Munster Education Foundation

At Elliott Elementary, fourth and fifth graders model character traits for students and lead student assemblies to teach life skills through the "Elevate Elliott" student leadership program. Training for student leaders is funded through a grant from the Munster Education Foundation. "The Elevate Elliott Student Leader program uses the talent and leadership of our student leaders to influence positive behavior, build strong relationship skills, and foster a positive community," said Alyssa Bell, assistant principal, Elliott Elementary. "Our character traits are based on the School Town of Munster's 'Portrait of a Graduate,'" she said. "We have chosen character traits to highlight our program and reflect these beliefs." Each set of lessons for student leaders is designed to build collaboration, connect to brain science, and challenge students to use the traits in and out of school as well as to recognize the use of the traits by others. Student leaders also learn how to lead discussions in their classrooms to build a closer mentor relationship. Find out more about the impact the Munster Education Foundation is making for Munster schools. Visit https://lnkd.in/gstCng4W. #education #innovation #leadership #philanthropy Indiana Association of Public Education Foundations School Town of Munster

At Eads Elementary, teacher D'Ann Habas dimmed the lights and encouraged students to grab a cup of cocoa as the class hosted its first "Poetry Slam" this past spring. It's an event where students shared the poetry they had written while classmates snapped in applause, and it was made possible as part of a "Reading Rocks!" grant awarded by the Munster Education Foundation. "Not only did the students get to share authentic pieces of writing, they got to enjoy a unique experience as well," Ms. Habas said. "The backdrop and microphone simply made the experience that much more perfect." The grant also funded paperback copies of novels such as "The Wednesday Wars," a Newbery Honor Award winner; "Because of Mr. Terupt;" and "The War that Saved My Life" for fifth-graders at Eads. "To bring back the joy of reading and writing, students need to remember that reading isn't just about testing!" Ms. Habas said. "Enjoying reading will then translate to increased learning." Find out more about the impact the Munster Education Foundation is making for students in our communities. Visit https://lnkd.in/gstCng4W. School Town of Munster Indiana Association of Public Education Foundations #education #philanthropy #reading #learning #innovation

Sloths and snakes and turtles, oh my! Kindergarten students at Elliott Elementary enjoyed a traveling zoo this spring thanks to a grant from the Munster Education Foundation. The zoo gave students the opportunity to learn about animals up close by engaging with a professional zookeeper. The students then wrote about their experiences in class. "Every year, we read and write about animals. This project created a positive experience for students and generated new knowledge about various animal groups," Mrs. Garcia said. "The students described the different animal traits and determined their favorite animal. They learned lots of facts by observing animals in real life." Indiana Association of Public Education Foundations #education #philanthropy

Congratulations to Team WRINGO, winner of the People's Choice Award in The STARTedUP Foundation state finals! We're very excited to support Munster High School student entrepreneurs and their teachers. Best of luck with your company, Connor Gomez, Ameen Musleh and Vasili Papageorge, and congratulations, Krissy LaFlech, MBA, on another outstanding year! Indiana Association of Public Education Foundations School Town of Munster #education #innovation #entrepreneurship #startups

For the second year in a row, the Munster Education Foundation has awarded more than $100,000 in grants across all five Munster schools. Our most recent grants support the robotics clubs at Eads and Elliott elementary schools, a "Reading Rotations Rock!" grant designed to strengthen reading skills in all levels of learners at Eads Elementary, paperback copies of "Esperanza Rising" for 5th graders at Frank Hammond Elementary, a playground core communication board at Eads Elementary, books for the Munster High School and Wilbur Wright Middle School media centers that reflect the diversity of the student populations at each school, and more. We're already busy planning for the 2024-2025 school year! Want to help us make an impact? Donate today at https://lnkd.in/gjvSKzQZ School Town of Munster Indiana Association of Public Education Foundations #education #innovation #philanthropy

"There's something in the water!" At Munster High School, a grant that gave Principles of Entrepreneurship students the chance to create their own board game and market it led to ideas like "Shark Bite," created by students Galilea and Rediet. In this game, students place stickers on the board before the game begins. Land on a life preserver ring and advance two spaces. Land on a shark: shark bite! "I wanted the students to be able to create something from inception to fruition that they could actually prototype and market," MHS teacher Eric Sera said. "Rather than create a hypothetical business plan for something they might create one day, the students gained an immersive, hands-on experience that allowed them to go through the full and actual entrepreneurial process." Munster Education Foundation is proud to support innovative learning experiences like this, which led to dozens of creative board game concepts and marketing plans from Munster High School business students. School Town of Munster Indiana Association of Public Education Foundations #education #innovation #entrepreneurship #startups #philanthropy

You can help Team WRINGO win the People's Choice Awards during the The STARTedUP Foundation state finals! Vote online and help these Munster High School students be recognized for their innovation: https://lnkd.in/gHtW8J6G School Town of Munster Indiana Association of Public Education Foundations #education #innovation #startup #entrepreneur

Munster Education Foundation was proud to sponsor the Celebrating Excellence in Education event with the School Town of Munster in early May, where we celebrated the Teacher of the Year for each Munster school and announced the Teacher of the Year for the district. We also honored all of our grant recipients over the past year. Congratulations to Luke McGinnis, Choir Director, Munster High School, for winning Teacher of the Year for School Town of Munster! What a glorious day to celebrate educators. Indiana Association of Public Education Foundations #education #innovation #excellenceinlearning #philanthropy Luke McGinnis Lynn Eplawy

A mock elections project at Wilbur Wright Middle School gave sixth-grade social studies students a basis for being informed on political issues and passionate about creating the change needed to build a better future. Funded by a grant from the Munster Education Foundation, students in Ms. Gibson and Mr. Filipek's social studies classes created political parties, became part of a campaign team—complete with buttons they made themselves!—experienced the registration process, participated in election debates, and actually voted in a mock simulation. "The goal is to have students be equipped with the knowledge and skills to make a positive impact on their community and the world through student-centered inquiry and authentic, hands-on projects," Ms. Gibson said. Congratulations on a great unit and a fantastic experience for all! School Town of Munster Indiana Association of Public Education Foundations #education #innovation #philanthropy

We're excited to see all that these student entrepreneurs accomplish over time! Congratulations on your already impressive results, and congratulations to Krissy LaFlech, MBA for showing them the way! #WeAreMunster