With the purchase of bilingual books, students at Monroe Elementary participated in Storybags: A Tool for Parent-Assisted Reading and Writing at Home. Depending on the primary language in the home, each Storybag contained a book in either English or Spanish, journal, stuffed animal or other "friend" relating to the story, and a pencil. They went home with children Monday through Thursday with the task of reading/being read to, interacting with the "friend" and writing/illustrating in the journal.

The National Junior Art Honor Society (NJAHS) held Art for Everyone, a district-wide art show at Rafer Johnson Junior High. The NJAHS members organized and juried the show featuring nearly 300 pieces of student art from every school in the district in grades transitional kindergarten through eighth grade. Each artist’s family was invited to the show with an estimated 800 in attendance at the evening art show and reception catered by the Rafer Johnson Junior High Home Economics classes and the school jazz band provided music.

"Imagine a world where every girl owned at least one dress," this is the motto of the Dress a Girl Around the World program and the inspiration for the Dress A Girl project at El Capitan Middle School. The project was an amazing experience for both the students and staff. The students engaged in the sewing unit in a way that not only taught them the curriculum in a real world setting, but also provided a sense of compassionate service. At the end of the project 53 dresses were sewn, 33 more than the project goal, that will be sent to girls in Romania.

One of the goals of our Collaborative Mentoring program at Kastner Intermediate School is to promote teamwork and inclusion. In addition, the program encourages mentors to model good organizational skills for special needs mentees. The FCOE Innovation Grant allowed the teacher to purchase team T-shirts for students. They also purchased Collaborative Mentoring folders for both mentors and mentees to help all students keep track of their assignments.

Students at Burrel Elementary School experienced the magic of theatre arts and music with the production of The Wizard of Oz. The goal is to integrate the magic of the arts into this small, farming community to increase students’ academic performance and self-esteem. The magic of the arts at Burrel Elementary has helped raise spirits and inspire creativity throughout the community.

Students at Kingsburg High School had an enhanced learning experience with the Airlink Sensors and Pasco Probes project. This new equipment allowed them to quickly collect data and assess temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, carbon dioxide, etc., and easily record the data on a computer or tablet making labs much more efficient. The probes were used to collect and study water samples from the Merced River.

The Nexus Coffee Cart is operated by students enrolled in the Nexus Adult Transition Program. The Nexus Coffee Cart provides students with a comprehensive vocational and employment preparation experience that will enable them to secure and maintain employment. Lesson objectives include vocational, functional academics, managerial and supervisory skills, as well as the social skills necessary for maintaining satisfactory employment. Students engaged in all the facets of running the coffee cart; from product selection and purchase, to customer service.

Makerspace Robotics introduced second graders at Kerman-Floyd Elementary School to robotics and coding. Robotics help children learn applied mathematical concepts, scientific method of inquiry, logical thinking and persistence. The Innovation Grant funded five Wonder Dash Robots and the teachers introduced coding to the students with the Hour of Coding app. Students were able to write and debug algorithms that include moves, sounds and lights. Students received "drivers licenses" and began working in pairs to use coding to have the robots perform set tasks.

Approximately 70 students, parents and children participated in Family Literacy Night at Orange Cove High School. The students, who organized this event, created four different themed-reading circles for the children in attendance by age group—0-4, 5-6, 7-8 and 9-12. Each child received multiple books and the librarian facilitated an early literacy workshop for parents. The goals of this project were to improve reading fluency, comprehension and overall student confidence.

Students participating in the Biliteracy Program at McCabe Elementary School enjoyed learning foundational skills in Spanish. They were tutored in the Spanish language to help develop fluency, reading comprehension and vocabulary. Students participated in various Spanish academic activities and played traditional games using the Spanish language. The culminating event was having students take a reading comprehension test in Spanish after having read a book in Spanish.

Eighth grade students at Raisin City Elementary School renovated the old school garden. Old planter boxes were replaced with new ones that the students and teachers built. Students planted corn, tomatoes, tulips, and strawberries in the planters. The project goals included having students complete different types of group building activities, working with their hands, measuring, and thinking of ideas to put together different aspects of the garden.

Students from the ROP Criminal Justice Course at Firebaugh High School had the opportunity of spending the week volunteering their time at local elementary schools during Drug Free Awareness Week. High school students shared information and awareness of the dangers of drugs. The students put together a number of activities and gave away prizes to the students throughout the district. They were able to learn that setting a good example for others is very important, and practicing what they preach should be an every day slogan for students.

Young preschoolers and transitional kindergarten students at Thomas Elementary are enjoying a new Listening Station in the classroom fully equipped with tables, chairs, headphones, and a cassette player. The students love listening to stories and turning the pages by themselves. The Listening Station has been a tremendous help to students with language development and is heard best when students are reading-along with a story!

The Math Stations project at West Park Elementary gave students access to iPads that allowed them to practice specific math skills using the IXL program. As a result, students had the ability to meet their learning objective, while the teacher had the opportunity to provide extra instructional support in a small-group setting.

Every day, educators work hard to close gaps between students with disabilities and their general education peers, one of which is the technology access gap. The Innovation Grant made it possible for students at West Fresno Middle School to access technology using Chromebooks to enhance their learning. This funded project has given students the opportunity to familiarize themselves with frequently used software systems and programs to make learning fun.

At Sierra High School students increase their familiarity with math technology using graphing calculators, improving their ability to complete large-scale real-world math problems. The graphing calculators can be used for interactive student projects that incorporate real world problem solving activities, technology, and reading/writing in mathematics.

Students at Clay Elementary engaged in scientific investigation and inquiry through the use of microscopes and modern day technology and equipment. The microscope labs introduced students to cell characteristics as they studied the human body. They dissected plants and insects, observed hair follicles, clothing fiber and fingerprint analysis. Students were also able to partake in a forensic lab where they worked together to identify and collect crime scene evidence.

The Innovation Grant afforded the keyboarding class at Washington Colony Elementary with a much needed update. They were able to purchase eight brand new keyboards and 11 pairs of headphones. This was enough to replace older keyboards and provide enough keyboards and headphones for every student in each class. With this classroom update, every student in third and fourth grade can learn to play the piano at Washington Colony.