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Awards and Recognition

Hillsboro Schools Foundation 2022-23 Innovative Grant Award

May 30, 2022 - The Hillsboro Schools Foundation’s “Surprise Patrol” was out in force last week, revealing the happy news to ten applicants that their innovative grant proposals will be funded for the 2022-23 school year. In all, more than $50,000 was awarded by the Foundation for projects ranging from makerspaces, to class sets of ukuleles, to establishing a Ballet Folklorico group, to hiring a Native American playwright to adapt a cultural story into a play that can be performed by students. Learn more about each project below and in this PDF. 

Middle School Makers, Evergreen MS, Sean Fishback. Transforms the technology class into a maker space. Students can harness an idea, capture and refine it in 3D computer drafting, and then print, cut, or carve the final product using 3D printers, vinyl cutters, and a CNC Carver.

Ukuleles for All, Free Orchards ES, Mark Anderson. Upgrade Free Orchards School’s ukulele inventory to replace aging baritones with new, more accessible sopranos, and a storage rack to free up counter and wall space. Includes classroom sets of 35 with strings, tuners, and books.

Enhancing Biliteracy Through Technology, Free Orchards ES, Ada Armenta. Project uses educational technology to support implementation of the three pillars of dual language. Mystery Doug for the entire school leads students through the scientific process to find answers.

Cutting the Path to a Better Team Future, Glencoe HS, Williane Tenca, Jean Tenca and Scott Jackson of Shockwave Robotics. Purchase a Laser Cutter Machine and supplies that are necessary to the development and construction of the team robot. Develops hands-on learning experience in modern industry standard machinery. For use by the Nationally recognized Hillsboro Shockwave team, and classroom students.

YOU ASKED FOR THEM, YOU GOT THEM! Graphic and Spanish Language Novels, Poynter MS, Kimberly Parrett. Stocks Poynter MS library with 296 new fiction titles that are current, culturally relevant, representative of student backgrounds, connect to social-emotional learning, in both Spanish and English, and in both graphic and text-only formats that the STUDENTS WANT to increase student engagement with books.

Sowing Seeds of Century Serenity, Century HS, Karla Brokaw, Laura Wilson. Reinvigorates the internal outdoor courtyards into spaces that refresh the mind and soul, and to give students an opportunity to reacquaint themselves with nature in an ever-expanding concrete jungle.

Danza Folkorico, McKinney ES, Reyna Lara Barajas. Ballet Folklorico is a music and dance program where children can grow skills and explore cultural diversity through dance. The program has been created by PAC members to celebrate and share Mexican culture. Funds Nayarit and Baja California style costumes for students.

Sew Into STREAM, Imlay ES, Shannon Lusk. Developing STREAM skills (science, technology, reading, engineering, art and math) through sewing, video game development, coding video production, and fine arts for Imlay K-6 students. The resources motivate students to come to school. They also begin to focus on the college pathways they can choose while in high school.  

Century Makerspace Club, Century HS, Chris Winikka, Abiral Shakya (Student). Provides tools for after school extracurricular programs in STEM interests. Allows students to continue learning about engineering or other STEM activities. They brainstorm, do background research, create prototypes and create a final product. This is a current club that really needs a Makerspace.

“The Salmon Boy” Play, Tobias ES, Natalie Genter-Gilmore. Brings literacy, performing arts and science together for TOES 3rd Grade: “The Salmon Boy” play. The play relates back to Tobias collaboration with the Oregon Dept. Fish and Wildlife to hatch salmon eggs in classroom tanks. They built interdisciplinary lessons around social studies (geography, impacts of dams, Native cultural ties to salmon) and science, literacy and visual arts. They are also commissioning a Native American playwright to adapt the story for the school.

Awards and Grants Provide Needed Support and Meaningful Opportunities for Students 

January 5, 2018 - Recently, HSD has received a number of awards and grants that will help fund enrichment programs for students as well as needed infrastructure improvements at a variety of schools. Additional information is below.

  • $434,000 CTE Revitalization Grant, Oregon Department of Education. This grant will support a major expansion of the Bioscience Technologies program at Hilhi ($343,100) and will create a CTE Innovation Summer Camp for Latino and other historically underserved middle school students ($90,900).
  • $62,543 National School Lunch Program Equipment Assistance Grant, U.S. Department of Agriculture. This grant will pay for new steamers at Brookwood Elementary School and Groner K-8, a gas convection oven at Liberty High School, new refrigerators at Miller Big Picture and McKinney Elementary School, and a new dishwasher at McKinney Elementary School.
  • $46,678 Farm to School Grant, Oregon Department of Education. This grant, awarded to McKinney Elementary School, aims to bring agriculture into the classroom and cafeteria in partnership with local food producers and Oregon environmental organizations. McKinney will be embedding agriculture into the science curriculum, creating a school garden, and offering afterschool garden clubs. The grant money will allow them to hire a School Garden Activities Coordinator and an advisor for the afterschool programs.
  • $12,500 Grant, Reser Family Foundation. This grant was awarded to Reedville Elementary School to support their Playworks, Family Zumba, and Girls on the Run Playworks is a program that provides on-site staffing, consultant support, professional development and more to offer structured, safe, healthy playtime for students during recess. The program has been in place at Reedville for four years thanks to previous funding from Nike and the Oregon Department of Education. Evening Family Zumba exercise classes and the Girls on the Run afterschool running club programs have been in place at the school for two years thanks to previous grants from the Girls on the Run and Active Schools organizations.
  • $10,000 Grant, Intel Corporation. Two grants were awarded in support of a STEM expansion of the Proud to be HSD Trailer: one grant for $5,000 from Intel Public Affairs; and one grant for $5,000 from the Intel Employee Seed Grant fund. Funds will be used to retrofit the trailer as a STEM demonstration space and to purchase equipment for mobile maker carts that can be wheeled into classrooms and used by Intel volunteers to deliver STEM instruction.
  • $2,000 Grant, Target Corporation. Two grants of $1,000 each were awarded to Reedville Elementary School to support their afterschool soccer program.
  • $2,000 Arts for Learning Grant, Cultural Coalition of Washington County and Oregon Cultural Trust. This grant was awarded to McKinney Elementary School to support arts integration in their third grade classrooms.
  • $2,000 Award, Honda Dealers. Two awards were presented to Minter Bridge Elementary School in mid-December: one for $1,000 from the NW Honda Dealers Association; and one for $1,000 from Dick’s Honda Dealerships in Hillsboro. Funds will be used to support the school’s Dual Language program.

These recent awards and grants, in addition to the generous support we receive from our Anchor Sponsors the Hillsboro Hops and Wolfe Dental, and from other benefactors such as McDonald’s, Providence Healthcare, Kaiser Permanente and many more, provide much-needed funds and support that enrich the experience of our students. We are so grateful for your support!