WSD Foundation Awards $34,000 in 2026 Mini-Grants to WSD Educators

Last week, members of the Wentzville School District Foundation Board awarded $34,000 in 2026 Educator and Building Mini-Grants, ranging from $500 to $5,000, to 47 educators in 18 buildings and schools in the WSD.

Of the grants awarded, $30,000 was provided through a Community Grant from GM to fund Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) initiatives in WSD schools. GM has provided $100,000 over the last eight years to the WSD Foundation to support STEM initiatives in the WSD.

The Foundation has awarded more than $209,500 to District teachers since 2004. The selection committee, composed of Wentzville School District Foundation Board members, uses the grants to reward educators for their resourceful and innovative ideas and strategies that benefit District students' education. 

$5,000 STEM Winner

• Hilary DiMercurio | Broadcast Media Studio | North Point High 

$1,000 Building Winners: 

• Angela Schmitt | FMS HOSA & TSA International Competitive Teams | Frontier Middle
• Edward Picone | Medical Detectives 8th and 6th Medical Exploration | Wentzville Middle
• Erin White | Horticultural Therapy Program and Grief Garden | Pearce Hall | STEM
• Jennifer Kastner | Innovation Through 3D Printing | Duello
• Kat Schack | Math in Motion: Equipping Classrooms for Active Thinking | Wentzville Middle
• Kathleen Sample | Hatching Science in Third Grade | Heritage
• Lily Mannion | AAC Modeling for Nonspeaking Students | Green Tree
• Meaghan Sachs | Prevocational Skills Lab Expansion Project 1 | Liberty
• Nicole Seers | Music Education | Journey
• Sara Bradshaw | Equipped to Excel: Sensory Tools for Growth | Duello
• Shannon McCarty | Neon Glow Art Show | Discovery Ridge
• Tina Pham | Early Childhood STEAM Sensory & Fine Motor Exploration | PAT

$500 Educator Winners: 

• Abby Lang | Early Childhood Satellite Pre-K Program | Peine Ridge
• Angela Kramer | Seasonal Sensory Explorations: Bridging Curriculum and Celebrations | Discovery Ridge
• Benjamin Creen | Home Maintenance and Repair | Liberty High
• Brittney Deeker | STEAM Morning Tubs | Lakeview
• Catherine Most | Differentiated Literacy Center Grade 3 | Prairie View
• Chelsea Kollack | Play With a Purpose: Integrating Academic and Life Skills Through Dramatic Play | Stone Creek
• Christy Lanham | "Bear"ing the Weather | Heritage
• Edward Picone | Design Process Technology | Wentzville Middle
• Emily Jenkins | Lighting the Way to Learning | Heritage
• Emily Kannady | Music | Stone Creek
• Janelle McKinney | Empowering Communication for Nonverbal Students with Autism | Lakeview
• Jennifer Bryan | Yes, You Have to Read the Whole Book | Liberty
• Jessica Dukeman | Practical Hunting and Fishing | Frontier Middle
• Jolene Moeser | ABC Fine Motor Fun with Engineering | Prairie View
• Kevin Haynes | Explosive Training | Liberty High
• Kim Sonderman | Open STEM Play | Barfield
• Kortney Holman | Broadcast Media | Liberty High
• Kristen Banks | Math Strategies | Wentzville Middle
• Mary Ellen P. Riley | Project SuitUp: A Comprehensive Interview Readiness & Professional Attire Program | Liberty High
• Megan Poelker | 5th Grade Cardboard Carnival: Engineering, Economics, and Creativity | Lakeview
• Melissa James | Magents in Motion | Heritage
• Michelle Ebers | Enhancing STEM Engagement Through Sensory-Inclusive Classroom Design | Barfield
• Michelle Schroepfer | Technology | Boone Trail
• Morgan Bockhorst | Hands-On Science Exploration | Journey
• NAME | Time For Kids - non-fiction readers | Prairie View
• Narelle Deatherage | TSA | Liberty High
• Nicole Watson | Food and Cooking in Speech and Language Therapy | Discovery Ridge
• Rene Mills | Crochet Club | Wentzville Middle
• Scott Brown | Social Studies - Criminal Justice | North Point High
• Shannon Griesenauer | Wisconsin Fast Plants - How Environmental Factors Affect Growth of Organisms | Frontier Middle
• Shara Cooper | You Are The Light | Peine Ridge
• Stephanie Kinnison | Fine Arts | North Point High
• Steve Wurtzel | Industrial Tech Tool Upgrades | North Point Middle
• Terri Durbin & Julie Turnipseed | The Little Engineers' Social Lab | Lakeview

The Wentzville School District Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization whose mission is to develop community support for public education and for the students and teachers of the Wentzville School District. The Foundation was established in 2001 on the belief that education is critical to society, that teachers have the power to be catalysts for student success, and that our community can be an agent for positive change. Find more information about the WSD Foundation or donate.