SELCO Community Credit Union, through its annual SPARK! Creative Learning Grants program, has awarded a program-best $47,238 to 56 educators across Oregon. The program, which provides funding for innovative educational and extracurricular projects, provides grants of as much as $1,000 to K-12 educators across the 27 Oregon counties that SELCO serves.
SPARK! Creative Learning Grants support teachers who have creative classroom ideas but lack the funds to get those projects off the ground. In all, 48 Oregon schools are represented among 56 diverse programs, up from 54 in 2018. The 2019-20 grant projects include a Revolutionary War reenactment day for fifth-graders in Culver, an underwater robotics class in Portland, and a stop-motion animation STEAM class in Dallas.
The SELCO selection committee identified the grant recipients from among 183 applicants. The committee’s goal is to fund innovative projects that will have the largest possible impact on students and the greatest opportunity to leave a lasting impression.
The SPARK! program has a long history of advancing unique academic programs. Daniel Asay, who teaches Digital Media Studies at Santiam Junior/Senior High School in Mill City, used a grant in 2018-19 to purchase lighting, sound, and recording equipment for a Digital Media Studies elective. To see a video of his students in action, visit www.selco.org/spark.
“Every year, the SPARK! selection committee is amazed by the innovative ways Oregon’s educators spur their students’ love of learning,” said Laura Illig, SELCO’s vice president of marketing. “When financial barriers are removed, we have seen time and again that educators can accomplish big things. We’re proud to continue growing the SPARK! program, helping educators reach an ever-increasing number of students.”
For more information on SELCO Community Credit Union’s SPARK! Creative Learning Grants or to follow the progress of some of the grant winners, visit www.selco.org/spark.