The teachers are what make the programs funded by the foundations work, said Karen Evans, library learning center teacher at Wiesbrook Elementary School in Wheaton.
Evans watched as teachers at her school spent their own extra time preparing a Windows on Science program paid for by The New 200 Foundation.
“They believed so strongly in it, they spent time making it their own, making it work into their own programs. Having material is wonderful, but it’s the teachers that make it work,” she said.
Teachers like Charles Staley, fine arts chairman for the Waubonsee Valley High School, praise what foundations have been able to do for him and his students.
The Indian Prairie Education Foundation has hosted a fine-arts series that has brought in top-name performers such as Maynard Ferguson and Jim Pugh, noted brass musicians, as well as arranged concerts with the Northern Illinois jazz and wind ensembles, among others.
“It has enabled the students to be able to work with professional musicians in a school setting,” Staley said. “They actually get contact with professionals, and if we didn’t have the backing of the foundation, that’s not something we normally would budget.”
Another popular program at Indian Prairie is teacher mini-grants, where teachers make a proposal to learn a new skill or curriculum.
“Good teachers always have ideas on how they can better serve their students,” said Penny Catour, director of community relations for Indian Prairie Unit District 204 and liaison to the Indian Prairie Education Foundation. “The mini-grants give the teachers an avenue for their ideas without having to go through the politics of approaching the school board.”
