Community First Bank of Indiana has partnered with the local education foundations to offer teacher mini-grants for the 2025-26 school year. Each mini-grant provides a teacher with $500 for their classroom’s needs. The winners were presented with their awarded grants in the Fall of 2025:
Lee Ann Eck: As the EL teacher at WIS, this grant is providing required readings for our Language Arts classes and additional readings in the native languages of our multilingual learners, ensuring they can fully access and engage with our curriculum. By offering materials in the students’ first languages, we are supporting comprehension, confidence, and equity, while also strengthening family involvement in education. These resources are helping students feel valued, included, and better prepared for academic success.
Larisa Victor: This grant is being used to purchase task boxes and sensory bins for my developmental preschool classroom. I have diverse learners with special needs, ranging in age from 3–5 years old. The task boxes will be used for small group and independent work, while the sensory bins will provide valuable support for students with sensory needs and students with ASD. Currently, I have a sensory table that students in wheelchairs and those with some physical disabilities cannot reach. Individual sensory bins will benefit these students because they can be placed on a table or on a tray that sits on their wheelchairs. The task boxes will support independent learning and help reinforce skills taught in class.
Melinda Swift: This grant is being used to add a stationary exercise bike to Noble Crossing’s sensory room. The bike will provide students with a regulated outlet for movement, supporting sensory integration, focus, and emotional regulation throughout the school day. This addition will be especially beneficial for students with sensory processing needs, ADHD, or autism.
Robb Moss: This grant is supporting the creation of a video history project to capture and preserve the stories of athletes, musicians, actors, and artists from Howard County, Indiana. Sports and arts have played a central role in shaping the identity, pride, and culture of our community, and this project will ensure these stories—especially those from earlier generations—are recorded and remembered. By preserving this history, students will gain meaningful, hands-on learning experiences in journalism, media production, and local history.
Lacey Jones: This grant enables students in the Agricultural Pathway Animal Science program to gain hands-on, real-world learning experiences by building and installing fabricated wildlife houses (bird, owl, bat, pollinator, and duck). This project combines technical building skills with animal science concepts such as habitat design, animal welfare, and environmental impact. Students will also be exploring career opportunities in animal systems and environmental science while developing teamwork, responsibility, and problem-solving skills.
Jenifer Young: Pathways to Language without Barriers uses rhythm and sound to break down barriers to English learning. Students will engage in evidence-based routines that support grammar, vocabulary, and phonics while strengthening fluency in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. This project creates a safe space where students gain confidence, lower stress, and move beyond hesitation to become expressive, capable language learners.
Community First Bank is a funding partner for the Language without Barriers grant.
