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PEF Teacher Grants help inspirational teachers throughout PUSD take their creative projects from idea to reality by providing resources to enhance the classroom experience for their students. The grants, provided directly to the teachers, benefit thousands of students in Altadena, Pasadena, and Sierra Madre.

In 2018 we are proud to provide more than $200,000 in grants to our teachers and administrators.

For our 2018-19 grants we were proud to provide more than $200,000 for 125 grants to 190 educators. In addition to grants directly to teachers, PEF awarded 18 School-wide Project Grants, and three special awards. School-wide Project Grants are for larger focused projects and have funded an outdoor classroom for learning water conservation, a new athletic weight room, and resources to build supercomputers to create a virtual reality lab.

PEF Teacher Grants are made possible with generous support from the College Football Playoff Foundation, Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association, FEDCO Charitable Foundation, California Community Foundation, and individual community donors.

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125
Grants
200
Thousand
190
Teachers & Principals
42
Years

PEF GRANTS 2018-19
Special Awards

Jarratt Brunson Memorial Award for Literacy

Sandy Garcia & Jennifer Nunez
Jefferson Elementary
“Growing Readers”

Honoring the late Jarratt Brunson, the PEF founder who initiated the Teacher Grant Program, this award will go to the proposal that best reflects Jarratt’s passion for reading and early literacy.

Kathy Onoye Principal's Award

Lori Touloumian
Eliot Arts Magnet
“Eliot Arts Outdoor Performance Ampitheater” 

Honoring Kathy Onoye, who throughout her career as a Principal of Willard Elementary School and most recently as the Executive Director of Elementary Education for the PUSD, has been an outstanding role model and mentor for principals, this award will go to the PUSD Administrator whose proposal best exemplifies their role in inspiring leadership.

Calvin Hunt Arts Award

Cynthia Lake
John Muir High School
“Show Time!” 

Founded by a PUSD Board member in memory of Calvin Hunt who, as Director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, took dancers all over the world as cultural ambassadors. This award promotes and supports dedicated teachers enhancing arts education in PUSD.

“Every year I am awed by the creativity and passion that our district’s teachers and principals share in their grant proposals.” Patrick Conyers, PEF Executive Director

School-wide Grants

Lori Touloumian
Eliot Arts
Eliots Arts Outdoor Performance Amphitheater

Amin Oria
Jefferson Elementary
Bibliotecas para Clases

Lawton Gray III
John Muir High School
Blazer School Newspaper

Noemi Orduna
Madison Elementary
Supporting Struggling Learners

Mark Anderson
Marshall Fundamental
Lighting up our Students’ Faces

Nicole Duquette
McKinley School of the Arts
ART Lab (Art Resources & Teaching Lab)

Roberto Hernandez
Pasadena High School
Technology Suite

Brian Stanley
Rose City High School
Student Internships

Rodolfo Ramirez
San Rafael Elementary
HeART & Sol of Latin America

Lindsay Lewis
Sierra Madre Elementary
Code to SME

Garrett Newsom
Sierra Madre Middle School
SMMS Marching Band

Michael James Dunlavey
Washington STEAM Multilingual Academy
Emerald Dreams

Angela Baxter
Willard Elementary
Music Expansion

Kyle Douglas
Wilson Middle School
Robotics

Teacher Grants

Altadena Elementary

Vivian Alfonso
Boom Whacker Percussion Instruments

Sophie Durand
Sensory and Fine Motor Play Based Learning

Dana Hill
A Writing Treasure Chest of Strategies for Teachers

Hanh Le Courtney Linsey
Wild West Arts

Meghan Livengood
French Reading and Math Resources

Regina Major
Altadena Arts Garden

Ashley Webb
Swinging Through Science Hands On!

Amy Marmol
French Dual Language Immersion Program Books

Blair IB
Michael Birnbryer
Music Technology

Jennifer D’Souza-Brown
Building a Special Education Science Class

Patricia Gorse
Math Rules!

Rene Rodriguez
Graphic Novels as Literature

Maricela Brambila
Professional Presentations

Elizabeth Najera, Lorena Carrillo, Francisco Peramos, Gisell Arredondo
Books in Spanish for Dual Language Immersion Program

Denise Burciaga
Help Me, Help Them

OliviaTu, Dawna Tully
Junior Lego Robotics

Daniel Webster Elementary

Linda Benn
Makerspace

Eliot Arts

Laura Chaparian-Robles
Using Art to Inspire Writing

Rose Evans, Liane Shih
Stars in the Summer Sky Mosaic

Cassandra Franklin
Beginning Show Choir

Janet Hart
All Summer in a Day

Micol Issa, Denise Seider
Welcome to the Sixties: Sets Through Artistic and Social Movements

Bethel Lira
Painted Paradise: A Roman Style Garden Mural

Erika Moore, Bryant Duffy
A Place For Us

Robert Moya
Success Through Screen Printing

Alisha Schloesser
I Dream of a World of Flags

Lu Cai, Susan Lopez, Crystal Moore
Reading Fiesta!

Field Elementary
Si Nae, Kim, Ching Ju Tung
Physical Education Fun

Shu Zhang
PE equipment

Yuan Zhao
Making STEAM Fun for ALL!

June Kiesel
Kindergarten Mandarin Book Library

Focus Point

Violeta Lerma
Art

Franklin Elementary

Gretchen Elm
Literacy Benefits of Listening

Tracy La Corte
We Love Books!

Jennifer Boynton
21st Century Electronics Upgrade

Tina Bell, Rebecca Cormalis
TK Classroom and Special Education RSP Classroom Developmentally Appropriate Playground Porch Environment

Hamilton Elementary

Nancy Davis-Maack
Science Girls Plus

Marion Yamada, Jennifer Mably, Lucia Garcia, Kristen Aviles
Let’s Sharpen the Saw – The 7th Habit of Happy Kids!

Jackson Elementary

Ana Acosta, Diana Suarez, Melissa Ruiz
STEM and Literacy in a Dual Language Classroom

Lisset Barron, Sandra Banuelos
2 ∞ & Beyond!

Elizabeth Holle, Rachel Black
Cooking Class Groceries and Herbs

Tina Minkler
The Future is an Open Book

Yadira Ruarte
Multi-Level Learning

Grecia Serrano Navarro
Broadway at Jackson

Katherine Taboada
Engaging DLIP Students in Spanish Literacy

Jackson Elementary

Ana Paik
Preschool Superheroes

Alejandra Jimenez, Xiomara Tovar
Cuentos Clasicos

Melissa Cervantes, Linda Le Verne
LEER: Leyendo, Escuchando, Entretenidos, Redactando

Janneke Verhoeven-Briggs
Build my Library

Jefferson Elementary

Sandy Garcia, Jennifer Nunez
Growing Readers

Kathryn Marquez, Carmen Nunez
Monarch Waystation

John Muir High School

Totam Dao
John Muir Yearbook

Ryan Flores
Rechargeable Graphing Calculator Project

Margaret Gillham
Classroom Text Sets

Phillip Hoge
Research and writing in a history classroom

Cynthia Lake
Show time!

Andrew Silk, William Abanyie, Alex Kim
Muir TV Studio News Desk / Set Design

Donnetha Wallace
ServSafe Food Handler Certification

Kimberly Suarez, Monique Contreras
Science Supplies

Charles Vines
BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS!

Donna Tucker, Richard Rosa
Reading Nook and Readers Workshop

Longfellow

Maria Baker
STEAM in the 21st century

Emily Brink, Cheryl HInojosa, Joane Muro,
Headphones For ALL!

Kaiulani Venable
Hands-On Learning!

Madison Elementary

Angela Chavez, Helena Alves
STEAM – Science Matters

Joe Celyn, Ojeda Carreon
Ms. Ojeda’s Super 4th Grade Science Lab: Tools for Learning and Teaching

Marlene Pech
3-2-1 Action!

Elena Camarillo

Chelsea Eshnaur

Marshall Fundamental

Daarina Abdus-Samad
Piece by Piece Mosaic Wall Project

Anthony Carafone
Jazz Ensemble Recording Session/CD

Rebecca Caruso, Sarah Lazo
Quadruple S: StemScopes Science Success!

Ana Chavez
Spanish Super Star

Sara Dickerson
The Wonderful World of Art

Consuelo Galvez
They won’t be bored of grammar with this grammar board

Christine Gunnell
Chemistry-Periodic Table/Element Unit

Claire Haesang Park
Marshall Orchestra Program

Yvonne Ramsey
Art Table Brain Storming

Suengmee Seo
Chemistry labs

Joshua Tornek, Mary Stevens
Recording Equipment

Fara Valentine
A Recipe for Success: Plant genetics and review books

Marjorie Keith
Read More Informational Text!

Daniel Jarashow
Planting the Seeds for Wrestling in PUSD

McKinley School

Katherine Goethel
Kagan Cooperative Learning

Katrine Lalaian
Ability to be hands on

Stephanie Norton
What´s Cookin?

Lauren Partma
History Has Its Eyes On You

John Vigil, Jacqueline Francia
Physical Education and Music

Norma Coombs Elementary

Debbie Breitenstein
Building a Home Library

Alma Livingstone
Norma Coombs Ceramics Program Year End Show

Pasadena High School

Roger Baar
Melting Point Determination & Its Real World Application

Bill Benson
Song Writer’s Workstation

RichardChung
SPED STEM Tutoring Lab

Benjamin Taylor
Musculoskeletal System Unit

PUSD Child Welfare Attendance and Safety

Elsa Gutierrez
Restorative Justice Literacy Circles

PUSD Ed. Center

Jodi Marchesso, Isabel Reynoso, Alex Gonzales, Rachel Jacalone
Oxygen Sensors

Roosevelt Elementary

Karla Orelana
Teaching Math through Concrete Models

Rose City High School

John Howard
Headphones at Rose City Computer Lab

Jennifer Pringle
Young Theaterworks @ Rose City

Christopher Tolosa, Eric Gothold
The Art of Physics (A Joint Project in Physics and Photography)

Kathleen Sander
Reading remediation lab for Rose City Students

San Rafael Elementary

Luz Ceja, Elva De Jarnett, Anabelle Vargas Fierro
What’s the Story?!

Nancy Mena, Marta Rosales, Priscila Leon
Shared History Via Literature Circles and Cafes

Sierra Madre Elementary

Carolyn Halpern
Everything I’ve Learned, I’ve Learned from the Beatles

Dany Richey, Kristina Keck
STEM Smarties

Sierra Madre Middle School

Matthew Brooks
Green Screen for the HAWK NEWS

Ravi Dev Anandhan, Ms. Amanda Moore
PROJECT STREAM WITH RAINBOW TROUTS

Chad Prado
Symphonic Orchestra

Gina Davis
Continuing our SMMS Garden!

Washington Elementary

Janice Sandberg, Karen Gonzales, Greta Banks, Oscar Manzanares
Coding Playground with KIBO

Washington STEAM Multilingual Academy

Cindy Abbott
Lion King

Nicole Comacho
STEAM Supplies For Special Education Students In Need

Webster

Allison Oei, Ashley Villagran, Julie Young, Olga Cuevas, Seyone Hovaguimian
Sensory Room

Willard Elementary

Beatriz Beltran, Peng Zhao
Learning Language through Books

Wilson Middle

Griselda Hermosillo
Falling In Love With Reading Through STEM Library

Regina Jeffers
Tone

Marian Pena
Engaging Students in the Classroom

Norma Bracamonte
Literature circle books

Grant projects are:

Student centered.
Related to the curriculum.
Directly benefit students.
Enhance and Improve student achievement.

Grants are generally awarded to teachers in amounts up to $1,000, special awards up to $2,500, and school-wide grants up to $10,000.

Thank you to the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association, College Football Playoff (CFP) Foundation, and the generous support of the community

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Support creativity in our schools!

Teacher Grants are one of the many ways the Pasadena Educational Foundation helps to create a vibrant and enriching educational experience for all public school children in Pasadena, Altadena, and Sierra Madre.

DONATE!