GRANTS
The District 230 Foundation helps staff at Sandburg, Stagg and Andrew High Schools bring their innovative ideas to life for students through its grant program. By providing approximately $500,000 to support more than 160 projects, the Foundation has made a significant impact on students' education.
Grants have supported social studies, art, foreign language, sports medicine, democracy, special services, science, literacy, college preparation, character development, international studies, environmental awareness, business, physical education, family and community connections, and so much more.
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Hover over the photos below to learn more about the grants currently being implemented.
VJA Wellness Room Expansion
Career Exploration:
Trades and other non-traditional avenues
Andrew High School
James Malec and John Tadla
This grant will provide junior T-Bolts with an opportunity to explore non-traditional post-secondary options in the trades, vocational and certification programs. Field trips, guest speakers, job shadowing and targeted curricula are all part of the avenues students will explore thanks to the grant.
T-Bolt
Trailblazers
D230 Band Showcase
District-wide
Bob Mecozzi,
Stewart Bailey, Brian Hillhouse and Mark Iwinski
This grant offers an opportunity for student musicians from all three schools' wind symphonies to perform in a world-class concert hall and work with a professional collegiate music educator. The goal is to have each school play one song by the same composer and have that composer guest conduct their work.
Charlie Charger Cart
Stagg High School
Kristine Tarbunas and Emma Hansen
This $1,000 grant will help develop and create a student-run business within the ULTIMA Occupations and Instructional Occupations program. Be on the lookout for Chargers selling coffee, drinks, and snacks, along with specialty items around the holidays and school initiatives. The goal of this grant is to evolve the Charger Cart into a self-sustaining entity.
Stagg Celebrates National World Languages Week
Stagg High School
Nitya Viswanath and the World Languages Dept.
Charger students and staff will celebrate and honor the various cultures and experiences that students bring to Stagg from all language and cultural backgrounds – all while bringing attention to the benefits of learning a new world language during high school.
VJA Wellness Room Expansion
Growing the VJA Greenhouse
The goal of their project is to fully engage students and staff with the Greenhouse through class activities, extracurricular/enrichment projects, and community events. The Science teachers want all members of the school community to learn to appreciate plants and care for them through hands-on learning in the Greenhouse.
Andrew High School
Julie Johnson and Science Dept. staff​
T-Bolt
Trailblazers
Wellness Enrichments - Beyond the Room
Andrew High School
Tammy Stamus and the
Student Wellness Team
This grant is designed to expand wellness initiatives to the general student body with an increase in enrichment offerings throughout the year, especially those enrichments that are student-led.
Action Plan for EL Parent Involvement
Sandburg High School
Amal Abdellatif
This grant will engage culturally and linguistically diverse parents and help remove barriers that prevent them from feeling comfortable and connected to the school. The goal is to bring the community into the curriculum with monthly family nights and identify and help local businesses and organizations become more involved in the school.
Orthopedics in Action
Andrew High School
Taylor Metlovas
Andrew students in anatomy-driven classes will have access to kits that will help them identify everything from a knee injury to scoliosis. These materials will provide authentic learning opportunities for students to go beyond the textbooks and provide bone models and x-ray images.
Ultima Woods Collective
Interdisciplinary work, empathy, leadership, and community are at the heart of this grant. The Ultima-Woods collective will use this grant to purchase materials for a project where woods students are paired with students from the Ultima program. A win-win for both groups, students gain new friends and build connections.
Andrew High School
Jeff Cassidy and the Ultima Program
Sandburg Student Wellness Center
This grant will create a dedicated space offering non-academic supports and coping strategies to a wider student population to promote overall well-being. In 2023-24, the Guidance Department has received more than 2,000 student visits for SEL-related reasons. The Wellness Center will go a long way to help equip our students.
Sandburg High School
Kristyn Koss, Tom Johnson, Rebecca, Manzella, Nora McNaughton-Nerius, and Jocelyn Wysocki
Stagg Studios
This grant will allow the Ultima student-run business to become a self-sustaining microbusiness. Custom-made and personalized t-shirts, mugs, coasters, and more will give our Ultima students a leg up on future employment opportunities.
Stagg High School
Alyssa LePretre
Dehydrator for Charlie Charger Treats
This grant will be used to purchase a Dehydrator for Charlie Charger Treats and make the already successful microbusiness more efficient and to increase productivity. Helping our Ultima students gain employability skills also increases student independence.
Stagg High School
Colleen Regan
Eagle Relief
What started as a few care packages for students in need of essentials has blossomed into the Eagle Relief project. With this grant, they envision a place where any student can receive not just everyday necessities, but also perhaps clothes for a job interview or a prom dress. One step further, the Eagle Relief “store” could be staffed by Special Services students, with some help from PE Junior Leaders - helping enhance employment and business skills for both.
Sandburg High School
Janine Wilkins, Kristyn Koss, and Kendra Jelsic