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Thanks a million!
In May 2004, the Washington Township Schools Foundation reached an exciting
milestone when it awarded its millionth dollar in grants to teachers and
administrators committed to improving the educational opportunities and
challenges for students within our district.
At this important moment, leaders of the Foundation are looking both backward
and forward. We wanted to see which grants and procedures have been effective at
furthering the group’s mission and which ones will benefit from some fine-tuning
and re-thinking.
During the late winter and spring of 2004, a team of eight members of the
Foundation’s Board of Directors sat down with a broad cross section of 30 past
grant recipients for what politicians like to call “a full and frank
discussion.” Using a brief questionnaire as a starting point the team asked
recipients about...
- why some grants have succeeded, while others have been less successful;
- the impact of various policies;
- how grants have affected teachers’ classroom skills; and
- their dealings with staff and board members of the Foundation.
Every organization owes it to itself and to its supporters to do a periodic
self-evaluation to make sure that the trust placed in it by donors is deserved.
We are grateful for your support of the Foundation in the past. Due to your
generosity and belief in our work, we can proudly say that the Foundation is a
leader among Indiana’s school foundations.
We hope that by sharing this report with you, we demonstrate that we are being
good stewards of your generosity. Please help us continue our work to make a
positive impact on all the students of MSD Washington Township.
In recent years, the Foundation Board has chosen to focus a portion of its
grant funds toward areas of particular interest or need, in hopes of generating
significant impact in that area. The commitment to professional development
grants is one such focus area.
Another area upon which the Board has focused has been in underwriting the
testing fees for North Central students who want to take Advanced Placement
exams. Typically, these exams cost nearly $100, but grants have allowed the
school to drastically reduce that fee for any student taking more than one exam,
as well as for students eligible because of need. A high score on an AP test can
enable students either to receive college credit for advanced-level high school
work, or to “test out” of entry-level college courses.
Since 1999, when the Foundation began subsidizing AP exam fees, the number of
North Central students who have taken one or more exams has doubled, and the
number of students enrolling in Advanced Placement courses has more than
doubled. In 2004, 523 students have signed up to take a total of 983 AP exams.
In addition, Foundation grants also subsidize the fees for the approximately 25
students each year who take the International Baccalaureate examinations.
 In other words, Foundation grants have expanded the pool of students who are
being challenged to tackle – and succeed in – more rigorous courses.
The Foundation subscribes to the belief that teachers are, in the words of one
elementary educator, “the tool which makes a classroom function well.” In 2000,
the Foundation Board of Directors committed that 30% of grant monies would be
focused on offering opportunities for professional development for teachers and
administrators. Our interviews suggest that this decision has been very well
received by grant applicants and recipients.
 Teachers have attended one-day, half-day and multiple day workshops in subjects
as varied as teaching reading to ISTEP preparation. The consensus is that these
opportunities for further training keep our teachers sharp and excited about
their work. Several grantees were particularly grateful for the workshops that
helped them connect state, national and district testing standards to their
lesson plans.
 Several of the grant-funded programs have brought outside speakers to district
buildings so that teachers have been able to expand their skills without taking
time away from home and family. These were particularly appreciated as were the
full-day workshops offered recently focused at middle school teachers.
According to one administrator, “It’s important that the Foundation stay abreast
of some of the new thinking and programs in the teaching field. It will help
to ensure that the truly innovative and fresh approaches will be made available
to our students.”
Many Foundation grants are used to purchase additional teaching materials for
classrooms. The teachers and administrators we spoke with were grateful for the
access to supplementary supplies, since often, their budgets are adequate for
curriculum necessities, but often not big enough to purchase the ‘extras’ that
can really spark a classroom’s excitement level.
We asked a number of questions about whether grant-funded materials are
typically shared by other teachers’ classrooms. Some interviewees thought
sharing was a good idea and should be strongly encouraged. Meanwhile, others
believed that the only way it would work would be to coordinate grant
applications among several teachers to ensure a sense of ownership that extends
beyond a single classroom.
 One school does something that could easily be replicated: the media specialist
attaches special book plates to all grant-funded books and distributes a list of
new acquisitions to all teachers via e-mail.
These examples clearly demonstrate that grant recipients are conscientious about
maximizing the dollars offered to them, which in turn gives donors a bigger
“bang for their buck.”
 Many recent grants have been focused on offering students and teachers the
chance to learn from outside experts who wouldn’t normally fit into the daily
curriculum. The range of opportunities has been quite inspiring, and is a result
of many teachers who bring their creativity and energy to every aspect of their
teaching.
Grants have funded nature and wildlife gardens, Native American villages, river
studies, guest speakers, artists in residence, and visits
by university scientists who have opened students’ eyes and imaginations in ways
we won’t fully understand for many years to come.
Several grantees spoke with great excitement about an inter-disciplin-ary
project that enabled a team of math, science, social studies, and language arts
teachers to collaborate on a multi-cultural event that will become a regular
part of the curriculum.
Saturday Science – 1995
Elementary students experience hands-on science every Saturday
for a month in the North Central science labs
Velveteen Rabbit – 1998
Support for the production of the classic play presented to township
elementary school students in the Performing Arts Classroom
PantherQuest – 1997 to present
Summer freshman orientation program facilitated by trained North Central
students and staff to ease the transition into high school
Advanced Placement Results – 1999 to present
Supplemental funding for Advanced Placement
and International Baccalaureate tests
Spanish for School Employees – 2001 & 2003
Supplemental tuition for school employees who want
to improve their skills in Spanish
Best Friends – 1997
Support for students to interact with residents of a healthcare facility
The Earth is Our Mother – 2004
Study of Native Americans including construction of 15 authentic villages
Bells of Unity - Improving Teamwork through Handbell Ringing – 2003
Expansion of the music curriculum to include handbell instruction
Putting the Fun Back in Math – 2003
Sets of math games to supplement math instruction
Living Masterpiece – 1998
Creation of a “living masterpiece” as part of an interdisciplinary unit with
Social Studies to research and present information on famous artists
Horizons – 1994 & 1999
Volunteer tutors from the Dads’ Club monitor individual
reading performances and needs of second and third graders
ISO - Sharing the Music Experience – 2000/2001/2002
Students partnered with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
and interacted with specially trained artists
The Calder Connection – 1996
A team of teachers implemented integrated curriculum with the
Calder exhibit at the Children’s Museum to benefit all grade levels
American Pride – 1996/2000
Week-long celebration of the national presidential elections
EagleQuest – 1999
NC’s PantherQuest served as a model for the transition to middle school
Northview Speech Team – 2000
Establishment of a speech team
FalconQuest – 1999
NC’s PantherQuest served as a model for the transition to middle school
African American Scholars Klub (AASK) – 2003
First day-long youth summit for students from all three middle schools
Wildcat Safari – 1999
NC’s PantherQuest served as a model for the transition to middle school
Exchange City – 1999/2000
Complements the 5th grade economics curriculum by allowing
all 5th graders to participate in running a city for a day
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