CREDIT UNION OF AMERICA AWARDS $48,700 TO SUPPORT 56 KANSAS TEACHERS

WICHITA, Kan. — Credit Union of America (CUA) has awarded $48,700 in Teach, Grow, and Inspire the Future (TGIF) classroom grants to 56 teachers across Kansas. Since TGIF launched in 2000, CUA has contributed more than $600,000 to help teachers bring creative ideas to life through classroom projects, supplies, and experiences that enrich learning.

During this application period, more than 175 teachers submitted proposals with ideas aimed at sparking innovation and engagement in their classrooms. Recipients were selected through an anonymous review process conducted by a panel of CUA employees and retired educators. Additional information about each winning project is available upon request.

We congratulate our Fall 2025 TGIF grant recipients and wish them and their students a rewarding, engaging experience as they bring their educational projects to life.

2025 TGIF Grant Recipients

Wichita Public Schools
Abigail Myril Semple, Sips 2Go, Chisholm Life Skills Center
Rebecca Janssen, Libros en Español, Cloud Elementary School
Trisha Jones, Clubs, College Hill Elementary School
Jennifer Thorpe, Cultivating Environmental Inquiry, Coleman Middle School
Melissa Guerrero, Penguin Research Project, Colvin Elementary School
Ethan Oltean, Binoculars for Field Ecology, East High School
John Perkins, Literacy Intervention, East High School
Kayla Conely, High Schoolers Still Love Stickers and Other Extrinsic Rewards Too!, East High School
Mallela Sabas, From Barriers to Bridges—A Flexible Classroom for Language Growth, East High School
Alissa Needham, Science Lab Equipment, Heights High School
Janet Ralston, Make Reading Come Alive, Horace Mann Dual Language Magnet School
Lara Dodson, Building Empathy Through Persona Dolls, Isely Traditional Magnet Elementary School
Karen Rodriguez-Orozco, Outdoor Classroom, Lawrence Elementary School
Kristen Yacenda, Engagement with QBall, Linwood Elementary School
Carrie Kessler, Making Magic, Mead Middle School
Charee Wright, Engineering Fairytales—Designing Happily Ever After, Mueller Elementary School
Jason Fair, Flip Zone, Mueller Elementary School
Shane Goldwater, Stream to Sustainability, North High School
Madeline Crawford, Sound Projection, Northwest High School
Stacy Mizer Dalrymple, Building a Book, Ortiz Elementary School

Wichita Private Schools
Elizabeth Gaulding, Support for Reading Intervention Materials, Blessed Sacrament Catholic School
Emily Millspaugh, Classroom Gardening, Green Gate Children's School
Tiffany Titus (Woodman), Cracking the Code—Decodable Readers for Reading Success, LIGHT Academy
Debie Markevits, Manipulatives in Math Matter, Trinity Academy

Community Markets
Kirsten Meireis, Calculators for All, Andale High School, Andale
Holly Avalos, Entrepreneurship Field Trip, Andover High School, Andover
Melissa Reed, Writer's Ink, Augusta Middle School, Augusta
Cassy Dalbom, Building Literacy Connections, Belle Plaine High School, Belle Plaine
Kylie Hamilton, A Student-Led Podcast for Connection, Creativity and Communication, Belle Plaine High School, Belle Plaine
Kayla Ash, Skating in PE, Belle Plaine Middle School, Belle Plaine
Rebecca Cole, Tools for Learning, Literacy and Focus in the SPED Classroom, Clearwater Intermediate School, Clearwater
Adam Stout, Less Screen Time, More Hands-On Learning, Derby High School, Derby
Angela Gumm, Hen House for School, St. Mary Parish Catholic School, Derby
Anne Weber, Jumping for Heart Health, Garden Plain Elementary School, Garden Plain
Darcie Lowry, Greenhouse Supplies, Goddard High School, Goddard
Mindy St. Peter, Robotics Club Start Up, Goddard Middle School, Goddard
Sherry Pruter, Student Emergency Backpack Program, Central Kansas Christian Academy, Great Bend
Hillary Emerson, Sit Smart Not Still, Little Panthers Preschool, Great Bend
Amy Stein, Empowering Young Voices Via a Middle School News Broadcast Journalism Program, Great Bend Middle School, Great Bend
Robyn Heitschmidt, The Fun is in the Details, Great Bend Middle School, Great Bend
Casey Meier, New Sew Blanket Project, Campus High School, Haysville
Jaclyn Ward, Cooking with Fire—Building Skills One Slice at a Time, Campus High School, Haysville
Megan Bloom, Clearer Stories, One Camera at a Time, Inman High School, Inman
Jessica Buchanan, Print the Future—Empowering Middle School Engineers with 3D Innovation, Maize Middle School, Maize
Kathleen Rodriguez, Real Talk, Maize Middle School, Maize
Jenny Peck, History in Focus, Maize South High School, Maize
Jancy Davis, Notebook-Journal Supplies, Roosevelt Elementary School, Manhattan
Sarah Weis, Little Typers, Big Impact—Chromebook Keyboard Slip Covers, Minneapolis Grade School, Minneapolis
Lori Colvin, Exciting Adventure for 5th Graders, Mulvane Grade School, Mulvane
Sean Monaghen, Pottery Class Improvements, Newton High School, Newton
Stephanie Thompson, Maker Space Classroom, Liberty Middle School, Pratt
Emily Gilpin, Phonics Based Learning Through Play, Southwest Elementary School, Pratt
Rachael Wilson, Real Life Math for Lifelong Success—Empowering Special Education Students Through Functional Math, Salina South Middle School, Salina
Laia Tena Giornes, Virtual Reality Integration in Foreign Language Classroom, Smoky Valley High School, Lindsborg
Kara Duncan, Staying Alive, Stafford Jr./Sr. High School, Stafford
Christian Ammerman, Camera for Middle School Yearbook Class, Valley Center Middle School, Valley Center