It only takes a quick skim of our current recipients to see the ideas brought to life by the donors to the FPEF endowment.
Grant requests are made by those who have identified a specific and compelling educational opportunity that only needs funding for implementation.
2018-2019 Pendergraft Grant Awards
Award Amount: $10,000
Real-World Student-led Investigations Using Authentic Scientific Instruments Project will serve 900 9th and 10th grade Biology students in Fayetteville High School. Students will be provided with authentic data collection instruments throughout the school year to record changes in abiotic and biotic parameters within aquatic environments, culminating in a digital project that will be shared with the public which recommends solutions to human impact issues mandated in Arkansas Next Generation Science Standards.
Award Amount: $9,000
Science in the Ozarks is designed to serve 880 5th grade students from Holt, McNair, and Owl Creek Middle Schools. Based at The Ozark Natural Science Center, students participate in 12 hours of hands-on, inquiry-based, environmental science classes. Using observation, scientific method, and experimentation, students are able to apply and model natural science data and to better understand the ecological systems and natural history of the Ozark ecoregion.
Award Amount: $ 12,675
Globetrotting: Building Student Background Knowledge will serve all 950 students at Owl Creek, this year alone. This project will provide students with a Google Expeditions kit giving them the opportunity for virtual expeditions to travel to distant places and incorporate hands-on experiences in this rapidly growing technological world. 68% of Owl Creek students are from low income backgrounds and rarely have been given the experience of traveling outside their own neighborhoods, so by taking the students outside of the classroom walls, Owl Creek teachers will be able to help close the achievement gap of both their culturally and financially diverse populations.
2018-2019 Standard Grant Awards
Award Amount: $3,374
Martha Albright McCandless
The Reflective Learning Project will serve 300+ students each year in grades 9-12 in the Fayetteville HS Fine Arts Department. This project will provide mirrors for students enrolled in band, choir, theatre, color guard, and recreational dance that will allow them to process and apply feedback and instruction with maximum efficiency.
Award Amount: $4,000
Koenig Family Works
Growing Student Robotics for Future Engineers will serve over 100 students every year from the time of funding in perpetuity at the 7th and 8th grade levels at Woodland Jr. High School. The project will provide materials for the greatly growing after school Robotics programs, enabling students to compete at a national level at the US Open and Worlds competitions
Award Amount: $2,000
Nana & Julian Stewart
The STEM FIRST Project will serve 80 students in the 1st grade level at Root Elementary. The project will benefit all students while working together to complete tasks which promote problem-solving, innovative thinking, experimentation, and exploration during math centers. Integrating STEM materials at an early age improves students' abilities to think critically and creatively when approaching new challenges. We want to continue to foster a love of learning and we believe adding STEM materials
Award Amount: $2,500
Matthew J. Siebenmorgen Memorial & Tammy & Read Hudson Family
The Cultivating Learning Through Hydroponics and Aeroponics Project will serve 120 ninth through twelfth grade FHS students. The project will allow students to connect with equipment and concepts used in sustainable plant production through hydroponics and aeroponics. Students will also develop their understanding of the food supply chain through the harvesting, packaging, and marketing of vegetables grown in the systems which will improve their financial literacy, science understanding, and written/verbal communication skills.
Award Amount: $1,050
Martha Audrain Memorial
The Non-Fiction Reads for Reluctant Readers Project will serve 350 students from Kindergarten to the 4th Grade at Washington Elementary School. The project will provide students that are at-risk with non-fiction library books on subjects including space, dinosaurs, weather, science, and math.
Award Amount: $2,832
Class of 1957 John Lewis & Bob & Holland Weaver
The "Creating a Nurturing Nest" project will serve 920 students annually in grades Pre K - 6 at Owl Creek School. The project will provide students an opportunity to take full advantage of our 8 beautiful courtyards enabling them to learn outdoors in a safe area. The courtyards have been underutilized for over a decade. We hope to expand the boundaries of all of our classrooms for students to learn in outdoor settings.
Award Amount: $2,657
Denise & Hershey Garner
Breakfast Club's Aspiring Actors and Artists field trip empowers (60) low-performing at-risk students to travel and experience a professional theatre production of classic stories and learn how narration, props, and character shape mood and tone. Etiquette and life skill coaching prepares participants for professional behavior at performances and sit-down restaurants. Pre-show curriculum builds literacy and reading skills about author's purpose and other abstract English concepts, providing 10 hours of engaging instruction to improve reading scores.
Award Amount: $2,500
Candy & Teddy Clarkwell
"Creating an Exemplary Library at Leverett Elementary School" will serve 310 students, many who are at risk and come from low-income homes, in kindergarten through 4th grade. The project will provide up to 1,000 fiction chapter books and picture books and supplies to create a dynamic, inviting, kid friendly library space filled with books in one of the oldest elementary schools in Fayetteville. A strong school library builds strong students.
Award Amount: $2000
Henrietta K. Holcomb Memorial
The Getting Kids Outside Through English Curriculum and Experiential Learning program will serve over 90 students in grades 9-12 at ALLPS School of Innovation. The program will give students the opportunity to experience the outdoors by providing necessary materials such as tents, sleeping bags, and backpacks while connecting the experience to their classroom work on a supervised, guided overnight trip. The materials will also be made available to students to use outside of school.
Award Amount: $4,650
Bob Gaddy (PACE)
Agriculture Power - Technology of the Tractor is a project to serve 180+ students grades 9-12 in our agriculture program at Fayetteville High School. The project will provide a tractor to use as a teaching tool for diesel mechanics and maintenance, power transfer systems, hydraulics, equipment service and repair, and equipment operation. The project will help increase opportunities we have in teaching agriculture power concepts and increase student involvement with diesel mechanics as a career.
Award Amount: $600
Bill Conrow Memorial
AED Trainers for Future Health Care Professionals will serve approximately 180 students in Fayetteville High School. The project will provide students with the most current technology to become, American Heart Association, Basic Life Support Certified. This will enable students to save lives not only in our school but in the community as they train for their future.
Award Amount: $1,500
Glen Conklin Foundation
Sight and Sounds for Students with Special Needs will serve 20 students in the 5th and 6th grade at McNair Middle School. The grant will provide students the access they need to enhance their educational experiences in all sensory related areas. These tools will help them to be better equipped in the general education settings.
Award Amount: $ 3,000
Heather Spears Memorial & David Lashley
The Leader in Me program is based on Stephen Covey's book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The program, for grades kindergarten through 5th (approx. 443 students), produces transformational results, such as higher academic achievement, fewer discipline problems, and increased engagement among teachers and parents. It also equips students with the self-confidence and skills to thrive in the future. Teachers at Asbell Elem were trained in 2016 and has been successful thus far.
Award Amount: $1,000
Jerome & Sylvia McRoy, Bob & Marilyn Gibson
The Makerspace Stations for the Library Media Center will serve 302 k-4th grade students at Leverett elementary. The project will provide students with a Makerspace, enabling them to develop problem-solving, exploration, and creativity skills while sharing their work and designs.
Award Amount: $2,646
Feriba McNair Keystone Endowed by Hannah & Greg Lee
"Growing Makerspace Minds and Tower Gardens" is a Makerspace STE(A)M project featuring 2 indoor tower gardens to grow produce to learn about agriculture, sustainability, cost, and productivity. This project in McNair Makerspace extends the curriculum in science, math, writing, and technology.
Award Amount: $4,000
Susie & Phil Stewart & AEP Southwestern Electric
The Picture My Future Project will serve 25 students at Ramay Junior High School each year. The project will provide students that are aspiring journalists an opportunity to use state of the art photography equipment in their Journalism class and at Ramay sponsored events. Using this photography equipment will provide them with the experience needed to join a photography or journalism course at Fayetteville High School or to pursue a career in journalism.
Award Amount: $500
Nathan Altman Creative Writing
Maker Moments: Monthly Maker Projects is an extension of the FPEF funded #Makerspace is Lit project. It will provide all Owl Creek Students consumable materials to allow them a choice to participate in rotating, highly engaging, standards-based STEAM projects.
Award Amount: $2,639
Hugh Kincaid Early Childhood Education
Photograph Books for Reading will serve 110 kindergarten students at Butterfield Trail Elementary. This project will give our students access to more emergent reading leveled books to help them grow key literacy skills. The books provide our students with actual photographs of kids their age, giving the books a more relate-able feel. The more connections our students can make to books, the better readers they will become. The books will also travel home with them.
Award Amount: $1, 000
David J. Butt
"Crossover the Gap" Family Literacy Project engages 1,500 students grades 7-8 at two diverse junior highs in a semester-long reading project to develop: literacy skills, inter-personal (soft) skills, desirable character traits, and family participation. Students read THE CROSSOVER by Kwame Alexander, learn character lessons from THE PLAYBOOK, play KAHOOT reading games, and attend a family literacy event at FHS. The project is a component the Bridging the Gap program funded in part by Tyson.
Award Amount: $2,000
Irma Boyer Gifted & Talented Fund
The Raiders of the Lost Arkansas project will serve 240 students in the middle school GT program in the FPS district. This project will provide students with materials and resources that will engage students in activities that offer them a deeper understanding of the science and history of previous cultures in the state of Arkansas and enlarge their awareness of Archaeology as a field of study.
Award Amount: $4,000
J. E. & Maurice McClelland & Mendy & Brandon Atkisson Memorial
"Bringing Projects to Life with 3D Printing" gives students opportunities to learn job skills and potentially complete an industry standard certification in manufacturing technology. This extends their learning beyond basic coursework. Nearly all 700+ students at Ramay Junior High in grades 7 and 8 will have the chance to use the extensive 3D printing capabilities this grant will provide. This project engages STEM students in state of the art modeling and production of 3D parts.
Award Amount: $1,300
Harry Vandergriff
Diverse Abilities Day is a chance to expose over 600 students, through hands-on experiences, to what life is like for students with physical impairments or learning disabilities. Through this program, we hope to bring compassion, acceptance, and understanding to all. We hope to build an environment for students to ask questions and learn ways to include all students.
Award Amount: $1,685
Treva Hamilton
The Next Generation Science Standards Student-Driven Inquiry Lab Experience will serve 100 anatomy and physiology students in grades 11 and 12 at Fayetteville High School. The project will provide lab materials that will allow students to build models, design and conduct authentic experiments, analyze data, and design solutions to real-world problems.
Amount Awarded: $2,650
Frank Broyles
The Drums Alive® Music and Fitness project will serve 350 students in grades k-4 at Washington Elementary school. Provide students a fun and creative way to reinforce music and fitness concepts.
Award Amount: $3,540
Anne & Jack Butt Fund
The Asbell Mobile Library will serve 200 students from preschoolers to 4th grade living in highly populated areas within the Asbell attendance zone. Staff members will travel and provide quality reading materials at home during the summer to help close the reading achievement gap and decrease the summer learning slide.
Award Amount: $2,624
Terryl & Shannon Ortego Fund & Paula Weaver Fund
The Self-Portraits: Symbols and Heritage project will serve 480 students in Kindergarten through 4th grade at Owl Creek School. Students will create expressive and meaningful self-portraits after studying famous portraits, learning about symbols in art, and researching symbols of their own heritage. It will allow students to make art they connect with deeply, and will help Owl Creek celebrate diversity.
Award Amount: $3,510
Gable Sloan Academic Enrichment for Vulnerable Students
The Creative Cats Summertime Scientists project will serve 45 k-4 students from Washington Elementary. The project will provide engaging and enriching summer field trips with a science focus for students who would not otherwise have these experiences due to financial, transportation, language or living situation barriers. This will encourage learning outside of the classroom and increase their excitement for school.
Award Amount: $1,338
Tamara & Johnny Roberts Family
The Let's be Social Project will serve approximately 100 students in grade k-4 at Washington Elementary. The project will provide a social-emotional curriculum for students in a small group setting who have identified deficits in the area of social and emotional awareness.
Award Amount: $2,500
Agee Family Fund in honor of Martha Agee
The ALLPS Library will serve 225 students in grades 9th through 12th at the ALLPS School of Innovation. The project will allow for the purchase of books other than academic texts, fiction or non-fiction, to establish an on-campus library for the ALLPS students, which in turn will promote and encourage reading for pleasure and provide alternative resources for class projects.
Award Amount: $3,000
Treva & Howard Hamilton
The Robotics Refresh project will serve 300 students in 7th and 8th grade at Ramay Junior High. The project will provide students with new VEX robotics electronic systems to be used in both the classroom setting as well as in our competitions teams which will help all students be successful in robotics and allow them to step outside their comfort zone and excel.
Award Amount: $498
Class of 1956 Taylor-Lackey
The Multicultural Learning through Literature Discussion project will serve 415 fifth graders at McNair Middle School. The project will be inclusive to all students by providing texts with multiple reading levels that focus on a multicultural topic, encouraging students to have discussions on multicultural diversity.
Award Amount: $1,013.19
Marie & Clark McClinton
Marvelous Mustang Makers- Makerspaces for Students with Special Needs will serve 18 of our special education students in addition to all 5th and 6th grade students at McNair Middle School. This project would add items to our Makerspace that will positively impact the learning experiences of our students with special needs.
Award Amount: $8,437.75
Bobby New & Betty Lighton
The Hear Ye! See Ye! AudioVisual for MWMLIbrary & Patrons project aims to provide audiovisual support for nearly 2,700 students and up to 200 staff members at Fayetteville High school events. This project will provide an on-site dedicated A/V set-up for our FHS community use, as well as enrich the Library Service.
Award Amount: $1,579
Mike Brunner
Integrating a Therapy Dog in an Alternative Learning Environment project will serve 190 students in grades 9th through 12th at ALLPS. The program will allow students to interact with a trained therapy dog on a daily basis to ease anxiety, as well as other mental health issues, and promote social-emotional learning.
Award Amount: $9,999.99
Marty Thurlby Deweese Study Abroad Fund & First Federal Bank
Go Global Virtually will serve 600+ students at Holcomb Elementary. The Google Expedition Kit will provide unique experiences and enriching opportunities to engage learners across multiple disciplines. Virtual field trips will help close the gap for Holcomb’s underprivileged by making content relevant, therefore, supporting learning in math, science, and ELA.
Award Amount: $3,207.80
E. J. Ball Economic Fund & Jackie New
This project, Engaging All Students Through Clubs! serves 648 students in 7th and 8th grade at Ramay Junior High School. The funding will decrease the opportunity and equity gap by allowing every student to be involved in an extra curricular club that may not have had the ability prior due to economic restraints, lack of transportation, or simply a lack of awareness. The clubs provide social-emotional support, grant the space students need to build relationships with adults and peers, strengthen school community, and allows for the cultivation of new skill sets which in all would increase student achievement.
Award Amount: $1,250
Warren Rosenaur Theatre Fund
Acting for the Theater-Improvisation will serve upwards of 50 advanced theater students at Fayetteville High School by using improvisation. They will write and perform plays created from long and short-form storytelling. Students will develop listening, performing and thinking skills.
Award Amount: $1,250
Barbara Prichard Gifted & Talented Fund
The project, Remembering the Great War: Bringing the Past to Life, will serve 240 students in the 5th and 6th grades at all three Fayetteville middle schools. The project will provide students the opportunity to visit the National World War I Museum in Kansas City. Students will gain a better understanding of the sacrifices made by their ancestors who lived during the early part of the 20th century.
Award Amount: $2,000
Pendergraft Technology Fund
Personalize It will serve over 500 students in Pre-K through 4th grade at Happy Hollow Elementary School. This interactive eBook project will not only provide support for all struggling readers but allow all students to customize their learning through personalized learning experiences driven by student interest and motivation.
Award Amount: $ 2,400
Josephine S. Clark
The Microscopes for 21st Century Science Labs will serve 350-400 students in the 7th grade at Woodland Junior High School. The 3-D imaging microscopes in this grant will allow students to see microscopic organisms up close and personal thus permitting deeper understanding and enabling critical thinking skills.
Award Amount: $2,687.61
Matthew William Moore Memorial
The Choral Recording Project will serve 600 students in the Fayetteville choir program in 7th-12th grades at Ramay, Woodland, and Fayetteville High School. This project will provide equipment used to record all choir concerts throughout the year, enabling students and teachers to assess performances and tailor future instruction to each ensemble.
Award Amount: $5,000
Candy & Teddy Clarkwell
The Leverett Library: The Heart of our Reading/Learning Community, will serve 300 students in grades kindergarten through 4th grade at Leverett Elementary School. This project will create an environment that supports the development of curious, caring and creative learners and readers enabling them to develop their own reading/learning lives.
Award Amount: $1,800
The Bank of Fayetteville in Honor of John Lewis
Coding Robots for Kids will serve at least 160 students in 3rd and 4th grade at Root Elementary School. The project will purchase 24 voice activating coding robots that will be used in various subjects, activities, and projects. They will provide students with the necessary coding skills to help them prepare for middle, junior, and high school while also helping to develop their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Award Amount: $2,500
Malcolm & Ellen Hayward
The Fayetteville Steel Pan Band will serve 30 percussion students in grades 8-12 at Ramay, Woodland, and Fayetteville High School. The project will provide students with the opportunity to explore Caribbean music and culture, while enabling them to use these skill sets and knowledge in college and beyond.
Award Amount: $2,449.65
The Spark Foundation
The Balance Bikes for Holcomb project will serve 406 kindergartners, 1st graders, and 2nd graders. The project will give students the opportunity to develop the balance and safety skills necessary in order to ride a bike so that they can begin enjoying the many benefits of biking early.
Award Amount: $1,000
Blake Croxdale Memorial & Katy B Stout
Ready to Read (By Myself) will serve 628 students at Vandergriff, but with an Interlibrary Loan, it will actually serve the whole district. These books are a bridge between picture books and regular chapter books as they include short chapters, lower reading levels, and illustrations. By using beginning chapter books our newly independent readers will be encouraged and inspired for reading success
Award Amount: $2,500
Becky Knight Memorial
The C.A.L.M. (Creating Active Learning through Motion ) Path Project will serve up to 300 students in Kindergarten through fourth grade, at Washington Elementary each year by providing the first ever eighty foot, sensory walkway and a therapeutic swing for students. Through specific movement, they can give their body and minds a "break", and get the sensory input and kinesthetic learning experience they need to be successful in the classroom.
Award Amount: $1,000
Walton Family Foundation
Carrots, Not Sticks will serve 20-40 students in 5th and 6th grade at Holt Middle School by continuing the Holt’s RtI-B program. This grant addresses a lack of funding for effective interventions to help at-risk students improve behavior by providing at-risk students with research-based incentives to facilitate measurable improvements in school behavior, reduce disciplinary referrals, and preserve instructional time for all students and teachers.
Award Amount: $1,100
Clyde & Robbie Selle & Class of 1952
The Stewards in Sustainability project will serve 625 PreK-4th grade students at Holcomb Elementary School. This project will teach students sustainability practices through a variety of environmental science concepts such as recycling, gardening, and composting which will promote life-long skills and knowledge about sustaining the environment.
Amount Awarded: $2,500
R. W. Willis & Simkins Family
This New Music for Marching Band project will serve 200 members in the Fayetteville High School Marching Band ranging from 9th to 12th graders. The project will provide original music to be performed as part of the 2019 competitive marching show and possibly in future shows as well.
Award Amount: $2,500
James T. Whitehead Memorial
Connotations, the FHS literary magazine, will serve all 2500 students from 9th to 12th grade at Fayetteville High School. The project will produce 150 copies of a high-quality literary magazine filled with student work in art, photo, prose, and poetry, allowing each high school student a creative outlet.
Award Amount: $2,000
Upchurch Electric
Woodland’s Robotics Safety and Transport Systems project will provide all 100+ Robotics students from 7th and 8th grade at Woodland Junior High School the appropriate equipment needed to safely transport their robots across the state and country as they attend events on a local, state, and international level. Students work hard to design, build, and program robots for participation so the goal is to keep students robots intact, and to increase the longevity of their equipment.