Fueling Innovative Ideas to Pursue our Mission of Preparing Future-ready Students.
The New Life Academy Educational Foundation encourages our faculty and staff to be bold in bringing forward new ideas and innovative approaches to accomplish the mission of NLA.
Sometimes these new ideas and approaches require resources that extend beyond the original budget, so the Faculty Grant Program was created in 2018. Teachers are welcomed and encouraged to dream big and fill out applications for grants that will help them achieve their goals, help promote innovation and transform the classroom.
This year, the Faculty Grant Program awarded close to $60,000 to our amazing teachers. These funds directly benefit our students and will enhance learning by fueling creative thinking, create engaging learning opportunities, and cultivate students to ask the question, “What else is possible?”.
Our teachers will be busy this year using their funds to strengthen learning for their students. A few examples of awarded grants include:
Mrs. Stevenson, the Lower School Intervention Specialist, was awarded money to put decodable books in K-5 classrooms. Decodable books help students who are struggling with reading or the enjoyment of reading. “Students can oftentimes feel defeated when they can’t find a book in their classroom that they can independently read. By having a collection of books that struggling readers could access in their own classroom, I believe this would make them feel known, loved, and valued.”
The Early Ed teachers worked together to improve their program by applying for floor obstacle course decals, a bike merry-go-round, more plasma cars, and a musical playground that will help kids explore music through rhythm, sound, and movement.
Mr. Bach wrote a grant for his Chapel Band students so they can write and produce another original song that can be released to streaming services. “Innovation comes from the students working together to collaborate their song ideas and each student contributing their gifts of writing, singing, playing instruments, and tech.”
With each of these grants awarded, NLA is training future Christian leaders to confidently use their God-given gifts to greatly impact this world for Jesus Christ. Congrats to all our grant recipients!