The Castaic Education Foundation awarded several teachers on Wednesday with grant money to go towards their classroom and program needs, from new instruments in music class to technology for robotics. 

Sixteen total grants were awarded for the 2022-2023 school year, totaling up to $50,000. A few of the recipients were present on Wednesday to receive some of the items bought with the grant. 

“We honestly have a really great inventory at our school but as the years progressed they’ve certainly gone downhill in their quality, particularly our guitars,” said Castaic Middle School music teacher Dan Chandler. “A large portion of the grant will go towards purchasing guitars for our program, new clarinets, a new flute and new trombones.”

Recipients of the grant wrote in their requests for whatever material was needed for their classrooms or for the school programs they run. 

For Natalie Urso, this meant new hardcover books for the 2nd grade literacy program. For Katrina Weiner, it meant paying for buses to take students to science camp. And for Karla deLemos, it meant new art supplies for students at Castaic Middle School. 

“I was able to get a lot of things we don’t have,” said deLemos. “Individual paint brushes for each kid to have. Canvases and new acrylic paint.”

Lots of the materials requested by teachers were present at the awards ceremony and they were able to take them home that day. 

Kerry Summers was able to take to her classroom her math multiplication machines, which allow students to solve and check equations by themselves or in groups. 

Briana Gehrke was awarded her flexible seating request and given gaming chairs and bouncy ball chairs for her students. “A lot of students need extra sensory input and are constantly rocking in their chairs or fidgeting. I’m hoping these help with focus and motivation,” said Gehrke.

Perhaps one of the most interesting requests was for a biking program for kindergarteners, called All Kids Bike.

“We’re seeing that more and more kids can’t ride bikes, either their parents can’t teach them or they don’t live somewhere they can ride,” said Robin Peters. “Here, they will learn to ride a bike.” Twenty-seven bikes and helmets were awarded to the program. 

Students in the video production class at Castaic Middle School expressed their gratitude with a video under the direction of teacher Terry Parent. 

The grant provided the program with new equipment like tripods and microphones to replace broken equipment. 

“The kids have started a podcast and it’s so cool to see them talk about the things that interest them,” said Parent. “That’s really what this is all about.”

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