Queen Creek Schools Education Foundation Delivers 16 Teachers Grants
The Queen Creek Schools Education Foundation (QCSEF) is dedicated to promoting excellence through leadership in education. They encourage responsible citizenship by supplementing financial growth and learning opportunities to engage and empower the district’s teachers and students to excel academically through grants and scholarships.
This year, QCSEF delivered over $11,000 worth of teacher grants to 16 Queen Creek Unified School District (QCUSD) teachers.
Prior to the delivery, teachers apply for a grant based on what they need in their classroom. From there, the QCSEF committee determines which applications they can fulfill.
“We score each application using a rubric...how many students will benefit, does it align with our priorities, and other factors,” says QCSEF Secretary Quincy Nelson. “We have a budget of $1,000 per site. Sometimes if there are a few people who apply from the same site, and it fits within that budget, multiple grants are given to one site…If nobody applies from one school, we have the flexibility to use it at another site.”
Rebekah Lowe, a music teacher from Jack Barnes Elementary, won a grant to help improve the music program for her students. With her grant, she was able to purchase a new mixer and microphones for her school’s sound system.
“The QCSEF has provided many wonderful instruments and sound equipment to our school,” says Lowe. “It has benefited not only our students but all the friends and families that attend our programs.”
Lowe goes on to explain how previous grants from QCSEF have helped make a difference in her students’ education.
“I believe in the importance of children making their own music,” says Lowe. “QCSEF grants have given us beautiful drums, xylophones, and percussion instruments that enable each student to have their own instrument.”
QCSEF is set to have its next fundraiser in the Spring, where they will raise money for student scholarships.
Learn more about QCSEF and how you can become a member today.