Two Hamilton Southeastern Schools teachers are among 15 central Indiana educators to receive grants through FORUM Credit Union’s foundation.
According to an announcement from FORUM, the foundation distributed about $25,000 through this year’s program, including grants for Molly Coffman of New Britton Elementary School and Amanda Cornet of Fishers Junior High School.
Through her grant, Coffman purchased a pre-assembled pantry to stock food items for students in need. In her statement on the FORUM website, Coffman said the challenges, humor and empowerment are her favorite parts of teaching.
“I am so grateful to be where I am and to impact so many diverse and passionate learners across grade levels,” she stated. “Mostly, I love that in this profession I can grow and help facilitate growth every single day.”
Cornet’s grant will go toward an outdoor music garden for students and the surrounding community. In her statement, Cornet said she loves introducing a new skill or concept to a student and then seeing them integrate it into playing their instrument.
“This leads into creating opportunities for student collaborative learning as a member of one of the four sections of the orchestra,” she said. “This combined process allows me to share my passion for learning to play an instrument and perform with it as part of a group. All of this is what I love about teaching because I see the passion that grows within the students that leads them to pursue performing, composing, and teaching music in the future. “
According to the announcement, the FORUM Foundation has awarded more than $250,000 in grants since it was founded in 2014. This year, the Foundation received applications from 184 educators requesting more than $325,000 for educational tools.
Grants may be used for any direct classroom expenses, including supplies for a project, basic classroom materials, supplemental items to enhance classroom learning or an experience to enrich educational involvement.
Applications for next year’s educator grants will open in June. Collegiate scholarship applications for the 2024-2025 academic year are open now through Jan. 31. For more about the Foundation, visit forumcu.com/foundation.
