WEF Grants Empower Life Ready Students
At the heart of Westfield Washington Schools is a commitment to ensuring every student is prepared for life — academically, creatively, and with the critical thinking skills needed to thrive.
The Westfield Education Foundation is proud to support this mission through our 2025–2026 grants, awarding 53 grants totaling $48,792.50 across four key areas: Wellness & Mental Health, Literacy/Reading/Foreign Language, Math/Science/Social Studies, and Innovation/Arts.
Each project is designed not only to elevate academic rigor but also to foster creativity, collaboration, and engagement, essential qualities in creating Life Ready students.
Innovation/Arts: Inspiring Creativity and Critical Thinking
At Westfield Middle School, students explore STEM with a new multi-color 3D printer funded by a Foundation grant. In Automation and Robotics, they design and print functional robot components, solving engineering challenges in real time. In Medical Detectives, students bring anatomy to life with 3D models of organs and body systems, enhancing comprehension and sparking curiosity.
The yearbook class at Westfield Middle received a Canon R50 mirrorless camera, allowing students to document school life with skill and creativity. As yearbook sponsor Jason Brumback notes, “This camera helps students see and celebrate the light in others while building storytelling, collaboration, and technical skills.”
Jeffrey McLaughlin at Westfield High School received funding for adaptive musical instruments in Steel Pan and Guitar classes. Students with limited dexterity can now fully participate, building confidence, engagement, and lifelong skills in performance and collaboration.
Literacy/Reading/Foreign Language: Building Strong Readers
Second graders at Monon Trail Elementary are diving into literacy with new phonics and fluency materials aligned to the Science of Reading. Amanda Dusing’s classroom is equipped with whisper phones, Elkonin boxes, decodable texts, and more, providing multi-sensory, research-based tools that strengthen decoding, spelling, and reading fluency.
“These materials allow students to practice skills in a hands-on way and give teachers the tools to differentiate instruction effectively,” Amanda shares. “Our goal is to foster confident readers who are ready for every academic challenge.”
Wellness & Mental Health: Supporting All Areas of Learning
At Oak Trace Elementary, Jaclyn Helman is leading a “Screen-Free Week” in spring 2026, encouraging active play, socialization, and creative exploration. Students and families pledge to reduce screen time while participating in events like a Family Scavenger Hunt, Play Club, and Nature Exploration.
Through this initiative, students build focus, resilience, and problem-solving skills — key components of academic excellence and Life Ready learning. Pre- and post-surveys will measure participation and the impact on families’ awareness of healthy technology habits.
Math/Science/Social Studies: Preparing Future Thinkers
At Shamrock Spring Elementary, 4th and soon 5th graders are using micro: bits to explore coding, electronics, and problem-solving. These hand-held devices help students see how software and hardware interact while strengthening algorithmic thinking and real-world application skills.
STEM teachers like Susan Hahn report, “Students are not just coding — they’re learning to approach problems systematically, testing solutions, and thinking critically about outcomes. These skills set them up for success in any field.”
Thank You to Our Community Partners
None of this work would be possible without our generous community partners: Community First Bank of Indiana, CORE Construction, Schmidt Associates, Meyer Najem, Performance Services, krM Architects, CSO Architects, the Ann K. Gotwald Fund for STEM Education, Kroger Gardis & Regas LLP, the Westfield Lions Club, WestMed, The Gifts, and Craig Wood Farm. Your support fuels creativity, innovation, and opportunity for every student.
If you want to drive innovation and empower teachers, now is your opportunity. Join us in shaping Life Ready students — visit wwswef.org to learn more and get involved.
