Through the diligence of our staff to identify relevant grants and apply for them, our district and students have benefited from money received from a variety of sources. We are excited about the opportunities these grants will bring, and the descriptions below will show the value the grants are bringing to our district as they enhance student experiences and safety both inside and outside the classroom.
Routson Receives $5,000 VFW Grant
Elementary librarian Mrs. Tammy Routson has a long relationship with VFW Post 5645 in Findlay, saying, “The members of the VFW have been heroes for our country, and they continue to be heroes in our community because of the support they provide, which I greatly appreciate.”
This year, the VFW’s Day of Giving made possible the $5,000 grant Mrs. Routson received, and the money will be used to purchase new tables and chairs in the elementary library. Past VFW donations and grants have been used to start the Military Committee and purchase flags, contribute to bringing the Tunnel to Towers exhibit to Van Buren, and purchase supplies for the Summer Read, Bringing American History Back, and Growing with Fun projects. Over the years, our elementary, middle, and high school buildings have all benefitted from the VFW grants, and we appreciate their support of our district.
Leonard Receives $6,000 Hancock Education Fund Grant
As Mrs. Mackenzie Leonard prepares for the fourth annual International Knight on March 27, she will have $6,000 from The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation to create a unique experience not only for our international students and their families but also the rest of our district and visitors. Over the last three years, Mrs. Leonard has relied on sponsor donations to fund the event, but this grant money will help the event continue year after year and have more of a presence in our community. Some of the money will be used to offset the costs for families who are spending money to prepare food and other resources for the event, and some will be used to replace the paper posters that previously had to be reprinted annually with more permanent banners that can be used every year.
Leonard said, “Our families deserve to have a nice event that helps celebrate our countries and cultures as well as solidify our community. I appreciate receiving this grant so I can continue to bring the people of our district together in a special way.”
Transportation Department Receives $8,566 School Bus Safety Grant
Transportation Supervisor Mr. Arian Keeran is always focused on maintaining our bus fleet, as evidenced by the 100% passage rate for the bus inspections conducted in January, and when an opportunity to improve our fleet arises, he is ready to take advantage of it. Van Buren was one of roughly half of the districts in the state to apply for and receive money, and we will be using the $8,566 we received to continue enhancing the stop signs on our buses.
With the grant money covering the purchase and installation of four new stop signs, the goal is to eventually add the more visible signs to all the buses we use for routes. The new signs, instead of having only two flashing lights, will be completely illuminated and feature strobing lights to gain the attention of drivers.
“Loading and unloading students is the most safety-sensitive part of a bus driver’s job, and the increased visibility these stop signs provide will continue to improve the safety of our students and drivers. We will continue to update safety features on our buses whenever money is available through grants or other sources,” Keeran said.
Elementary Teachers May, Beining Receive $4,000 Art and STEAM Grant
Elementary art teacher Mrs. Jordan May and elementary STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) teacher Mr. Brian Beining received a grant from the Hancock Education Fund to advance learning opportunities for students.
May is using her portion of the grant to purchase supplies for her Teaching Artistic Behavior (TAB) program for students in grades 3-5. The focus of the program is to help students see the classroom as their studio as they learn how artists work and what they do before students spend time creating their own artwork. Students have the opportunity to create projects based on their interests after being exposed to many artistic mediums, including clay, collage, drawing, fiber, graphic design, jewelry, origami, painting, printmaking, and sculpture.
“The TAB program allows me to more effectively facilitate students’ learning. I am more hands-off after introducing the artistic mediums to students, but that means they are more hands-on, which leads to students being more active learners,” May said.
All of the students’ artwork will be on display at the Elementary Arts Extravaganza on Thursday, May 7.
Beining used his portion of the grant to buy supplies like Chomp Saws to allow students of all abilities to safely cut and build with cardboard and foam while exploring ideas such as structure, balance, and engineering. Using the engineering design process of researching, brainstorming solutions, iterating prototypes, testing, modifying, and testing again, students designed and built 3D projects. Overall, the project helped build student confidence while connecting art, technology, and engineering in a fun and engaging way.
“The goal was to help students see the value of failing forward. Even if their design didn’t work the first time, they could make modifications to continue working toward solving the problem,” Beining said.
Middle, High School Teachers Receive $1,900 in HancockREADS Grants
Middle school English teachers Mrs. Karen Dishong and Mr. Adam Greer received $1,200, and high school Spanish teacher Mrs. Alyssa Leddy received $700 from HancockREADS grants to improve student literacy.
Dishong (sixth grade) and Greer (eighth grade) purchased non-fiction reading materials to use with the students during their ELA Growth time, a targeted, data-driven time for students to work on specific standards and skills based on their needs for support, reinforcement, or extension. Their first purchase was a one-year subscription to Scholastic SCOPE, allowing students to access both the paper version and online resources. They also bought class sets of the books My Survival - A Girl on Schindler’s List and Into the Clouds to help their ELA Growth students develop their reading skills.
“This grant helps us develop and push students to maximize their learning through the use of non-fiction materials. We are always looking to give students more opportunities to show mastery of non-fiction because it is a life skill they will utilize throughout the rest of their lives,” Dishong and Greer said.
In the high school, Leddy used the grant to purchase 72 Spanish readers across four levels. While the books are written in Spanish, they cover topics of interest to high school students in fiction, nonfiction, and graphic novel formats. Students have time for a portion of the period on Tuesdays and Thursdays to read the books of their choice for pleasure to gain vocabulary and fluency.
Senior Madison Hedrick-Craun, who is in Spanish IV, said, “Interpreting Spanish words by reading twice a week has not only helped me learn new words but also increased my interest because I am reading about topics which are familiar to me but written in Spanish.”
In addition to the HancockREADS grant, Leddy used $200 from the PTO to purchase shelves and organizational items to display the books.
Webster Receives $13,352 Grant for Reading Camp from Bill & Eveline Stitt Fund
Second grade teacher Mrs. Lyn Webster received $13,352 from the Bill & Eveline Stitt Fund, established to support early literacy intervention, to offer a summer reading camp to students going into first through fifth grade at no cost to the students or their families.
The half-day camp, which took place the week of June 9, 2025, gave students the opportunity to practice reading with the support of elementary teachers and high school student volunteers. Grant funds were used to purchase snacks and materials and pay the teachers. High school students were also able to log their service hours to work toward the Community Service diploma seal.
Webster said, “We appreciate the Community Foundation for providing this grant to give us the opportunity to develop our students’ reading skills so they are prepared to excel in elementary school and beyond.”
Please know we will continue to pursue grant opportunities as we seek to provide the highest-quality educational experiences for our students, reduce costs, and fulfill our mission of building thinkers, building experiences, and building connections.
Check out what else is happening at Van Buren Local School District:
Facility Improvements Enhance Safety, Efficiency
Board of Education Elects 2026 Leadership
Improvement Projects: HS Chiller Replacement and HS Gymnasium Air Conditioning
Fueling Students for Academic Success
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