Meet the 2018-2019 Dreamstarter Teachers – a group of inspiring educators who are working towards bettering the lives of their Native students!
Connie Michael
School: Crow Agency Public School
Location: Billings, MT
Project: Connie wants to strengthen and grow her school business by incorporating traditional knowledge into her program. She will plant a traditional herb garden for her school and help her students produce, advertise, and sell teas online and at the local farmers’ market. She also plans to invite elders to teach about native plants and harvesting traditions. Through this program, Connie hopes students will gain not only valuable work experience and cultural knowledge but also confidence and more positive outlooks on life.
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Jessica Tapia
School: Towanits School
Location: Porterville, CA
Project: Jessica hopes to improve her students’ literacy. She will use grant funds to provide them with books, fluency passages, and other supplies designed for creative educational activities to fit her students’ learning styles.
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Terra West
School: Ibapah Elementary School
Location: Ibapah, UT
Project:
Terra would like to help her students to improve their math skills. She plans to use the Dreamstarter Teacher grant to purchase subscriptions to a math tutorial program.
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Michael Clark
School: Menominee Tribal School
Location: Keshena, WI
Project: Michael hopes to improve his athletic program, promote healthy lifestyles within his community, and help athletes reach their goals. He plans to use this grant to fix up the walking/running trail and bikes at his school. He will also buy more sports equipment for the community and provide his students with uniforms and healthy food for game days.
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Cheryl Tuttle
School: Round Valley Elementary
Location: Covelo, CA
Project: Cheryl will use this grant to invite four cultural presenters to teach her students about four cultural topics throughout the school year. She hopes that this will help the students to better understand their cultural and tribal history while connecting their life at school with their life at home.
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Jill Kessler
School: Cheyenne-Eagle Butte High School
Location: Eagle Butte, SD
Project: Jill plans to use the Dreamstarter Teacher grant to create a Holistic Self Care Corner in her office. The Corner will incorporate mainstream self-care resources with traditional Lakota resources to create a relaxing space for students and staff to practice self-care.
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Brooke Gregory
School: Chief Leschi
Location: Puyallup, WA
Project: Brooke will use this grant to set up a Maker Space, where students can make crafts using a variety of materials. She hopes this resource will help her to instill confidence, persistence, and creativity in her students.
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Sarah Groenwald
School: Chinle High School
Location: Chinle, AZ
Project: Sarah wants to design, build, and maintain a school garden with the help of students. After the garden is built, she hopes that teachers will continue to use it in their lesson plans, while students will gain more access to fresh fruits and vegetables for years to come.
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Courtney Torkelson
School: Kickapoo Head Start
Location: Powhattan, KS
Project: Courtney hopes to create a better and more comfortable learning and play environment for her students. Using the Dreamstarter Teacher grant, she will provide them with a literacy board, a reading area, and pretend play materials for her students—instilling in them an appreciation for learning and exploration in the classroom.
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Willamina Tailfeathers
School: Browning Elementary School
Location: Browning, Montana
Project: Willamina would like to improve her cultural immersion program. She will use this grant to provide her students with more cultural activities and provide more opportunities for students to use the Blackfeet Language throughout the school day.
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Tiffanie Lieb
School: Kickapoo Head Start
Location: Powhattan, KS
Project: Tiffanie wants to create a more comfortable and inviting classroom environment. This grant will provide funds for her to set up a rug for morning meetings, a reading area, pretend play materials, and other classroom supplies.
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Jennifer Schoelerman
School: Timber Lake School
Location: Timber Lake, SD
Jennifer would like to further develop her Native American Club and create more Native activities for her students. She plans to host a graduation honoring ceremony for her students and bring in speakers and guests.
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