Foundation For Allen Schools Funded Classroom Grants at

Ford Middle School

2022-2023 Classroom Grants

Future Innovators

This grant under CTE Curriculum was awarded to Edwin Dolores and will benefit 240 students at Ford Middle School.

Students using the new 3D printers will be able to design, print, revise, problem-solve, and find solutions to real-world applications that are both functional and useful. All the skills they gain will allow them to be college-ready and future-ready.

Ford Robotics Club

This grant under CTE Curriculum was awarded to Kelli Walston and will benefit 35 students at Ford Middle School.

The grant provided will help cover the transportation and registration fees for Robotics competitions that the Ford robotics Club will participate in.  Without these funds we would not be able to participate.

Revitalizing the Ford Middle School Library for Adolescent Readers

This grant under Library / Makerspace Curriculum was awarded to Melanie Storts and will benefit 800 students at Ford Middle School.

Having current resources for students in a school library is vital for the school culture and student growth.  Students should have materials available to them that are current and relative, not only for them to better complete their classroom assignments but also for their reading pleasure.

Empowered Leaders

This grant under Counseling Curriculum was awarded to Jennifer Armentrout, Jennifer Springgs, Samantha Fields, Meredith Martin, Austin White, Solomn Boatfield, Harold Allen, Dylan Martin, Todd Fornadel and Tara Cassetty and will benefit 300 students at Chandler Elementary, Marion Elementary, Olson Elementary, Preston Elementary, Rountree Elementary, Vaughan Elementary, Curtis Middle School, Ereckson Middle School and Ford Middle School.

Empowered Leaders takes place in six elementary schools and all three middle schools in Allen ISD who participate in this unique after school leadership program which focuses on building leaders in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. Students participate in field trip, leadership skills training, and serving through volunteer efforts.

ALLen Reads 2022

This grant under Library / Makerspace Curriculum was awarded to Kelly Clewell and will benefit 20,000 students across AISD and benefits every campus in Allen. 

ALLen Reads encourages the entire Allen community to read the same book or the grade-level appropriate companion book. The grant provides copies of the selected books to all campuses in Allen ISD, and the students have access to community events related to the books, such as author and illustrator speakers, writing presentations, and musical performances.

BRAINball

This grant under Physical Education Curriculum was awarded to Geoben Johnson and Katie Snider and will benefit 16,500 students across Allen ISD in grades K – 9^th.

BRAINball is an innovative and unique physical education learning system that merges physical activity and academic learning through play. In addition to the physical benefits, significant improvement will be seen in gross and fine motor skills, cooperative and cognitive learning.  Brainball has proven to produce positive changes in letter recognition,  students read better, improve mathematical skills, movement and writing skills. Research also shows positive changes in graphomotor skills, eye-hand coordination, and temporal-spatial orientation improvement when used on a consistent basis. The Brainball set includes 100 premade games/activities for K-6 that can be adapted for grades 7-9. Training will be provided to allow easy integration into district curriculum and to academic classroom teachers that want to use it for enhancing learning in their class. The brainball set is appropriate for Kindergarten through High School and can be adapted for students with special needs and learning deficits.

Real time data in Science

This grant under Science / STEAM Curriculum was awarded to Jason Baughman and will benefit 3,600 students Curtis, Ereckson and Ford Middle Schools.

This grant will support science and engineering practices in our middle school classrooms by giving students the opportunity to collect and analyze data in real-time. The sensors connect to any compatible Bluetooth device including phones, tablets, Chromebook, laptops, and computers.

I Can See Clearly Now!

This grant under Special Education Curriculum was awarded to Patricia Reyna, Sherri Idbeis, Karen McCrary and Colleen Dunphy and will benefit 45 students across Allen ISD who have a visual impairment.

Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments serve students throughout the district and provide consult and direct instruction for teachers and students with blindness or visual impairments. An iPad Pro is a tool that makes accessing learning material possible for students that struggle with seeing on a regular iPad screen. An iPad Pro also serves as an evaluation tool for TSVI's and our Orientation and Mobility instructor in the district.

2021-2022 Classroom Grants

FMS Robotics

This grant under CTE Curriculum was awarded to Kelli Walston along with Edwin Dolores and will benefit 60 students. 

Allen ISD and the Foundation For Allen Schools is pleased to support the hands-on building and programming efforts to students in the Robotics program at Ford Middle School. This group of students is provided the opportunity to create and develop a unique and knowledgeable set of skills that will them well in their futures. Students learn to exercise critical skills such as working on a team, problem solving, communication, patience, and diligence as they create these one-of-a-kind robots ... together.

DT - Leveled Readers

This grant under English Language Arts (Elementary) & Dyslexia Curriculum awarded to Ella Jones along with Jill Jaska, Susie Barlow, Deb Scott, Carli Burke, Dena Goddard, Amber Arnold, Candice Frazier, Janice Harrop, Maria Burnes, Julieta Henderson, Angela Lunde, Shia Valdovino, Janell Cook, Tami Everett.  The grant will benefit 900 students at the following campuses: Anderson, Bolin, Boyd, Chandler, Cheatham, Evans, Green Kerr, Lindsey and Ford Middle School.

Connected texts are decodable books that use predictable words and word patterns through engaging stories. The Dyslexia Therapist can use these books, in combination with other materials, to address the student?s fluency and comprehension skills. The Allen ISD Dyslexia Department wants to enhance its program by giving its students the opportunity to read these books so they can become stronger readers.