The West Irondequoit Foundation, a non-profit organization that benefits the West Irondequoit schools, has announced five grants it has funded for the 2024-25 school year. Grants must be initiated by teachers and staff; applications are voted on by the Foundation Board of Directors. This year’s grant total is $32,518.72, increasing the amount awarded to the District since 1990 to $1,100,643. Established in 1987 to receive gifts/donations to enhance educational opportunities, the WIF raises money to underwrite grants for innovative projects, equipment and programs. It does so via an annual fundraising campaign, fundraising events, gifts, donations and more.

The Foundation’s fifth Cornhole Tournament, brought to you by Diamond Packaging, is this Friday, Sept. 27 at 6 p.m. at the Irondequoit Sports Center. To sign up, click here or go to westirondequoitfoundation.com. Teams are still needed! To donate to the Foundation, go to its site and click “DONATE." The 2024-25 grants are:

Rogers Middle School Garden Club
Funds will purchase materials and supplies to support a Garden Club at Rogers (grades 4-6). The club will support student engagement activities, such as building a raised-bed garden, seasonal planting around the school and other projects, as needed. Activities will promote a sense of community and pride and raise awareness about the benefits of green spaces. Grant requestors: Teachers, Stacey Borchers and Lindsay Lennertz.

Choral Risers for the Music Department (grades 4-12)
New risers will replace faulty ones that are more than 25 years old. They’re used for curricular performance assessments for chorus students. Using choral risers is a commonly accepted, traditional educational practice allowing teachers visual and aural access to individual students, as well as the sheer number of students that typically comprise grade-level choruses. Grant requestors: Patty Welch, Kelly Petro.

Biology Comes to Life in Classrooms - AP Bio Lab Investigations
This grant will pay for 13 AP Biology kits, highly recommended by the National College Board, to boost the authentic experiences within the AP Biology course at Irondequoit High School.  Students will challenge themselves with AP curriculum in ways that would be impossible without the equipment provided by the kits. The labs create real-world application of the content students work hard to master in class, increasing their understanding and proficiency. With the purchase of these kits, the refills for each year would be able to be absorbed into the Science Department budget at IHS. Grant requestor: Nichola Bourji.

Rogers and Iroquois Coffee Squad (grades 4-6)
This grant will pay for additional equipment and supplies for students in 12:1:4 classrooms at Rogers Middle School and an 8:1:1 classroom at Iroquois MS to provide beverage delivery service to school staff. Students will learn to stock a morning beverage cart, chart a logical delivery route through the school and interact with school staff while taking and fulfilling orders. This service would be free of charge for staff. Grant requestors: Meredith Wood and Joan Schoepfel.

Breathe for Change (grades 7-8+)
This training is specifically designed for educators to use wellness, social emotional learning and yoga as vehicles for healing and social change. Trainees become empowered to use inclusive and trauma-informed practices within their instruction for students, as well as to design and facilitate workshops and professional development programs for colleagues. The teacher will integrate these practices into teaching and coaching of other teachers at Dake Jr. HS and beyond in the WICSD. Grant requestor: Traci DeLario.

Donate to the Foundation at westirondequoitfoundation.com, Click “DONATE” or use QR code above