Spark Grants Back Teachers’ Great Ideas
Teachers dream. We ignite the spark that makes those ideas a reality. Spark Grants offer a unique way to back new ideas within our district. By working directly with educators and staff, we can be nimble in support of new approaches and set in motion exciting new learning opportunities that engage, enhance, and energize students and staff.
We rely on great proposals from Hopkins teachers and staff to enable us to make a difference in Hopkins Public Schools. And we want yours to be successful.
The Spring 2026 Spark Grant have been awarded. Fall grants will open in early August.
“The gift of an HEF grant, as a teacher trying to serve 300 students, allows me to do more and serve more students. It is also empowering knowing that part of the greater Hopkins community believes in the work that I am doing and wants to support it. I have received several HEF Spark grants and with each one I am able to serve a specific population of students to a greater degree and it directly impacts the depth and growth of all students in my program.”
Past Spark Grants
Join us in celebrating our past Spark Grant recipients. Teachers, take inspiration from these past grants and learn what kind of projects you might be able to bring to your classroom. Application information and due dates can be found here.
Search by school, category, and more in our new Past Spark Grants directory.
Spring 2026 Grants - $25,265
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Unboxed Studio In the Library - $5,000
A new unboxed studio at Meadowbrook Elementary will turn the library into a permanent cardboard engineering lab where imagination meets design thinking. Students will prototype, test, iterate, and learn from failure using recycled materials, all of which builds resilience and real-world problem-solving skills. Centralized tools and storage remove barriers for teachers and make hands-on STEM accessible to more learners. This space becomes a hub of collaborative, inclusive, project-based learning that strengthens critical thinking and executive function.
Arden Leali-Broberg
Meadowbrook Elementary School -
Culinary Skills Enrichment Program - $1,000
The H.E.L.P. program at Hopkins East will bring in a professional chef into the special education program for weekly, hands-on instruction. H.E.L.P. is a program for students who need intensive, individualized services to address significant emotional and behavioral needs. Students will build practical cooking, safety, and workplace readiness skills using differentiated teaching methods that meet a wide range of abilities while promoting independence and confidence. Beyond recipes, students gain life skills and exposure to real career pathways in food service. This grant supports meaningful, skill-based growth that transfers directly to life beyond school.
Amy Gregoire
H.E.L.P. at Hopkins East -
Drawing Differences - $380.85
Meadowbrook ECFE will adapt EmbraceRace’s curriculum to help caregivers confidently explore race, culture, identity, and belonging with young children. With books and art supplies, families in Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) will engage in guided activities that build language and comfort for discussing differences early and often. Because caregivers experience the learning first, they’re empowered to extend it at home creating lasting impact beyond the classroom. Designed to be repeatable year after year, this grant embeds belonging into the foundation of early learning.
Hilary Novacek Bundt
Meadowbrook Elementary School - ECFE -
Literacy Boxes - $4,400
Hopkins Early Childhood will translate LETRS curriculum (“science of reading”) into daily classroom practice with structured, multisensory tools. Literacy boxes will teach phonics, vocabulary, and early writing helping ensure every student has access to foundational literacy instruction. As a durable, multi-year investment, the materials strengthen consistency across classrooms,accelerate kindergarten readiness and shape future success.
Barbra Bosch
Harley Hopkins Center -
Creating a TAB Studio - $1,200
By creating a TAB Studio (“teaching for artistic behavior”), Alice Smith Elementary will transform the art room into a choice-based studio where students plan, create, revise, and reflect with confidence. With art supplies like paint brushes, stencils, and crochet hooks, and useful organization systems, students move through self-directed centers aligned to visual arts standards building both skills and voice. This approach reinforces social-emotional learning, persistence, and creative problem-solving while keeping academic rigor front and center. Students will leave with portfolio artifacts and artist statements that showcase growth, pride, and belonging.
Nikki Frueh
Alice Smith Elementary School -
Play for All Art - $2,613.33
West Middle School is introducing Guided Hands adaptive tools so students with limited hand mobility can draw, paint, and create independently. By reducing reliance on hand-over-hand support, the equipment removes barriers to inclusion and expands student agency. The impact is immediate and deeply personal: greater confidence, engagement, and pride in completed work. This grant helps ensure creativity is truly for every learner.
Betsy Julien
Alex Herlofsky
West Middle School -
Wellness Room Enhancement Initiative - $355.75
This grant aims to enhance the wellness room at North Middle School by adding sensory-informed tools, calming lighting, flexible seating, and organized materials for intentional self-regulation. This isn’t just a break space—it’s a structured support that helps students reset and return to learning ready and regulated. As student needs related to anxiety and emotional regulation grow, this enhancement provides a sustainable, long-term resource for the school community. The payoff is improved readiness to learn and a healthier overall school climate.
Kiara Stonebraker
Amanda Clark
North Middle School -
Connection Kits - $1,579.90
Social-emotional learning will come to life at North Middle School with kits that include board games, cooperative activities, and discussion tools built for What I Need (WIN) sessions. Instead of scripted lessons, students practice real social-emotional skills through authentic, student-centered play. The kits support peer connection, face-to-face comfort, and emotional regulation during a pivotal developmental stage. The result is a stronger sense of community—one conversation and shared activity at a time.
Mykenna Yesnes
North Middle School -
Mindful Moments - $500
North Middle School will refresh the setting 3 mindfulness room with updated, reliable regulation tools designed for students with emotional or behavioral disorders. By replacing worn and partially functioning items, students will have immediate access to a calm, sensory-supportive space when emotions run high. This investment strengthens self-reflection and student choice while helping reduce dysregulation triggered by busy hallways or peer interactions. The result: students are ready to re-engage in class and feel a stronger sense of belonging.
Stephanie Rossow
Chris Johnson
North Middle School -
Nature Detectives - $1,000
Gatewood Outdoor Kindergarten is creating young detectives by turning the school grounds into a living laboratory with microscopes and trail cameras. Students will observe plants, insects, and while building scientific inquiry, documentation habits, and critical-thinking through curiosity-driven exploration. The learning naturally integrates science, literacy, and social emotional learning as children share discoveries and strengthen observation skills over time. Durable equipment ensures this becomes a long-term, high-engagement learning experience for years to come.
Katie Schmidt
Gatewood Elementary School -
All-Access Harmony - $1,687
Gatewood Elementary is adding adaptive and electronic instruments into the music room so every student, especially those with special needs can fully participate. Switch-adapted instruments and tools enable independent music-making regardless of physical ability. The project builds belonging, confidence, and joyful inquiry while encouraging creative risk-taking. Students won’t just listen—they’ll perform and contribute meaningfully in concerts and shared musical experiences.
Kevin Schieberl
Gatewood Elementary School -
Building Expression and Independence - $1,550
Transition Plus brings adaptive tools and sensory-friendly supplies to its art program to ensure every learner can participate fully. For students ages 18-22, art becomes a powerful pathway for communication, collaboration, and confidence-building. The grant also supports a culminating showcase that celebrates student work with families and the community. It’s inclusion in action: expanding access, independence, and connection through creative expression.
Kathy Causton
Nicole Gunyou
Transition Plus Special Education -
Code. Cut. Create. - $3,998
New tools in Hopkins High School Career & Tech Ed classes will equip students for modern digital fabrication. With a handheld CNC router, learners will design, cut, and iterate with confidence while building CAD/CAM (computer-aided) skills and applying math, precision, and problem-solving to real projects. This tool expands curriculum relevance and prepares students for engineering, manufacturing and skilled trade pathways. It’s hands-on learning that mirrors the technology and expectations of today’s workforce.
Matt Sabin
Hopkins High School