LW Schools Foundation "Reach For Success" Grant

The Lake Washington Schools Foundation has pledged more than $350,000 in classroom grants and district-wide programming funding to support students, families, and teachers in the coming academic year.

One of the Foundation’s longest running programs, Reach for Success classroom grants, call for innovative ways to enhance or expand the Lake Washington School District’s curriculum. This brought in creative ideas such as The Battle of the Books Program, a collaborative grant involving students at nine middle schools in the district, a social-emotional learning program for elementary students where students will learn empathy, self discipline, and embrace diversity and a middle school drama production whose goal is to encourage self expression and leadership.

“Having the ability to fund and support district wide and multi-school programs, like The Battle of the Books program, is something that the Foundation has a unique ability to do” noted Lake Washington Schools Foundation Trustee and Reach for Success Program Chair Nancy Colburn. “We love supporting creative and innovative approaches to education that are specific to the needs of each school’s student population.”

Grant recipients across the district were delighted to learn of their program’s funding. Lake Washington Schools Foundation awarded funding for eighteen classroom grants across several LWSD Schools for the 2019-2020 school year. “What a great way to start my summer! I’ll start the planning and preparation right away!” wrote Yash G. in response to her awarded grant for Bilingual Activity classes in English and Hindi/Marathi where the program’s goal is to create inclusion, acceptance, and equity across different cultures.

Michael Clark, Principal of Norman Rockwell Elementary was also pleased to learn that a grant was awarded to his school, saying, “This is such outstanding news, thank you! What a wonderful way to end the school year.”

For the complete list of the Lake Washington Schools Foundation’s 2019-2020 Reach for Success grantees, please visit www.LWSF.org/RFS2019