Americans Helping Teachers will award five grants per year totaling $20,000

Americans Helping Americans will donate up to $20,000 in grants to provide educators the ability to meet the needs of a classroom at his/her Appalachia region school. We select Educators who will use their grants to meet an unmet classroom or school need. Schools must be located within the Appalachian Region and must meet the needs of students in economically challenged areas, as reflected by the school’s publicly available financial demographic profile (at least 25% free and reduced lunch & Title I).

2022 GRANT AWARD WINNER

Sarah Jo Jones, Christy Williams, Jessica Vaughn

The Cavalier Oasis
Carroll County High School, Hillsville, VA

$4,000

Carroll County High School Career and Technical Education students and student clubs plan to work collaboratively to create two outdoor learning environments, a Zen garden and an outdoor classroom. Americans Helping Teachers grant funds will be used to purchase building materials, plants, seeds, garden decor, and stone.

Destiny Ramey

Biology Activities
Lee County Middle/High School, Beattyville, KY

$5,000

Biology teacher Destiny Ramey will use her Americans Helping Teachers grant to both purchase dissecting equipment and preserved animal specimens to dissect as well as supplemental equipment for her chemistry lab that the school cannot fund. Any remaining funding will be used to develop a hands-on activity outside for the students during their study of ecology.

Renee Foraker and Lauren Sexton

Amygdala Recalibration Station
Rush Strong School, Strawberry Plains, TN

$4,000

Rush Strong School will use the Americans Helping Teachers grant to provide a mental health space, The Amygdala Recalibration Station, for all students. A multitude of students would benefit from this space. This space would be used as a proactive measure for students to take a brief break in their day to retrain their brain and refocus before entering back into the classroom. This station would revise the environment and replace the behavior. This would reduce distractions in the classroom and allow students a safe space to process and redirect their behavior.

Christy Brown and Heather Estep

Reset Area
Wasburn School, Washburn, TN

$4,000

Wasburn School will use the Americans Helping Teachers grant to create designated spaces for elementary-aged students to retreat and regulate. They will be calm, comfortable spaces. They may include but are not limited to, sensory manipulatives, a writing space, headphones for music, low lighting, soft colors, weighted items, scented oils, and varied textures.

These spaces will be designed to positively impact learning experiences. Many of the school’s students do not come equipped with the ability to self-regulate. When students have access to a space or materials that help them learn to readjust, it can positively impact their trajectory, not just in the classroom but hopefully in life.

HOW IT WORKS

Primary applicants may be either a teacher, educator, counsellor, or librarian, etc., in the PK-12 classroom, and must be a full-time employee of the PK-12 school. Educators can apply for up to $4,000 to meet the needs of their school or classrooms. Grants are awarded at the start of the school year and recipients will have the immediate school year to complete their project.