Foundation Announces 2025-26 Quarter 2 ELEVATE! Grants
We are proud to announce the quarter two recipients of ELEVATE! Grants, an initiative created to better support educators and students.
For the 2025-26 quarter two cycle, the foundation approved 13 ELEVATE! Grants, totalling over $17,000 to fund innovative classroom projects and learning opportunities across the district.
Mize Elementary received a grant for Building a Better World: Elementary Sustainability with Strawbees, a hands-on initiative that creates interactive sustainability stations for students, teaching eco-friendly building practices, renewable energy, and waste reduction while fostering creativity, collaboration, and environmental awareness.
Mill Creek Middle School received a grant for Career Connection: Drones to the Rescue, a project that gives students hands-on experience with VTOL drones as they learn the forces of flight, explore real-world applications like emergency rescue and transport, and build skills in programming, piloting, and problem-solving for emerging drone-based careers.
Mill Creek Middle School received a grant for ChompSaw for Art Media, a program that equips the art room with a classroom-safe ChompSaw, allowing students to cut thick cardboard more safely and precisely while supporting creative 3D design, collaboration, and STEAM-focused problem-solving.
Lexington Trails Middle School received a grant for Electric Poe, an immersive workshop led by a professional from the Coterie Theater where 8th-grade students experience a performance of The Tell-Tale Heart, learn about Edgar Allan Poe, and create their own Poe-inspired poem, monologue, or scene.
Mill Creek Middle School received a grant for FTC First Robotics Rookie Team, an expansion of the rookie FIRST Tech Challenge robotics team, providing motors, tools, and 3D printing resources so students can design, build, and program a fully maneuverable mecanum drive system while gaining hands-on experience in CAD, coding, and fabrication. Sponsored by The Hershey Company.
Starside Elementary received a grant for Interactive VR Worlds for Science, providing the opportunity for 5th grade students to utilize Delightex to create interactive VR worlds as a part of a unit on Earth’s spheres and their interactions where they will apply scientific knowledge in a creative, hands-on way that integrates technology, collaboration, and critical thinking.
Starside Elementary received a grant for Inventor's Wax Museum, a program that expands the fourth-grade wax museum’s limited collection of costumes and props, ensuring all students can create more meaningful and engaging presentations of the impactful individuals they research for families and peers.
Clear Creek Elementary received a grant for Micro:bits - MEGA Learning, a hands-on project in which students use Micro:bits and mini motors to design, build, and program moving creations, transforming code into real-world motion while deepening their creativity, problem-solving, and understanding of technology. Sponsored by K12itc.
Mill Valley High School received a grant for MVHS Student-Led Beekeeping Project, an initiative that rebuilds and expands the school apiary, giving students hands-on experience in science, agriculture, and entrepreneurship as they maintain hives, monitor bee health, and bring honey to market while developing cross-curricular STEM skills and real-world problem-solving.
Cedar Trails Exploration Center (CTEC) received a grant for Onshape Professional Plan, a project that upgrades students from the limited free version of Onshape to Onshape Professional, giving them industry-standard CAM tools to take their designs straight to CNC machining on the Tormach mill and experience a streamlined, real-world manufacturing workflow from start to finish. Sponsored by Panasonic Energy.
Mill Valley High School received a grant for Raku Firing for Ceramics Program, an expansion of the high school ceramics program that adds Raku firing, giving advanced students hands-on, collaborative experience with outdoor kiln techniques, glaze development, and kinesthetic learning.
Riverview Elementary received a grant for Revive & Thrive: Restoring Our Library’s Collection, an initiative to purchase a thermal binding machine, enabling faster, safer book repairs, extending the lifespan of the collection, reducing replacement costs, and ensuring students have ongoing access to high-demand titles.
Horizon Elementary received a grant for Sensory Support Project, providing classrooms with sensory tools and calming spaces that will help students regulate emotions, stay focused, and engage fully in learning while promoting an inclusive, supportive environment for academic and emotional growth.
Thanks to the generosity of our donors and supporters, USD 232 educators can continue bringing imaginative, hands-on learning experiences to students, sparking curiosity, creativity, and new opportunities throughout the year. The support of our donors ensures every student has the chance to explore, innovate, and reach their full potential.