From hands-on learning to arts and enrichment, these educator-led projects represent the innovation happening every day in Westerville classrooms. The Westerville Education Foundation is honored to have supported 23 initiatives across the district in the 2025-2026 academic year.
2025-2026 Awarded Grants
Heritage Husky Hub Programming
Sarah Novak, Rebecca Hutchison, Lauri Jones; Heritage Middle School The Husky Hub gives students the freedom and autonomy to choose foods that will allow them to make it through the weekend and have sufficient food to make it through school each day. The grant will allow the pantry to continue to serve the students at Heritage Middle School for this year and into the future.
Sky Dome Planetarium Experience
Tara Norling, Emerson Elementary School All students at Emerson Magnet Elementary School will be able to experience the Sky Dome Planetarium in grade-level groups. The educational information that will be presented meets specific learning objectives for each grade and after this adventure, each grade will create a fine arts focused project inspired by our amazing solar system.
Rolling Toward Regulation: Active Solutions for ED Classrooms
Bryan Johnson and Danielle Gilmore, Minerva France Elementary This grant will bring the power of movement to students in the (ED) classroom through Krazy Carts—transforming energy into confidence, calm, and success. By providing a joyful and therapeutic outlet, students gain essential self-regulation skills while experiencing achievement, control, and pride. This project empowers children to build resilience, strengthen self-belief, and re-engage with learning in a positive, meaningful way.
English Learners Community Activity Club: 2026-2027
Dr. Renee Klautky; Westerville North, Central, and South The Community Activity Club, founded by English Learner teacher Amal Doom, helps about 30 EL students connect with their peers and experience American culture through monthly community activities like bowling, movies, and the zoo. This initiative aims to foster a sense of belonging, which enhances mental health and academic success for students from diverse backgrounds, including those fleeing war and instability. Funding is used to provide all students with the opportunity to attend these activities, ensuring they have the same chances for language development, social integration, and skill-building as their peers.
Cultural Night at Robert Frost
Katrina Hoover, Robert Frost Elementary School This grant will fund multicultural books and materials to support an elementary Cultural Night that celebrates the diverse backgrounds of our students and families. The project will expand culturally representative classroom libraries while creating an engaging, school-wide event that strengthens family partnerships and promotes inclusion. By combining literacy, inclusion, and community engagement, the initiative supports district goals related to student belonging and academic achievement.
Westerville Symphony Chamber Music Residency at Minerva Park Middle School
Alex Chapman, Minerva Park Middle School This project will bring professional musicians from the Westerville Symphony Orchestra into Minerva Park Middle School for an interactive chamber music residency with orchestra students. Through live performance, demonstrations, and coaching sessions, students will experience professional-level musicianship while strengthening the musical skills they are developing in the classroom.
Ozobots
Laura Douridas, Walnut Springs Middle School Ozobots offer a unique blend of innovation and creativity by allowing students to code through both drawing color-coded paths on paper and using advanced block-based programming. This dual approach accommodates a wide range of learners, from beginners to advanced coders. Students can design unique mazes, stories, and simulations, encouraging both technical proficiency and creative expression in the math classroom.
Building the Future: Establishing a Hands-on Computer Science Lab
William Goldner and Lee Smith, Genoa Middle School "This funding request seeks to acquire essential hardware components for the Computer Science for Innovators & Makers Course, a project-based, hands-on middle school curriculum for 8th grade students. The course integrates computer science principles with design thinking and physical computing, allowing students to design, build, and program innovative solutions to real-world problems. The primary purpose of this funding is to move beyond purely simulated or software-only learning by providing students with the physical tools necessary to bring their digital designs to life. These additions will create an authentic Innovators and Makers environment, directly enhancing student engagement, critical thinking, and technical skills mastery."
"Lights, Camera, *Silence*"- Connecting American Sign Language to Enhance Communication and Creative Expression!
Emily Berrigan, Lori Peters, Ree Bostic-Gussler; Westerville North & South ""LIGHTS!, CAMERA!, *SILENCE*!" connecting American Sign Language to enhance communication and creative expression. Creating a 'Portrait of a Graduate' one frame at a time thanks to the generosity of WEF! "
School Store Startup Fund
Ricky Robbins and Jamie Callighan, Westerville south "Students at Westerville South will design, manage, and operate their own school store—learning entrepreneurship, financial management, and customer service while creating custom spirit wear and building a sustainable business that funds their own leadership opportunities."
Minerva Park Community Book Swap
Beth Baryon, Minerva Park Middle School "The Minerva Park Community Book Swap is a community event focused on sharing books. Anyone may bring books to trade, or buy books for minimal cost to take home. Our mission is to decrease the number of books in landfills and increase the number of books in the homes of our community."
2025-2026 Middle School Poetry Slam
Beth Morvay, Minerva Park Middle School "In order to help encourage students to share their unique perspectives with a broad audience, building students’ sense of agency and artistic accomplishment, Minerva Park Middle School will host both a building- and district-wide middle school poetry slam. Building community and the arts at the same time, competitors and spectators will enjoy performances of student-written poetry and celebrate winners of these annual competitions."
Mega Creativity with Magna Tiles
Maria Soisson and Claire Yates, Walnut Springs Middle School "Magnetic tiles are a favorite among people of all ages! We plan to use them to assist instruction with sixth grade standards including calculating surface area and writing ratios. "
Annehurst 4th-grade Garden Club Partnership with the local Annehurst Village Garden Club
Laura Buty, Annehurst Elementary "The Annehurst 4th Grade Garden Club connects students with experienced volunteers from the local Annehurst Village Garden Club to cultivate both gardens and young minds. With grant funding, students will learn about plant science, nutrition, and sustainability through hands-on gardening projects guided by community mentors. Together, we’ll grow a thriving outdoor classroom that strengthens intergenerational bonds and nurtures a lifelong love of nature."
Enhancing Virtual Engagement in Project-Based Learning
Sarah Sheppard, Alcott Elementary "This project empowers students to share their learning like real-world creators, using new technology to present their research, stories, and projects to peers, families, and the community, bringing learning to life in engaging, authentic ways each quarter."
"English Together": Supporting English Learner Adults and Children Beyond the Classroom
Heather Sunday, Minerva France Elementary "English Together" is a family English program to build Minerva France’s relationship with families and provide a space where they can communicate their needs more freely with school staff members. Learning materials are provided at no cost to all participants, and students are given the opportunity to develop their language skills alongside their adult family members."
African-American Read-In
Lee Rutherford and Tresa Douglas, Blendon Middle School "The African-American Read-in has become a signature event to honor the diversity of our community and celebrate literature. It serves as a reminder that Westerville IS a place where EVERYONE belongs."
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Student Support Center Supply [Wildcat Den & Snack Space]
Noelle Spriestersbach and Sheila Ebbrecht, Westerville South ""Fuel for Success" supports student well-being at Westerville South by keeping the Wildcat Den and Snack Space stocked with essential resources. The project helps meet immediate student needs—including food, clothing, and hygiene—so that every student can show up ready to learn and thrive."
Listen UP! It’s Story Time
Michelle Smart, Pointview Elementary "Audio books make reading more accessible and engaging, especially for struggling and reluctant readers. They can be a powerful tool for bridging reading gaps and sparking a love of reading. This funding will help our library establish the beginning of a strong audio book collection."
Listen to a Great Story at the Hawthorne Library
Monty Maceyko, Hawthorne Elementary This program brings engaging VOX audiobooks to the Hawthorne library to make reading accessible and engaging for all students.
Arts Alive Festival 2026
Jen Kiko, Derrick Ehlen, Ali Deck; Westerville Central "Arts Alive is an all-day school-wide annual spring arts festival featuring an art gallery of 300 artworks, live performances throughout the day, and over 100 teams of student artists creating an enormous "chalk walk" on the sidewalk squares around the school. This event celebrates the arts and is an important part of the school culture for Westerville Central."
MODEL Mentor Program for Middle School Boys
Tami Santa, All Middle Schools With support from the Ingram-White Castle Foundation, WEF is pleased to award funding to launch a mentoring program for 7th grade boys in all middle schools.
Historical Documents and Images with Wax Encaustic Painting
Juls Rathje and Meegan Moore, Genoa and Heritage Middle Schools The Wax Encaustic: Preserving Westerville History grant will immerse students in the ancient art of encaustic painting, using heated beeswax and pigments to create unique, striking artwork based on local Westerville historical images. This cross-curricular project connects art and local history, fostering historical literacy and artistic mastery, and will culminate in a public exhibition of these durable, beautiful, and locally-focused masterpieces at Genoa's Art and Music Festival: Jagapalooza.
Interested in supporting innovative programs such as these? Our work would not be possible without the support of our generous sponsors. To discuss supporting WEF, please email Emma Nelson at