Colibris from Ecuador: Jeanie Ritchie Innovation Grant
Summerlyn Berlew, art teacher at Laurel Elementary School, was awarded a Jeanie Ritchie Innovation Grant during the 2025-2026 school year. Her project, Colibris from Ecuador, enabled fourth grade Spanish Immersion students and fifth grade Art Club students to experience a cultural exchange and learn from Ecuadorian Artist Julio Machado. The funds allowed Ms. Berlew to schedule virtual classes with Mr. Machado that focused on creating Colibris (Hummingbirds) out of watercolor. The goal is to enhance their understanding of working with watercolor and allow them to see and learn from the working artist and art studio of Mr. Machado.
Ear-resistable Stories: Jeanie Ritchie Innovation Grant
Patricia Dunlap, Jeriann Hirsch, Jill Roumeliotis, and Emily Smith - teachers and library aides at Laurel Elementary School- were awarded a Jeanie Ritchie Innovation Grant during the 2025-2026 school year. The goal of their project, Ear-resistable Stories: Enhancing Literacy with Audiobooks, was to support English Learners (ELs) and readers needing extra support by expanding literacy beyond the written page to include listening and audio-assisted reading. Grant funds supported the purchase of 44 fiction and non-fiction books in the fall. By the time mid-winter break arrived every single one of the 44 books had been checked out!
Ghanaian Music, Movement, and Culture: Jeanie Ritchie Innovation Grant
Rachel Knight, music teacher at Oak Knoll Elementary School, was awarded a Jeanie Ritchie Innovation Grant during the 2023-2024 school year. Her project, Orff Afrique - Ghanaian Music, Movement, and Cultural was for students to learn about, experience, and appreciate a culture and traditions that are different from our own while learning from a person who is deeply rooted in that culture. The Jeanie Ritchie Innovation Grant provided the funding for Ms. Knight to bring Dr. Kofi Gbolonyo to Oak Knoll Elementary School to provide a fully immersive assembly for all TK-5th graders. During the assembly, students learned age appropriate songs, games, and dances while also learning about the traditions and cultures in Ghana and West Africa. Students were kept on their feet, connecting with another culture, and experiencing complex syncopated rhythms through engaging music. Here’s what Ms. Knight had to say about her class project: “Having Kofi at our school was amazing and the kids loved working with him. They are all wondering when Kofi’s coming back and if we can use one of the songs at our 5th grade clap-out celebration.”
Save Our Scraps: Jeanie Ritchie Innovation Grant
Maggie Sanchez, 4th grade teacher at Encinal Elementary School, was awarded a Jeanie Ritchie Innovation Grant during the 2023-2024 school year. Her project, Save our Scraps, was one of four projects funded through a partnership with the California Water Service to support water conservation focused grant projects this school year. The Jeanie Ritchie Innovation Grant provided the funding for Ms. Sanchez to buy composting materials such as a heat activated composter, vermiculture compost trays, buckets, and reading materials about composting for the students.. Here’s what Ms. Sanchez had to say about her class project: “Our class is enjoying observing the variety of ways you can make soil. Our banana peels, orange peels, pear bits, and apple cores are finding homes in either the worm bin or our Lomi heat-activated soil maker. One thing is clear, the worms sure take their time turning food scraps into soil!”
Make It Stick-Using Magnetic Letters At Home: Jeanie Ritchie Innovation Grant
Liliana Gomez, bilingual reading specialist at Lower Laurel Elementary School, was awarded a Jeanie Ritchie Innovation Grant during the 2022-2023 school year. Her project, Make It Stick-Using Magnetic Letters At Home, aims to provide families with students who need additional reading intervention and support with tools they can use at home to make learning phonics meaningful and fun. The Jeanie Ritchie Innovation Grant provided the funding for Ms. Gomez to purchase magnetic letters, a magnetic whiteboard, expo markers, erasers, and flashcards, which she made into kits for families to take home. Here’s what Ms.Gomez had to say about this project: “The best part was to be able to connect personally with families and share some practical and engaging ideas they can take home and apply immediately. It was very powerful for parents to see how to use the tools in the moment during the demo lesson with students in both English and Spanish. In addition to this, participants were able to take the tools home. They didn't have to order or go to a store to buy them.”
The Squirrel Zen Den: Jeanie Ritchie Innovation Grant
Leigh Wilson, counselor at Laurel Upper Elementary School was awarded a Jeanie Ritchie Innovation Grant during the 2022-2023 school year. Her project, The Squirrel Zen Den: Laurel’s Indoor/Outdoor Wellness Center, aims to be a place for the healthy reset so many of our students need during the school day, helping them with stress management and self regulation. Ms. Wilson noticed that when multiple students needed her support at the same time, it was not feasible to have them all in her small office space at once. With the funds provided by the Jeanie Ritchie Grant program, Ms. Wilson has “extended” her office by utilizing an unused breezeway along with the adjacent patio, and created an indoor/outdoor Wellness Center available to students nearly all day, and specifically during recess.
Your Empowered Self: Jeanie Ritchie Innovation Grant
Jacky Schlegel, 6th grade Humanities teacher for the Olympus Academy at Hillview Middle School, was awarded a Jeanie Ritchie Innovation Grant during the 2022-2023 school year. Her project, Your Empowered Self, aims for students to better understand how thoughts, feelings, and behavior impact each other. With this increased awareness, the goal is for students to take ownership in using new tools to increase their resilience and compassion. Since the fall, students have experienced a monthly workshop with a guest speaker focused on one or more of the Hillview 5 core skills: Curiosity, Critical thinking, Compassion, Ownership, and Resilience.
Here’s what Ms. Schlegel had to say about this project: “It has been really exciting to see the progress students are making this year, through the monthly lessons which are then reinforced in the Humanities Core classroom (Ms. Ellis and myself) using activities like community circles and Mood Meter check-ins. It can be uncomfortable and nerve wracking for anyone to discuss topics like our feelings, but it is really rewarding to build trust with our students and create a community of sharing, where students are comfortable enough to engage in these lessons and share openly.”