WGU Missouri Awards Grants to Seven Kansas City-Area Teachers

Seven K-12 teachers from the Kansas City area have received grants totaling $2,817 through WGU Missouri’s “Fund My Classroom” initiative. The grants will be used to fund innovative classroom projects that foster learning in new, unique ways. The seven teachers who received the funding from the Kansas City area include:

• Christa Bell, a library media specialist at Lafayette County C-1 Middle School and High School in Higginsville, who received a $452 grant to purchase a few exercise bike desks and mobile adjustable tables for the school’s media center to help students be more productive and focused.
• Ginny Blumhorst, a third-grade teacher at Longview Farm Elementary School in Lee’s Summit, who received a $350 grant to transform a classroom in the school into a magical makerspace, a shared common space where students in all grade levels can come and share their ideas and create STEM-focused products, prototypes and projects.
• Serena Comegys, an ELA teacher at Liberty High school in Liberty, who received a $390 grant to build a global library of memoirs, fiction and non-fiction books that address national and global issues from a variety of perspectives, while also aligning with EDGE, a globally focused micro school that Liberty Public Schools is launching for students in grades 9-12 in August 2021.
• Elise Carpenter, a science teacher at Liberty High School in Liberty, who received a $475 grant to purchase materials for a real-world, student driven, interdisciplinary global clean water and sanitation project she is implementing in her classroom that will be focused on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of access to clean water and sanitation for all and will also align with Liberty Schools’ EDGE micro school.
• Kara Schumacher, a kindergarten teacher in the Kansas City Public School District, who received a $500 grant to fill her classroom library with books featuring diverse characters from various cultures that better represent her kindergarten students – many of whom are English language learners.
• Sarah Dodd, a second-grade teacher at Brougham Elementary School in Olathe, who received a $400 grant to expand her classroom library with books that feature diverse characters and stories with lessons focused on acceptance and celebrating differences.
• Hazel Wood, a kindergarten teacher at Pleasanton Elementary School in Linn County, Kan., who received a $250 grant to purchase STEM activity sets for every student in her class to help spark engagement and creativity in the classroom

The innovative classroom projects were among 78 in Missouri and Kansas chosen by WGU Missouri to receive funding. The nonprofit university issued a call in March for K-12 teachers across the area to nominate proposed classroom projects for the opportunity to receive full or partial funding through its “Fund My Classroom” initiative. More than 450 nominations were received. All grants were awarded during Teacher Appreciation Week, which ran from May 3 – 7.

“We were happy to read about all the amazing projects our teachers have planned and are excited we can bring so many to life through our ‘Fund My Classroom’ initiative,” said Dr. Angie Besendorfer, Chancellor of WGU Missouri. “This past year has been a challenging one for both teachers and students as they were forced to adapt to new styles of teaching and learning. This initiative is an opportunity for WGU to celebrate teachers and thank them for their dedication to educating and positively impacting their students, while enhancing learning for students – both in and out of the classroom.”

To learn more about the “Fund My Classroom” initiative and the work WGU Missouri is doing to help teachers advance their careers, visit missouri.wgu.edu.

About WGU Missouri

WGU Missouri is a competency-based, online university created to expand access to higher education for Missouri residents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the fields of business, K-12 teacher education, information technology, and health professions, including nursing. WGU Missouri faculty members serve as mentors, working one-on-one with students, offering guidance, support, and individualized instruction.

Established in 2013 through a partnership with nationally recognized Western Governors University, WGU Missouri is open to all qualified Missouri residents. The university is nonprofit and self-sustaining on flat-rate tuition of about $7,000 per year for most programs.

Degrees are granted under the accreditation of Western Governors University, which is accredited through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). Nursing College programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE*), and the Health Informatics program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM).

More information is available at missouri.wgu.edu or by calling 855.948.8493.

*Western Governors University offers nursing programs that are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 5380, Washington DC 20036, 202-877-6791).