The Bixby Educational Endowment Foundation (BEEF) awarded 50 BEEF Teacher Grants for the 2022-23 school year. With grants ranging from praying mantis incubators, a wheelchair swing, printmaking equipment, & xylophones to gear bots, legos, class sets of novels, wobble cushions, and a weaving loom - this school year’s grants totaled over $100,000 and included all of Bixby’s campuses.
The annual BEEF Teacher Grant program encourages teachers and staff to apply for grants aimed at emphasizing new approaches to teaching and developing innovative programs to stimulate thought and expand the existing curriculum. Grant proposals are evaluated and prioritized by BEEF's teacher grant readers based on each grant's impact on curriculum expansion and the total number of students affected. Since its inception, BEEF has awarded over $2.3 million in teacher grants and scholarships thanks to donations from Bixby’s community businesses and citizens.
Bixby High School
Clare Parmele (Zoology) - "Zoology: Praying Mantis, Egg Hatching, Axolotl, Bones"
Michelle Bowdie (SPED) - "Workbench for PAES Lab"
Julie Jankowski (Art) - "Rolling Out the Creations"
Courtney Harter (Sitewide) - "Be Well at Bixby High School"
Alternative Ed
Blake Dean (9th-12th Art) -" Printmaking"
Bixby 9th Grade Center
Michael Cox (Spanish) - "Empowering Students to Read and Play Their Way to Life-Long Learning"
Allison Morris (Counselor) - "Calm Room and Student Team Building"
Kim O'Brien (Media Specialist) - "Growing a Community through Engagement"
Middle School
Renata Walshak (7th Grade Science) - "Aqua Sprouts Garden Bundles "
Jessica Ramsey (Media Center) - "Innovative Collaboration "
Darla Williams (Art) - "Wacom Art Experience"
Central Intermediate
Jocelyn Olson with Lauren Waterhouse (5th) - "Hooray for Hydroponics"
East Intermediate
Rachel Horton (Music) - "Bixby East Intermediate Orff Excellence"
Jordan Perceful (PE) - "East Intermediate PE Equipment Update"
North Intermediate
Lisa Kelly with Larry Schultz (6th) - "Where in the World is Mrs. Kelly and Mr. Schultz"
Melissa Lytle (SPED) - "A Soft Place to Land"
Nicole Brown (Music) - "Drumming Up Excitement"
West Intermediate
Delana McManus with Traci Jones, Traci Morris ( 5th) - "Soft Starts in the 5th Grade Classrooms"
Julie Arthur (5th Math) - "Thinking on Your Feet > Sitting at a Desk"
Traci Jones with Traci Morris and Delana McManus (5th) - "Blood on the River, by Elisa Carbone: 3 Classroom Novel Sets"
Katherine Robinson (SPED) - "Inclusive Playground"
Allison Gresham (Resource Room) - 'Flexible Seating to Increase Student Engagement"
Molli Veach (Art) - "Funding for a Choice Based Art Studio"
Erin Bergeret (PE) - "Bump, Set, Spike"
Central Elementary
Martha Highland (Art) - "Fun with the Friendly Loom: A Collaborative Weaving Project"
Rebecca Jones (Music) - "Even More of a Good Thing in the Music Room"
Jamie Copenhaver (PE) - "Putting FORE Success"
Charity Covey, Donna Emberton, Madison Engles, Amy Hall, Kim Mauch, Rachel Morie ( 3rd Grade) - "Get Your Wiggle On to Stay Calm and Focused to Read"
Kim Mauch with Madison Engles, Donna Emberton, Rachel Morie (3rd Grade) - "Helping Students Find Their Voice"
Larissa Ivey with Rachel Eccles, Trish Beavers, Lauren Leete, Bekah Mason, Elaina Martin, Alison Beach (PreK) - "Science Through the Seasons"
Alison Beach with Rachel Eccles, Trish Beavers, Lauren Leete, Bekah Mason, Elaina Martin, Larissa Ivey (PreK) - "Emotionally Engaged Spartans"
East Elementary
Kathrine Weinacht, Cari Griffin, Lori Cole (PreK) - "Practicing Positive Play in the PreK Classroom"
Alejandra Garcia with Amy Ford, Emily Mora, Brittany Crowl, Brittany Sanders (Kindergarten) - "Learning Through Play"
Jenny Mason (1st) -" Let's Line Up for Math"
Victoria Frisella (K-3 SPED Math) - "Math Manipulatives and Games for the Special Education Classroom"
Pam Stevenson (Music) - "We Got the Beat"
Daniel Zehder (PE) - "Keep on Moving"
Kathy Brashear (3rd) - "Buddy Bench"
D. Fotenopulos (3rd) -" Sensory Path to Success"
North Elementary
Cindy Dyson with Shannon Burns, Marcy Gaines, Melodie Pearse, Jenna Potwora, Dana Watson (2nd) - "2nd Grade STEM and Manipulatives"
Betsy Leahan (3rd/Sitewide)) - "Say It Loud: Individual Voice Amplification"
Caroline Nichols (3rd/Sitewide) - "Don't Know What to do at Recess - Use a Sensory Path"
Beth Shaw (School/Community) - "NE Little Free Library"
West Elementary
Neely Scully with Shelly Sumler, Cristina Abbott, Kara Sloat, Melissa Still, Wendye Coupe (Kindergarten) - "Fine Motor Fun"
Tobi Campbell, Courtney Inbody, Emily Petersen, Debbie Stanhope, Valerie Wagner, Kelli Zeigler (1st) - "Decodable Readers"
Kayla Cardwell with Barbara Banister, Caitlin Diffee, Sherrie Fritz, Jody Hamilton, Paige Kinnamon, Hailee Speir (2nd) - "2nd Grade Math and Literacy Learning Tools"
Melody Lavender (K-3rd SPED) - "Sensory Therapy Rocker"
Miki Bray with Jazmen Weidman (PE/Music) - "Rhythm and Movement"
Lana Carr (ELL) -" Writer's Play Shop - Story Telling with Legos to improving Writing Outcomes", Funded by Kim King
All Sites
Kari Smith (Instructional Coach) - "Math and Science MLV Kits (Making Learning Visible Kits)", Partial funding by BEEF & Doc’s Jim Brown
If you would like to help provide future grants to benefit our students, teachers and staff across all of Bixby’s schools, please consider making a donation to BEEF’s annual Century Club campaign. Donations may be made online at https://tinyurl.com/bixbyBEEF, or for information on how to mail a donation, please visit www.bixbyps.org/page/beef-foundation.