $1,816.24 |
| Beth Trulson | North Butler | Drumming Up Creativity | $2,998.36 | $2,998.36 |
| Lindsey Truax | Aplington-Parkersburg | Bridges Literacy Connection | $992.22 | $992.22 |
| Nancy Flanigan | Aplington-Parkersburg | Coding with Ozobots | $2,990.00 | $2,990.00 |
| Jess Meier | Waverly-Shell Rock | Go-Hawk Pride Sculpture | $3,000.00 | $3,000.00 |
| Susan Doehrmann | Clarksville | Social Emotional Learning | $1,000.00 | $1,000.00 |
| Abby Waechter | Dunkerton | Pinatas | $150.00 | $150.00 |
| Laura Weber | St. Athanasius School | Letter Kits for Reading Success | $2,600.00 | $2,600.00 |
| Joanna Seymour | Dike-New Hartford CSD | Building Blocks of Math: Using Math Stackers to Boost Kindergarten Number Sense | $2,451.00 | $2,451.00 |
| Amanda Bockholt | Wapsie Valley | Makerspace | $3,000.00 | $3,000.00 |
| Dr. Deborah Boldt | River Hills – Central Rivers AEA | Leadership in Learning | $3,000.00 | $3,000.00 |
| Josie Libby | Aplington-Parkersburg | Ripple Tank | $356.65 | $356.65 |
| Thad Peck | River Hills – Central Rivers AEA | Adapted PE Fitness Lab | $2,000.00 | $2,000.00 |
| Jacie O’Brien | Sumner-Fredericksburg | STEM bins & Motivating Readers | $420.08 | $253.49 |