GAR Foundation grants awarded

Hoban received nearly $35,000 from the GAR Foundation through its annual Educator Initiative Grant (EIG) program. In total, the Foundation awarded $350,000 in funding to 42 teams of educators. The EIG program offers grants to K-12 educators in Summit County’s public and nonprofit private schools who present classroom innovations to support student success.

“We’re proud to continue supporting classroom teachers in Summit County with the EIG program,” said Kirstin Toth, senior vice president of GAR Foundation. “We wanted to be especially supportive for teachers post-Covid, to help students get back on track where needed. Each year we receive so many creative ideas for how to support student learning, and this year was no exception.”

Many projects this year focus not only on academic achievement but also on helping students with social-emotional learning. These crucial skills, such as regulating emotions and establishing strong relationships, are essential to success in school and beyond. More than $5.6 million has been deployed into local classrooms since the inception of the EIG program in 2004.

“We are so proud of the work teachers put into developing these concepts this past year, especially with so much on their plates," said Lucille Esposito, EIG program manager for GAR Foundation. "The projects that came forward are truly cutting edge."

Hoban received grant money for the following projects:

1. Knight and Day Cafe: A student-operated coffee shop serving the Hoban community, teaching students the fundamentals of starting and running a business. The cafe will also serve as a place to build community and encourage both friendship and networking.
2. Escape from Trig Island: Students will create escape rooms to foster problem-solving strategies and develop a growth mindset in trigonometry. The project includes a field experience and a focus on 21st-century learning skills necessary to collaborate with peers and adults.
3. Reflecting on My Journey through Iconography: The art of Iconography will introduce students to a traditional method of reflecting on life’s journey, and in an integrated way through Icon writing, aid students in growing mature, thoughtful and stable relationships with themselves and others.
4. Words and Actions Matter: This project is to provide an emotional and educational series for teachers on the perspective of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and mindful language while providing strategies and tools for their students.