2025 GRANT RECIPIENTS are here:

The Friends of Foothills Schools Foundation is thrilled to announce the recipients of this year’s SPARK and Technology Grants! 

 

Thanks to our fundraising efforts and the generous donation from the Town of High River, we were able to provide $11,000 to support innovative, student-focused projects across our schools.

 

SPARK Grant Recipients:

 

• Foothills Junior High Rural Band Equity Project - exemplifies the power of collaboration and creative resource-sharing. This initiative provides rural Band students with access to the same high-quality musical opportunities available to their urban peers within the Foothills School Division. By bringing together young musicians from Oilfields, Cayley, Blackie, and École Okotoks Junior High, the project offers enhanced learning experiences, joint rehearsals, and collaborative performances. More than music instruction, this initiative builds community—empowering students to connect, perform, and grow together while opening doors to opportunities they might not otherwise experience.

• Big Rock Elementary – School will implement the award-winning Reflex Math App, a dynamic digital platform that uses a “video game” approach to help students in Grades 2–8 master foundational math skills. With personalized pathways and a teacher dashboard to monitor progress, the program ensures students are supported exactly where they are in their learning journey.

• Dr. Morris Gibson School – the Regulation Station introduces a stationary bike as an immediate, low-barrier tool to help students manage stress, emotions, and energy levels. Located in a common area and accessible to all K–6 students, this initiative directly supports mental health and emotional wellness while ensuring inclusive access to self-regulation strategies for the entire school population.

• Percy Pegler Elementary – Ideas in Action: Outdoor Creativity Station enhances experiential, place-based learning through the installation of a permanent, weather-resistant outdoor classroom whiteboard. This interactive space will support Science, Mathematics, Literacy, and Innovation and Design curriculum in a dynamic outdoor environment.

• Spitzee Elementary – Skiing at Castle Mountain project provides seven fully funded spaces to ensure students from lower-income families can participate alongside their peers. For many, this will be a first experience in the mountains—removing financial and experiential barriers while offering hands-on, real-world learning that sparks creativity and confidence.

• Oilfields High School – DTF (Direct to Adhesive) Smokeless Oven will strengthen its Digital Technology Program by enabling students to cure and apply custom t-shirt transfers safely and sustainably in-house. This specialized equipment provides authentic, career-connected learning opportunities while supporting program sustainability.

• Okotoks Junior High – Amplifying Talent: Enhancing the Musical Theatre Experience project will expand access to high-quality microphones, ensuring all performers—not just lead roles—can be heard.

• Millarville Community School – Outdoor Pursuits Program will be enhanced through the addition of a clinometer and increment borer—tools that allow students to conduct meaningful field studies. By measuring tree height, slope, age, and growth patterns, students will collect real-world data and deepen their understanding of local ecosystems through hands-on, land-based learning. This investment promotes equity, confidence, and teamwork, allowing students to focus fully on character, expression, and performance.

 

Technology Grant Recipient:

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• Longview School – purchase of 3 Chromebooks, an engaging, interactive, multi-media tool to support digital literacy. A study in the International Journal of Technology in Education and Science found that "incorporating Chromebook technology into lessons effectively increased student engagement and motivation...Engagement included focus, interest, participation in the lesson and activity, and positive social interactions between the teacher and classmates."

 

We were impressed by the quality and creativity of all applications. While we could not fund every project, we are excited to support these initiatives that enhance student learning and experiences. Thank you to all school councils for their dedication and participation!

 

Together, these projects represent the very best of innovation in education—supporting academic growth, emotional well-being, artistic expression, and authentic, hands-on learning experiences for students across our division. We extend our sincere congratulations to all of this year’s grant recipients and look forward to seeing the lasting impact of their work.

 

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