Innovative Teaching Grant
“Innovation is the calling card of the future.”
- Anna Eshoo
2025-2026 Innovative Teaching Grant Recipients
Pre-school Sensory Room – North Star Early Childhood Education Center
Pre-schoolers with sensory sensitivities will use a specially designed sensory room to practice emotional regulation, focus, and social skills. The space should improve engagement and classroom readiness while supporting inclusive instruction.
Curiosity Totes: STEM Discovery for Virginia’s Littlest Learners – Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center
Students will engage with portable science stations exploring melting, floating, magnifying, and mixing. This hands-on approach should promote inquiry, conversation, and curiosity, laying a foundation for lifelong STEM learning.
Wednesday Cooking Club: Learning English Through Shared Experiences – Anne E. Moncure Elementary School
English Learners will participate in weekly cooking lessons that integrate vocabulary, math, science, and writing. Students will plan, prepare, and share meals, should strengthen English language skills, and will build confidence in communication.
Burnie Break: Beverage and Snack Cart led by Level 2 Students – Anthony Burns Elementary School
Level 2 Special Education students will run a weekly student-led coffee and snack cart to practice communication, vocational, and math skills. The project will build confidence, independence, and inclusion while giving students real-world learning experiences.
The KINDness Crew: Putting the “I” in Kind – Anthony Burns Elementary School
Fifth-grade students will design and lead school-wide kindness initiatives such as message boards, recognition days, and service projects. These activities should promote leadership, social-emotional growth, and a culture of empathy and inclusion.
Growing Minds: A 3rd Grade Learning Garden – Hampton Oaks Elementary School
Third graders will cultivate a learning garden to explore science, math, and literacy standards. This hands-on approach should enhance comprehension, retention, and real-world problem-solving skills.
Growing Minds, Growing Meals – Winding Creek Elementary School
First grade students will use a hydroponics system to explore plant growth and nutrition. Students will investigate life science concepts, measure growth, and should strengthen math, literacy, and teamwork skills while connecting to farm-to-table lessons.
STEM Club Takes Flight! – A.G. Wright Middle School
Middle school students will explore drone technology to learn coding, physics, and engineering. Students will design flight paths, collect and analyze data, and should develop problem-solving, teamwork, and STEM skills.
Think On Your Feet – Dixon-Smith Middle School
Students will use movable magnetic whiteboards to collaborate, share ideas visually, and engage kinesthetically, while teachers will provide immediate feedback and personalized instruction. This hands-on approach should increase engagement, deepen understanding, and promote ownership of learning.
STEAM Club: Creative Innovation and Accessible Design – H.H. Poole Middle School
Middle school students will build paper-circuit robots, adaptive 3D-printed solutions, and accessible websites. The club will integrate engineering, design thinking, and digital citizenship while should inspire innovation and problem-solving.
Project Plant Power – Shirley Heim Middle School
Students will grow indoor and outdoor plants while improving English literacy and scientific observation. The project should provide experiential learning opportunities and encourage environmental awareness.
Student Design Lab: From Concept to Creation – Stafford Middle School
Students will create wearable art by designing tote bags and t-shirts. The project should build digital art, graphic design, and entrepreneurial skills while encouraging creativity and innovation.
Conectados: Building Bridges Through Language and Culture – Brooke Point High School
Level 4 Spanish students at Stafford High School and Brooke Point High School will participate in a yearlong pen pal exchange to practice authentic Spanish and explore cultural identity. Students will exchange letters, digital messages, and multimedia, culminating in a joint field trip to strengthen language proficiency, empathy, and collaboration.
3rd Annual Stafford Schools HOSA-Future Health Professionals Symposium – Colonial Forge High School
High school students from across Stafford County will participate in hands-on healthcare workshops, tours, and professional networking. This immersive experience will connect classroom instruction to real-world healthcare careers and should expand knowledge of advanced medical topics.
En la Cocina de mi Abuela: Cultura y Conversación – Mountain View High School
Level 3 students will prepare traditional Spanish recipes and role-play restaurant scenarios to practice speaking, listening, reading, and writing. This hands-on experience should deepen language skills and cultural understanding.
Generations Collaborative Art – North Stafford High School
Students will create large-scale canvases with local assisted living residents, combining painting, gems, and collaborative art-making. This intergenerational project should foster creativity, social-emotional growth, and community connection.
Exploring Latino Heritage: A Cultural Journey – Stafford High School
Spanish for Fluent Speakers students will visit the Molina Family Latino Gallery at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. The experience will connect classroom learning to real-world culture and history, should enhance language skills, and will foster critical thinking and cultural awareness.
Virtual Reality (VR) Simulators for Air Force JROTC Learning – North Stafford High School
Air Force JROTC cadets will use Meta Quest 3 headsets and Microsoft Flight Simulator to experience immersive flight simulations. This project will increase engagement, inspire interest in aerospace careers, and enhance STEM learning.
Cinematography in Content Creation – Mountain View High School
Students will build gimbals and jib arms to explore camera movement and storytelling. The project should improve technical skills, elevate content creation quality, and enhance understanding of visual media.
Students Serving Seniors: Triple S Club – Mountain View High School
Students will provide one-on-one tech support to senior citizens, mentoring community members while building communication and problem-solving skills. The project should foster intergenerational relationships and digital literacy.
2024 ITG AWARDEES
Ferry Farm Elementary, Level 2 self contained classrooms - TAYLOR MURRAY and CASSIDY PARSONS for the Sunshine Cart a whole school inclusive activity
Ms. Brawner and her team.
Hartwood Elementary, 4th Grade - REBECCA BRAWNER, JESSICA FLAHERTY, ERIN HENDRICKS, KARI-LEIGH VEGA, ELENA BEARD for Jamestown Field trip
Anne E. Moncure Elementary, ESOL Department - ELIZABETH ROBENS, MINA THOMPSON for The Wednesday Cooking Club: Learning English through Shared Experiences
Ms. Robens and her crew!
Ferry Farm Elementary, Mathematics - MEGAN COVERT, GABI STUMP, KARLY FORREST, MELISSA TERRY, COREY HESDAON for Encouraging Mathematical Discourse and Discovery for Young Learners
Mr. Maynard and the the Autism Cooks team.
North Stafford High School, Student Services Special Education - BRIAN MAYNARD, TIFFANY MORRIS, DUANE BURNETTE for Autism Cooks: Building Independence in the Kitchen
Stafford High School, World Languages - LYNNE LANSFORD, CHEF RAVEN, SARAH JACKSON, BRIAN OURS, BETH CARAFIOL, STACEY STROUD for Learning to Appreciate Cultural Differences at Stafford High School Global Citizenship for our Students
SEE PROJECT RESULTS HERE!
Ms. Lansford sharing her grant with Frida Kahlo
Colonial Forge High School, Special Education - RYAN CUPPS for LEAD Coffee Cart, a post graduate small business project
Stafford High, Colonial Forge, Conway ES and Ferry Farm ES, District Wide Deaf and Hard of Hearing Population - JALYN WADE, LYNDA DUVALL, KRISTIN POWELL AND LISA HIGHT for Increasing Literacy in Stafford County's Deaf and Hard of Hearing student population.
Mr. Sekinger sharing the joy with a plant in the Gayle Carden
Gayle Middle School, Library - NATHAN SEKINGER, JULIE RHOADS for Gayle’s Growing Garden Supports English Language Learners
North Stafford High School, School Counseling - JULIE DIAZ-CASTILLO, SUZANNA ERLICHMAN, VIKKI PACKWOOD for “Glow Wherever You Go”
Hartwood Elementary School, All HES students - CASEY CLARK, MARLA GARCIA for Hartwood Elementary School Community Garden
Ms. Clark showing the bee her grant.
North Stafford High School, ESOL ELD - DAYARELIS QUINONES for STEM Design Challenge
Congrats Ms. Terrill and Ms. Thomas for teaming up across school boundaries!
Stafford and Mountain View High Schools, Learn and Serve - LAUREN TERRILL, TAMMIE THOMAS for Branching Out: Understanding the Power of Trees
Park Ridge Elementary, 5th Grade Classrooms - DENAE VARGAS, MICHAEL GRIBIK, VAL SLEPPY for Empowering Minds: Introducing Wipebooks for Innovative 5th Grade Learning
Colonial Forge High School, Biology - BRITTANY FULMER for Preserved Wonders: Exploring the Animal Kingdom
Ms. Fulmer thinking about the animals!
Mountain View and Colonial Forge High Schools, Business Department - ANNA KILLION, ROBIN ALTHOFF for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance
Kate Waller Barrett Elementary School, 4th Grade - JACLYN WHEELER, HALEY REISLINK, LAURA MARKS, TONI JOHNSON, KATIE MCNELLY, MICHELLE STEWARD-STEPNEY for Jamestown
Shirley Heim Middle School, Mathematics - PHILL GRIFFIN, JESSICA SHEIDY for Modeling Math: Three Dimensional objects to analyze and compare fractions, area, volume, and perimeter/circumference
2022 - 2023 Innovative Teaching Grant
Congratulations to the 2022 - 2023 Innovative Teaching Grant Recipients!
The Stafford Education Foundation awarded Innovative Teaching Grants at 8 schools for the 2022 - 2023 School Year. Approximately $10,000 was awarded to educators at:
Margaret Brent Elementary
Park Ridge Elementary
Rocky Run Elementary
Brooke Point High
Mountain View High
Brooke Point High
Ferry Farm Elementary
Phoenix Center for Innovative Learning
2021 - 2022 Innovative Teaching Grant
Congratulations to the 2021 - 2022 Innovative Teaching Grant Recipients!
The Stafford Education Foundation awarded 14 Innovative Teaching Grants at 11 schools for the 2021 - 2022 School Year. Approximately $13,500 was awarded to educators at:
Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center
Grafton Village Elementary School
Hartwood Elementary School
Margaret Brent Elementary School
Park Ridge Elementary School
Widewater Elementary School
Winding Creek Elementary School
Dixon-Smith Middle School
T. Benton Gayle Middle School
Brooke Point High School
Stafford High School
2020 - 2021 Innovative Teaching Grant
2020 - 2021 ITG North Star Early Childhood Education Center Video
Congratulations to the 2020 - 2021 Innovative Teaching Grant Recipients!
The Stafford Education Foundation awarded 11 Innovative Teaching Grants for the 2020 - 2021 School Year. Approximately $7,300 was awarded to educators at:
Brooke Point High School
Dixon-Smith Middle School
Hampton Oaks Elementary School
Margaret Brent Elementary School
North Star Early Childhood Education Center
Rockhill Elementary School
T. Benton Gayle Middle School
Winding Creek Elementary School
2019 - 2020 Innovative Teaching Grant
2019 - 2020 Innovative Teaching Grant Gallery
Congratulations to the 2019 - 2020 Innovative Teaching Grant Recipients!
The Stafford Education Foundation awarded 15 Innovative Teaching Grants for the 2019 - 2020 School Year. Approximately $13,000 was awarded to educators at:
Colonial Forge High School
Edward E. Drew Middle School
Hampton Oaks Elementary School
Kate Waller Barrett Elementary School
Mountain View High School
North Stafford High School
Rockhill Elementary School
Stafford Elementary School
Stafford Middle School
Gayle Middle School
Widewater Elementary School