Marion Fund

Hall of Fame

2010 Recipients Listed Below

The Marion Fund

The Marion Fund is an internal grant program through the Marion Independent School District (MISD) Foundation and Alumni Association for the faculty and staff of the MISD. The Fund supports the educational experience and enhances opportunities for the students of the District. This unique opportunity is available to only a handful of districts across the country.

The Board of Trustees for the Foundation distributes these funds after a review and selection process. The Marion Fund committee, a nine-person group consisting of one district alumni, two district parents, two community members, two district teachers, and two district administrators, carefully reviews the applications, narrows the pool, then hears presentations from finalists.

Guidelines as of December 2009 include:

ü Requests for funding for capital improvements will NOT be reviewed via the Marion Fund grant process.

ü New, previously partially funded, or previously denied grant requests are eligible for review via the Marion Fund grant process.

ü Previously fully funded grant requests are NOT eligible for review via the Marion Fund grant process. These projects are now considered “on-going.” Please contact the Foundation for alternative funding sources.

ü If a grant request is fully funded at the conclusion of the 2008 grant cycle, the Selection Committee will deem it “on-going” making it ineligible for future funding via the Marion Fund grant process. Please contact the Foundation for alternative funding sources.

ü Collaborations between buildings and/or among faculty are encouraged and preferred.

ü All requests must show evidence of efforts made to secure funding from sources other than the Marion Fund/Marion Foundation.

ü If a requested project requires on-going funds, the applicant and/or administrator must demonstrate viable resources for future funding and a willingness to maintain the project with or without Marion Fund support.

ü The Building Administrator must sign AND provide a statement regarding why the department budget does not include this project.

ü If applicable, the Executive Director of Technology must sign AND provide a statement of acceptance or rejection (may or may not impact the decision of the selection committee).

ü Selection Committee members are encouraged to and may contact applicants during the review process to ask clarifying questions.

ü Applications must be typed. The cover letter may be submitted in legible print. Submissions may be sent via school mail or via fax to 377-4692 (ATTN Foundation) no later than the determined date in February.

Congratulations 2010 Marion Fund Recipients - $18,000 was allocated!

Project: Graphic Career Academy Laptops

Lead Applicant: Barb Schultz
School: Marion High School

Purpose: To provide laptops for students to check out when they need to work on graphics projects outside of the classroom.

Project: iPod Touch for Everyone
Lead Applicant: Peggy Murphy
School: Vernon Middle School

Purpose: Utilize the iPod Touch as a tool to enhance and engage students in the core curriculum no matter what their current ability level indicates.

Project: GPS: Genuine and Practical for Students
Lead Applicant: Peggy Murphy
School: Vernon Middle School

Purpose: Use a highly effective technology tool - the navigation system - to enhance and engage students in the core curriculum.

Project: Ready Readers
Lead Applicants: Michelle Walker
School: Starry and Emerson Elementary Schools

Purpose: Add more leveled books to the "Ready Reader" section of both Emerson and Starry libraries.

Project: Goodness, Gracious, Great Graphic Novls
Lead Applicant: Michelle Walker
School: Starry and Emerson Elementary Schools

Purpose: Purchase graphic novels for both schools that would engage students on multiple levels; textually and visually. This will improve reading abilities and increase reading motivation.

Project: Keyboard Instrument Purchase/Repair
Lead Applicant: Kelli Stoa
School: Starry Elementary School and Francis Marion Intermediate

Purpose: Provide quality keyboard instruments for foundational instruction for all Marion school buildings

Project: Audio Podcasting for Struggling Students
Lead Applicant: Chris Martin
School: Marion High School

Purpose: Create audio recordings for struggling readers and make mp3 players available to students in order to listen to the recordings.

Project: Digital Balances for Science Laboratories
Lead Applicant: Chad Zrudsky
School: Marion High School

Purpose: Acquire two additional digital balances in order to allow for more efficient lab time and more students to use equipment in the field encompassed by STEM (science, technology, engineering, math).

Project: Recipe for Reading
Lead Applicant: Dixie Drecker
School: Starry Elementary School

Purpose: Provide a multi-sensory reading program in addition to the core curriculum for Special Education students.

Contact Us!
LaNisha Cassell
Nancy Thornton

777 South 15th Street, PO Box 606
Marion, Iowa 52302

(319) 377-4691 x. 1110
Fax (319) 377-4692

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