Grant Stories

Celebrate Education, an annual event that honors the educators, administrators and volunteers in our schools, will take place on March 20 at 4:30 p.m. at the Oshkosh Convention Center.

One of last year’s grant recipients was Webster elementary school to create a 2nd grade STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) classroom, which was headed by teacher Zong Vang. The grant from the Zmolek Family Education Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation, was used to purchase read aloud books, a storybook, a teacher guide and a hands-on standards STEMS in Action kit to be used year after year.

“The ultimate goal of students learning STEM is so they believe that they can be and are the creators and inventors of our future. Students take science concepts and apply them with technology, engineering, and math in order to solve real world problems where they learn to persevere,” says Zong.

“It is so important to give students a hands-on approach to science as they develop their own ideas to create and invent solutions to a problem as they learn about becoming young engineers. My (students) go home and share with their families what we do at school each time and it makes me proud that they are as excited as I am.”

Celebrate Education is an annual event hosted by the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation in partnership with the Mid-Morning Kiwanis Club of Oshkosh, Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce, Wisconsin Public Service Foundation, Oshkosh Area School District and the UWO College of Education and Human Services.

Grants are awarded from funds such as the Edward and Belle Rudoy Fund and the Zmolek Family Education Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation.

Learn more about Celebrate Education and grants that have been awarded in the past by visiting our Celebrate Education page.

Celebrate Education will be held at the Oshkosh Convention Center on March 20, 2017 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Register online at oshkoshareacf.org or call 920-426-3993 by March 17.