The Second Wave: SCH Innovation Grant Program Fuels Year-Two Growth

The SCH innovation grant program, launched last year thanks to the generosity of alumnus Eric Johnson ’77, has entered its second year with a continued commitment to "intentionally embedded innovation.” Following a successful inaugural cycle, this year's microgrants will no doubt foster creativity and forward-thinking approaches to teaching and learning across all divisions.

Chief Innovation Officer Pete DiDonato and Executive Director of the Sands Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership Ed Glassman once again led the committee to select projects that pushed boundaries and reimagined possibilities, emphasizing that innovation extends "beyond technology." This year's recipients demonstrate an exciting mix of tech-forward advancements and creative, cross-disciplinary approaches.

"The success of the program’s first year laid a phenomenal foundation, and—this year—our faculty and staff are building on their previous ideas and expanding their thinking in new and exciting ways,” says Glassman. “It’s a powerful affirmation that our community is embracing 'intentionally embedded innovation' as a dynamic, ongoing process that elevates the teaching and learning experience for every student.”

The latest microgrants, ranging from $250 to $2,500, fund initiatives that directly benefit students from Pre-K through grade 12. Projects focus heavily on engaging students in innovative ways, such as Amanda Geiger, a 1st-grade teacher who plans to use tactile tools like sand trays and playdough for reading skills; Middle School teacher Jessica Tiffany who received funding to use movement-based learning with BalletX to teach, for example, math or English; and Chinese teacher Allison Lai who plans to employ a fashion app for visual, context-based language learning. 

Simultaneously, the grants are funding high-impact projects that boost STEM, arts, and global competencies. In the Lower School, Stephanie Waters will be expanding a yearlong Pre-K engineering exploration focusing on building and physics; a Kindergarten through grade 12 global literacy initiative led by Kristen Shipler and Julie Knutson will ensure a cohesive, schoolwide approach to understanding global issues; and Upper School students will be gaining hands-on experience in high-altitude astrophysics engineering with Dr. Alissa Sperling.

“Funding from the innovation grant allows us to keep our science and engineering programs on the cutting edge of technology,” says Sperling. “Our balloon program supports student experiments and engineering design, and we're doing projects that most kids wouldn't dream of until upper-level college courses. For this grant, we're designing a custom flight computer that will be distributed and launched by our ballooning partner sites across the country. By having a standard flight computer that is built and calibrated right here at SCH, we will be better able to directly compare data taken across launches and locations. It's amazing to see technology developed here in the science and engineering labs at SCH has a national reach. I'm grateful to the innovation fund for allowing us to push the boundaries of what we're able to do in our classrooms.”

We’ll spotlight this and several other innovation grant projects in the months to come! Stay tuned!