For years, the Gateway Education Foundation has issued grants to teachers, and other district employees who desire to implement innovative educational experiences into the classroom to help foster student growth outside of the standard curriculum.  Below are brief descriptions of several programs recently made possible by Gateway Education Foundation grants.

“Lego Story”	“I want to take this opportunity to thank The Gateway Education Foundation for providing the funds for me to purchase the Lego Story Starter packs and software. With these materials, all of my students have been able to build using their vivid imaginations and then create stories to add words to their creations.This program was able to get my most reluctant writers to put a story onto paper.  They were so excited to create and build, that the writing came easily.  The hardest part for me was getting enough time for them to not feel rushed.It was my favorite time of day because the kids worked so well together and encouraged each other to share their ideas.  They learned that incorporating all of their ideas into their projects was harder than they thought it would be and working toward a common goal was easier.  I feel that was a great life lesson to learn.I was very impressed to see how creative the kids could be with the props that were given.  Many groups had similar ideas that they were able to express in totally different ways.  Thank you again!” Beth Henning Second Grade Teacher Ramsey Elementary
“Gateway Band/Orchestra”	“The money provided by the Gateway Foundation made it possible to repair dozens of school owned instruments that were in desperate need of attention.  These repairs allowed students who, without these instruments, would never have had the opportunity to perform as a member of a school band or orchestra because of financial difficulties at home.  The thanks that I have received from parents who benefited from the program has been limitless and the heartwarming feeling it gives me when I see a student succeed in this situation is amazing.  Thank you to all who were involved.” Jim Hoeltje Instrumental Music Teacher Gateway School District
“Expect Respect”	The Gateway Education Foundation provided funds to make “Expect Respect – You Belong to Me”, a play about teen dating violence, possible. “I truly appreciate the generous grant from the Gateway Education Foundation and members of the Gateway School District who took a proactive approach to educate our community about the devastating dangers of teen dating violence.” Traci Riccardi Teacher Gateway High School
“Malcolm Baldrige Award”	“Without the assistance of the Gateway Education Foundation, Gateway School District would not have been able to begin its journey toward a more efficient and effective system. The guidance received from the Montgomery County Schools, a previous Malcolm Baldrige Award winning school district, put us on the right path to ultimately achieve a similar recognition.  Thank you, Gateway Education Foundation!” Dr. Nina Zetty Superintendent of Gateway School District