FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dallas, Texas, April 2016—The Wahl Foundation, in partnership with the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), has awarded one of its $2,000 “UNthink My School” grants to St. Monica Catholic School, Dallas, Texas.
This grant proposal was developed by a student cadre made up of students in grades 4-8. The students worked together to write a grant that would provide funding to allow the June Cooper Learning Center to reach more students. The project that was the basis for the grant included the purchasing of zspace software and hardware that would allow for 3D virtual educational experiences for all students. The hope was to be able to fund a couple of these systems which would provide educational experiences for all students, regardless of their learning ability. Each student wrote a personal letter to the grant committee sharing with them their vision of what the June Cooper Learning Center could do to reach more students in a unique and innovative manner.
The Wahl Foundation launched “UNthink My School” as a way to reward elementary schools that approached a challenge with a creative solution. The grant was created as a way to reinforce themes in Erik Wahl’s book, UNThink: Rediscover Your Creative Genius. The foundation also offered one $20,000 grant and nine other $2,000 grants.
“Reading the hundreds of grant applications we received, we were filled with gratitude and hope for the future of education. The time and attention the principals, teachers and students alike put into the application process was inspiring,” said the Wahl Foundation Executive Director Tasha Wahl. “It was extremely difficult to choose between so many innovative ideas. We based our final decisions on the applicant’s creative concept for how to ‘UNthink’ their school environment and how they integrated their school community and neighborhood demographics in the projects.”
To learn more about the Wahl Foundation and its work to foster innovation and help the underserved, visit www.thewahlfoundation.com.
ABOUT THE WAHL FOUNDATION
Erik and Tasha Wahl created the Wahl Foundation because they are passionate about integrating the arts in education. They believe that incorporating artistic concepts and creative expression into the learning process can be transformative for classroom and school environments. The Wahl Foundation is dedicated to enabling positive change. We gravitate toward other projects that serve education, the underserved, the arts and other innovative projects that fall beyond those areas.
ABOUT NAESP
Established in 1921, the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) leads in the advocacy and support for elementary and middle school principals in the United States and internationally. NAESP supports principals as the primary catalysts for creating lasting foundations for learning through policy development, advocacy, professional development programs, and resources for effective instructional leadership. NAESP advances the profession on behalf of all principals, providing specialized support and mentoring for early career principals. Key focus areas include pre-K-3 education, school safety, technology and digital learning, and capacity-building educator evaluation. To learn more about NAESP, please visit www.naesp.org.