Chladni Plate Have you ever wondered what sound looks like? It may seem paradoxical at first—after all, sound is something we hear, not see. Thanks to a fascinating scientific instrument called Chladni plates, we can now visualize sound in a way that transcends our auditory senses, opening doors to a new realm of understanding. This…
Mini-Hydroponic Growing Systems: Native Plant Species The Foundation granted Mr. Tomlinson and Mrs. Voicheck at Evergreen Elementary a Mini-Hydroponic Growing System so that they could grow native plant species in their classrooms. Mr. Tomlinson and Mrs. Voicheck wanted to implement a hydroponics-based educational initiative aimed at cultivating native plants, with a particular focus on species…
Unpack It Unpack It is a project to support Skippack Elementary School students facing challenging life events. Every school year, students and families work to overcome tremendous personal obstacles such as the death of a loved one, the loss of a pet, divorce or separation in the family, serious illnesses, moving, and so much more.…
Bird Walk Embarking on a journey of discovery, Perkiomen Valley School District Foundation helped Life Science Teacher Danielle Emers expand the transformation of Middle School West’s Courtyard by funding her grant, Bird Walk. Mrs. Emer’s seventh-grade students investigated the intricacies of flight and vision and created an environment where birds could flourish. Previously, in the courtyard,…
Tinker Tank The district has been working to reimagine the library spaces across the district. Melissa Overholser, Librarian at Schwenksville Elementary, envisioned this through a Tinker Tank, commonly known as a maker space. Her goal is for the library space to be seen as a safe place for students to explore and be creative without…
Soft Start Dr. Harrison has been at Perkiomen Valley School District for 18 years. She currently teaches fourth grade at Schwenksville Elementary School and has been building relationships with her students and the families of the students she teaches. When she returned to in-person learning from the pandemic, she noticed a need for more practice…
Get Your Energy Out Teaching can be made more complex if students are restless and need to move. This was the case for Ms. Kate Czapla at Middle School East. She has students with anxiety and ADHD that need to move and fidget to learn. Ms. Cazpla applied for a mini-grant to help her students channel…
Viking Genius Bar In the spring of the 2020 – 2021 school year, Perkiomen Valley School District Foundation granted Dan Pennebacker and Karthik Ganesh’s proposal for a Viking Genius Bar to start in the 2021-2022 school year. The Viking Genius Bar provides a student-powered helpdesk where students can gain real-world opportunities while supporting Perkiomen Valley…
Visual Art Library Ms. Seitz, Art Teacher at Schwenksville Elementary School, was looking for a way to expose students to literature in the art room through a Visual Art Library. She came to the Foundation to get additional books to her limited collection to enhance her lessons by giving students another way of seeing art.…
Trout in the Classroom Evergreen Elementary teachers Kevin Tomlinson and Kelly Voicheck wanted to engage their students innovatively through Trout in the Classroom. Both teachers wanted to provide their students with hands-on, exciting experiences to foster awareness of coldwater conservation and encourage participation in cold water resource projects and recreation programs. Tomlinson and Voicheck presented…