Voting for the Classroom Enrichment Grant will be open from April 6 at 8 a.m. through April 10 at 4 p.m. Each voter can cast one vote per day, so be sure to come back daily to support your favorite classroom project. Every vote makes a difference—don’t miss your chance to help bring these ideas to life!
Teacher's Name: Hannah Bodine
School Name: Auburn High School
Grades Taught: 10th-12th
Project Title: Sustainable Island Diorama
Project Description: The Sustainable Island Diorama is an 18-week, hands-on learning experience aligned with Alabama science standards. Students design and construct a model that demonstrates sustainable living practices, integrating concepts from urbanization, forestry/soil/agriculture, water, energy, and biodiversity. Through research, planning, and creative design, students balance environmental, economic, and social factors to create a functional and resilient ecosystem. This project promotes critical thinking, problem-solving, and real-world application of scientific principles while encouraging environmental stewardship.
Teacher's Name: Alana Brown
School Name: Wrights Mill Road Elementary School
Grade Taught: 4th
Project Title: March Book Madness
Project Description: This project meets the need for engaging, hands on learning experiences that help students connect more deeply with reading. Through our “March Book Madness” unit, students read a variety of high quality picture books and participate in an interactive voting system using a classroom basketball goal. Students also create their own book covers, integrating art and creativity, and write argumentative essays to defend which book they believe should win. The unit ends with a virtual author visit, giving students a meaningful, real-world connection to the books they have read and discussed.
Teacher's Name: Amy Dillard
School Name: Cary Woods Elementary School
Grade Taught: 1st
Project Title: A Cozy Start - Providing a Warm Welcome for Our Ducklings
Project Description: In our classroom, students engage in an enriching hands-on experience by hatching duck eggs. This teaches them about the life cycle of animals, responsibility, and empathy through real-life observation and care. Once the ducklings hatch, they require an environment (brooder) to thrive in that mimics the care they would receive from a mother duck. Currently, our classroom lacks a proper brooder for our ducklings. Without this, our ability to sustain this valuable learning experience is limited. This grant would provide a high-quality brooder and give students the opportunity to observe and learn from the early stages of a duck’s life up close.
Teacher's Name: Allison Etheredge
School Name: J F Drake Middle School
Grade Taught: 6th
Project Title: Mind Your Mahjong: Big Thinking Starts Here!
Project Description: Mind Your Mahjong: Big Thinking Starts Here! transforms learning into an engaging, hands-on experience where students build critical skills through strategic gameplay. Using mahjong, students strengthen pattern recognition, problem-solving, and probability while working collaboratively to make decisions and adapt their thinking. This project not only deepens mathematical understanding but also fosters teamwork, perseverance, and a strong sense of classroom community—empowering students to take risks, stay engaged, and grow as confident learners.
Teacher's Name: Ashley Farmer
School Name: Auburn Early Education Center
Grade Taught: PreK
Project Title: Talk, Play, Connect
Project Description: We are seeking funding to host a series of themed Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Family Nights for our preschool students and their caregivers. These interactive nights will provide hands-on opportunities for families to learn how to support communication development using AAC strategies in fun, engaging, and meaningful ways. Each event will feature a theme (e.g. Back to School, Ice Cream Night) designed to model communication across everyday routines. Many of our preschool students benefit from AAC supports, yet families often report needing more guidance and confidence in using these tools at home!
Teacher's Name: Aaron Garlock
School Name: Pick Elementary School
Grade Taught: 5th
Project Title: The Quietest Party with the Loudest Learning
Project Description: Silent Disco headphones will transform our classroom by creating a focused, distraction-free environment where students can listen, learn, and work at their own pace. They are especially impactful for students who need a calmer space to stay engaged and successful.
Beyond academics, they add fun and energy through brain breaks and silent dance parties that help students reset and refocus. This simple tool supports both learning and joy—helping every student stay engaged, confident, and ready to succeed.
Teacher's Name: Hannah Hawk
School Name: Auburn High School
Grades Taught: 10th-12th
Project Title: Fueling Minds: A Classroom Nutrition Initiative
Project Description: I am requesting funds to provide snacks for students throughout the school day. According to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, physiological needs must be met before higher-order thinking and learning can occur. Many students face food insecurity, going hungry between meals. When students are hungry, they struggle with focus, emotional regulation, and academic achievement. Teachers often purchase snacks from personal funds to bridge this gap. Providing consistent snacks allows students to focus on learning, removes financial burden from educators, and creates an equitable learning environment where every student can thrive.
Teacher's Name: Ashley Hunter
School Name: Auburn Early Education Center
Grade Taught: 2nd
Project Title: Sit, Slam, Learn!
Project Description: I am seeking funding for flexible seating in my 2nd-grade classroom, themed “Hunter’s Hoop Squad” to honor my late father, who loved basketball. Flexible seating allows students to move, choose their own workspace, and stay engaged while learning. My basketball-themed room features a full-court rug, hanging basketballs, and a parent-donated hoop, creating an environment that energizes and inspires. Research shows flexible seating boosts focus, collaboration, and comfort, helping my “Hoop Squad” thrive academically and socially while building teamwork and perseverance. By giving students choice, flexible seating supports confidence and teamwork.
Teacher's Name: Meagan Lamon
School Name: Creekside Elementary School
Grades Taught: 3rd-6th
Project Title: Families First: Leap into Literacy
Project Description: Many families in our community face language barriers and limited access to technology, making it difficult to support their children’s learning at home. This project will provide LeapFrog tablets with preloaded educational resources to help build literacy and foundational skills. By increasing access to learning tools, we aim to support family engagement and improve student achievement beyond the classroom.
Teacher's Name: Dawn McCord
School Name: Wrights Mill Road Elementary School
Grade Taught: 5th
Project Title: The Bluebird Watch Brigade
Project Description: I have a bluebird box outside my classroom in the courtyard. We feed the bluebirds mealworms daily and have been lucky enough to watch 2 sets of bluebird babies fly away over the last couple of years. I would like to purchase a live bird camera to put inside the bluebird box so that we can not only watch the progression of the building of the nest, the mother and father bluebirds working in tandem to feed the babies, and the hatching of the eggs from the outside but also from the inside! Observing bluebirds has helped my students develop empathy and curiosity for wildlife, increase environmental stewardship, and feel invested in learning.
Teacher's Name: Jessica Miller
School Name: J F Drake Middle School
Grade Taught: 6th
Project Title: Picture Books for Enhancing Social Studies Instructions
Project Description: Alabama adopted new standards for Social Studies that we will begin teaching during the upcoming school year. This content is new for our curriculum group. I would love to be able to purchase picture books for my team to share, to go along with these new standards. Picture books help engage students by making complex history more accessible, building background knowledge, humanizing historical events, and strengthening literacy skills. These books will be used throughout the school year and for many years following to enhance understanding, engagement, and critical thinking skills for our students.
Teacher's Name: TaNisity Smith
School Name: Auburn Early Education Center
Grade Taught: Kindergarten
Project Title: Kindergarten Classroom Transformations: Engaging Students Through Themed Learning Experiences
Project Description: To effectively engage these students and address their diverse needs, I plan to implement classroom transformations—immersive, themed experiences such as a restaurant or campsite. These dynamic environments will captivate students’ interests and make learning enjoyable and hands-on. By providing props, decorations, and tools like magnetic letters and sight word cards, we can foster engagement, encourage positive behavior, and strengthen essential foundational skills.
Teacher's Name: Macey Snyder
School Name: Creekside Elementary School
Grades Taught: STEM (Venture) 3rd-5th
Project Title: Print the Future: Bringing Student Creations to Life in Full Color
Project Description: I’m hoping to bring a multi-color 3D printer into my STEM classroom to take student creativity to the next level. Right now, one printer means long wait times, but with an additional printer, every student could design and print their own creations—from engineering prototypes to personalized projects. The multi-color capability would make their designs more realistic, detailed, and exciting, turning ideas into vibrant, hands-on learning experiences. With more filament and another printer, my students won’t just learn about innovation—they’ll actually create it.
Teacher's Name: Mallory Wall
School Name: Dean Road Elementary School
Grade Taught: 2nd
Project Title: Flexible Seating
Project Description: I would love to add flexible seating options into my 2nd grade classroom such as lap desks and wobble stools. Flexible seating has been shown to boost student engagement and student learning. With the high need to move and wiggle at this age, flexible seating allows students to work in positions that are most comfortable for them. Flexible seating allows students with various learning needs, such as Autism and ADHD, to feel comfortable and included in the classroom to best meet their needs. Brain/body connection has also been proven to help students achieve higher standards, meaning movement is important!
Teacher's Name: Tina Williams
School Name: Yarbrough Elementary School
Grades Taught: Venture Teacher 3rd-5th
Project Title: ChompSaw Makers: Powering Young Engineers
Project Description: I am seeking funding to purchase a ChompSaw, a child-friendly power tool designed specifically for safely cutting cardboard. This tool will be used in our Venture classroom to enhance hands-on STEM learning experiences.
The addition of the ChompSaw will allow students to practice precision as they design and build using the engineering design process. Students will be able to move beyond simple construction and create more detailed, accurate prototypes of their ideas.
The ChompSaw will open the door to endless creative possibilities! This experience will inspire the next generation engineers.