ZEF gifts largest grant cycle in 30 years
Twice per school year, the Zionsville Education Foundation (ZEF) visits schools across the district with a surprise grant for teachers, coaches and others in the classroom.
This spring, ZEF granted $75,068.33 for 19 different requests at all nine schools. A portion of the funds went toward the classroom, giving teachers the tools they need to create innovative projects and unique experiences such as technology for design and robotics, an outdoor learning program for kindergarteners and graphic novels for multilingual high school students.
For example, teachers Brooke Dobrovodsky and Laurel Pilcher at Union Elementary School received $4,279.50 for books that inspire a lifelong love for reading with genre challenges, game-style competitions and teamwork.
The other portion of funds went toward Imagine Professional Development Grants, sending educators to STEAM conferences, a Spanish language program in Spain and other enrichment opportunities.
School counselors from Zionsville West Middle School, Laura Dyer and Avory Freund, were awarded $6,000 to attend the American School Counselor Association conference to explore best practices and resources.
Six representatives from all Zionsville elementary schools received $9,040 to attend the American Orff-Schulwerk Association (AOSA) conference in Lexington, Ky., to learn more about hands-on educational opportunities, new resources and team cohesion.
'We would like to offer a special thanks to the Barth Family Fund for their support of this grant cycle and many others. We are grateful for their generosity and for their commitment to ZEF's mission,' ZEF Executive Director Lyle Browne said. 'Their donation combines with the incredible support of our event sponsors and individual donations to provide grants like this to our schools.'
This cycle marked the last one for long-time ZEF board member and Grants Committee Chair Jane Louiso.
'We are grateful for the teachers, administrators, volunteers, donors and staff that make these grants possible,' ZEF Board President Kim Lewis said. 'I would also like to make a special note of Jane's steadfast service on our grants committee. Her passion for ZEF's mission is evident in everything she does. She will pass the baton to Katy Ruhl who will be a fantastic leader along with our other passionate, dedicated committee members.'
Since 1995, ZEF has awarded more than $1.9 million in classroom and professional development grants. For a complete list of awards, visit the website at www.ZionsvilleEducationFoundation.org.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Hundreds in attendance as slain Israeli soldier Alon Farkas laid to rest
'You were always at the center of things, smiling and leaving your mark wherever you went," a representative of the IDF said. In a moving ceremony held Thursday morning, hundreds of family members, friends, and fellow residents of Kibbutz Kabri gathered to pay their last respects to St.-Sgt.-Maj. (Res.) Alon Farkas, 27, who was killed in battle in the Shajaiya neighborhood of the Gaza Strip. For more stories from ALL ISRAEL NEWS go to Farkas, a dedicated soldier in the 6646 Reconnaissance Battalion of the Shu'alei Marom Brigade, was killed in an incident in northern Gaza that also left another soldier seriously wounded. With nearly 300 days of reserve duty behind him, Farkas was known among his comrades as a sensitive and intelligent young man who never gave up, even when circumstances were at their hardest. Born and raised in Kibbutz Kabri, Farkas was studying neuroscience and cognition at Ben-Gurion University in Be'er Sheva. In his youth, he was active in theater, excelled in sports, and served as a counselor in a youth movement. During the funeral, his partner, Oriya Sadeh, shared a deeply personal letter she had written for the wedding they had planned but will now never celebrate. 'Alon, my love, by your side, everything is simply quieter,' she read through tears. 'I was blessed with the gift of my best friend, my soulmate, the love of my life. I promise you and God that I will always be with you. I am yours forever.' She also recited the lyrics of the Spanish song 'Gracias a la vida' ('Thanks for Life'), a favorite of Alon's. His mother, Daniela, spoke of a son who embraced life with joy and passion: 'My Alon, a beautiful, loving, and beloved boy. You loved soccer, music, and good food—especially meat, and you were a master at preparing it. You loved parties and hosting. Your kind eyes radiated unconditional love. You loved Oriya, who you said was 'the one,' and your sister Noa, whom you always protected. You loved this country deeply and dreamed of serving in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, representing Israel as an ambassador.' Lt. Col. Rotem, representing the IDF, paid tribute to Alon's dedication: 'Your commitment to the country and its people was unwavering. You were always at the center of things, smiling and leaving your mark wherever you went. You were ready for every mission, even when it was tough. When the war broke out, you cut short your trip in Europe and returned to serve without hesitation. The brigade commander, Yoni Hakohen, and all of us are deeply saddened, but we are proud of you. To your family, I say: your fate is bound to the IDF. We have lost an extraordinary person.' Oriya Markowitz, a teammate from Alon's unit, stood with fellow soldiers, arms linked, and said: 'We tried to save you and bring you back home with us. I'm sorry we couldn't. We will draw strength from you and continue forward.' Close friends from the kibbutz—Amit, Tomer, and Daniel—spoke about their tight-knit group, which they called 'The Biker Boys,' and the matching tattoos they all got: 'We were seven—now we are six.' Daniel added, 'He was a genius, the professor of the group, with a huge heart. I spoke to him just a few days ago, and he said this would be his last tour. He didn't want to go—but he went. That was Alon.' Alon Farkas leaves behind a grieving family, a partner who adored him, countless friends, and a country that will never forget his courage, kindness, and unwavering dedication. May his memory be a blessing.
New York Post
9 hours ago
- New York Post
Princess Leonor of Spain arrives in New York after five months at sea
Princess Leonor of Spain has touched down in the Big Apple! The 19-year-old royal arrived aboard a Spanish Navy training ship in New York City on Wednesday, dressed in a crisp white uniform adorned with black insignia. The Crown Princess — who is the heir to the Spanish throne, followed by her younger sister, Sofia — appeared in good spirits alongside fellow cadets as she saluted onlookers aboard the Juan Sebastián de Elcano. 6 Princess Leonor of Spain arrived aboard a Spanish Navy training ship in New York City on Wednesday. Stephen Lovekin/GTRES/Shutterstock Leonor, who had kick-started her military training in 2023, will not be returning to Spain via the ship. Instead, she will fly back and rejoin her peers in Gijón on July 7, EDATV News reports. The princess will join the Spanish Navy's guided missile frigate Blas de Lezo there, where she is set to undertake a key segment of her naval training. Over the past two years, Leonor has been undergoing training at the General Military Academy in Zaragoza. Later this year, she will begin Air Force training at the General Air Academy in Santiago de la Ribera to round out her military education. 6 The royal, 19, was dressed in a crisp white uniform adorned with black insignia. GTRES/Shutterstock In March 2023, the Spanish royal house announced that Leonor was set to undergo three years of military training. 'As in all parliamentary monarchies (the heir) has to have a military background and a military career,' Defense Minister Margarita Robles said at the time. Leonor completed her high school degree at UWC Atlantic College in Wales, UK that year. 6 The Crown Princess appeared in good spirits alongside fellow cadets while saluting onlookers. 'In due course, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces will be a woman, and in recent years we have been making a very important effort to incorporate women into the armed forces,' Robles added. The government and the Royal House have agreed that her 'very intense' military training will precede university studies, following in the footsteps of her father in the 1980s. The Spanish monarchy has been struggling to repair its image after a series of scandals over the past decade, mainly linked to the former king Juan Carlos, who abdicated in 2014 in favor of his son, King Felipe. 6 Over the past two years, Leonor has been undergoing training at the General Military Academy in Zaragoza. GTRES/Shutterstock Juan Carlos abdicated amid a tax fraud case involving members of the royal family and following a scandal over his elephant-hunting trip in Africa at a time when Spain was going through a deep recession. The former monarch has been living in Abu Dhabi since August 2020, when he left Spain after several investigations were opened in Spain and Switzerland into alleged fraud. The investigations have subsequently been dropped. Meanwhile, Leonor's parents King Felipe and Queen Letizia have also been rocked by drama after veteran journalist Jaime Peñafiel made a slew of shocking claims about the pair's marriage. 6 The princess and her fellow cadets arrived via the Juan Sebastián de Elcano. Getty Images Peñafiel, who has covered the royals for decades, claimed that Felipe was 'crushed and destroyed' over his wife's alleged infidelity with her ex-brother-in-law Jaime del Burgo. In his book 'Letizia's Silences,' released in May, Peñafiel claimed the king of Spain was 'aware that Letizia was cheating on him in real time' as her bodyguards must report on her whereabouts. The royal author alleges that bodyguards joined the queen on a trip to New York back in 2011, during which she was accompanied by her rumored 'lover' del Burgo. Letizia, 52, reportedly dated del Burgo before meeting King Felipe in 2002. Peñafiel alleged that the pair, who have been married since 2004, had a rocky relationship in the years before the alleged affair began. 6 Queen Letizia and King Felipe with their two daughters in Mallorca on July 31, 2023. AFP via Getty Images Del Burgo — who was married to Letizia's sister from 2012 to 2014 — has since claimed that he is still in touch with the Queen in an interview with Argentinian newspaper Clarín. 'We have shared many years of our lives together,' he told the outlet. 'We have been a family. As I have always said, ours was not a relationship of lovers. The lover would be him, in any case. I mean Felipe.'
Axios
10 hours ago
- Axios
The most popular U.S. languages besides English and Spanish
Chinese, Tagalog and Vietnamese are the three most commonly spoken languages in the U.S. other than English and Spanish, per new census data. Why it matters: The myriad languages spoken nationwide reflect both the settlement and colonization of centuries long past, as well as more modern immigration patterns. While Spanish is far and away the predominant non-English language nationwide, with about 41.2 million speakers, putting it aside offers insight into other groups and population centers around the country. By the numbers: About 3.5 million people in the U.S. speak a form of Chinese, 1.7 million a form of Tagalog, and 1.5 million Vietnamese and related languages, per Census Bureau survey data. That's for languages spoken at home during the 2017-2021 period among people five years and older. Between the lines: Many multilingual people speak one language at home with family, but use English at work, school and elsewhere. Just over 60% of people who speak a language other than English at home also say they speak English "very well," per the census data. Zoom in: German is the most popular language other than English or Spanish in eight states, Vietnamese in seven, and French in seven.
