Fadness surprises local teachers with highest grant funding yet

Fishers sets record with over $170K awarded for new Educator Innovation Grants

Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness recently visited local schools to surprise six teachers with more than $170,000 in funding as part of the new Educator Innovation Grant program, marking the highest grant amount awarded so far.

The program launched this year, with $500,000 allocated from the 2024 budget to empower educators within Hamilton Southeastern Schools with the resources to bring innovation to the classroom and inspire students to rethink learning.

Recent grant recipients included:

• HSE High School and Fishers High School: $82,100 to pilot a Career Exploration Virtual Reality Experience enabling media classes at both high schools to create local career exploration content that students can experience through virtual reality. The program will provide virtual experiences in various career pathways and industries, helping students overcome time, geography, safety, and financial constraints when seeking career opportunities. By collaborating with LearningTimeVR, students will co-create VR content, gaining valuable technical skills and ensuring that career exploration material remains current and relevant. This VR initiative also has the potential for use in city economic development, allowing prospective companies and professionals to immerse themselves in the local economic environment.
• Amanda Cornet (eighth-grade teacher at Fishers Junior High School): $2,400 for Professional Development for Music Learning Theory. Cornet will attend professional development in Asheville, N.C., where she will learn from American composer and violinist Christian Howes, to enhance student learning of music and ultimately increase the difficulty of music being played by students and improve students’ sight-reading skills.
• Bill DeLisle (HSE High School): $57,000 to support the Southeastern Media Network (SMN), founded in 2023 that synchronizes six student-led teams, including Newsroom, Yearbook, Public Relations, Broadcast, and Sports Media. SMN, the most comprehensive student media staff in Indiana, offers hands-on, real-world opportunities to enhance communication and media skills, fostering pathways into post-secondary education or the media industry. The grant will facilitate the growth of SMN, which has tripled in enrollment over the past two school years and provide updates to resources that meet 21st-century media program needs.
• Lauryn Gerard (HSE High School): $1,000 for the United Performing Arts (UPA) Program to enable students with and without disabilities to collaborate in choral performances, bridging a gap in inclusive arts programs. This program innovates learning for students with disabilities in the performing arts and creates leadership opportunities for students in the choir and drama programs.
• Kelly Wolf (third-grade teacher at Southeastern Elementary): $6,128 for the Southeastern Elementary Lego STEAM Lab. Wolf’s project will use Lego Education BricQ Motion Sets and Lego SPIKE Essential Sets to introduce students to complex concepts such as force, motion, energy, and coding, encouraging problem-solving and critical thinking.
• James Ziino (Fishers High School): $22,000 for the Virtual Reality Curriculum. The proposed VR project will allow students to experience a wide range of educational content interactively. This program at Fishers High School will allow students to explore historical sites, scientific concepts, and cultural landmarks from around the world.

The city has awarded over $251,223 in grant funding to 17 educators from 10 schools, impacting over 12,500 students to date. In May, six educators were awarded more than $50,000 in grant funding for projects including updates to the maker space at Riverside Intermediate School, 3D printers for the Fishers Maker Playground’s Fifth-Grade Study Trips, and bringing Vex Robotics, a computer science and coding program to the classroom.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and project requests have no funding cap.

“I’m excited to see our local educators embracing this opportunity and taking on projects that enrich their classrooms and emphasize their dedication to lifelong learning through professional development,” Mayor Fadness said. “Their creativity, innovation, and passion are truly inspiring and highlight the outstanding quality of the HSE Schools system, reflected in this year’s unprecedented level of grant funding.”

Grants are awarded by a selection committee comprised of former educators from HSE Schools, community entrepreneurs, and HSE alumni. Committee members include Mike Fassold (retired junior high educator), Kaleigh Arndt (former elementary educator), Brad Jackson (retired junior high educator), Amy Murch (Conner Prairie teacher in residence), and Jordin Alexander (HSE alumna and City of Fishers Chief of Staff).

Learn more about the grant program at FishersIN.gov/InnovationGrant.