Grants
INVESTING IN HIGHLAND’S EDUCATION
Our teacher grants contribute to the advancement and growth of Highland students. Each spring and fall The Foundation solicits grant ideas from Highland Local Schools staff that encourage creative teaching practices, explore new, imaginative curriculum ideas, engage students and affect classroom experiences.
“To have my creativity financially supported though The Highland Foundation offers me the ability to nurture and inspire creativity in my students. I have had the opportunity to aim high and have bold lesson ideas for my students – to ultimately make a lesson spark and ignite their interests.” – Mrs. Masaro
In the 2022-23 School year, these grants developed a steel drum band, reestablished international exchange with our sister schools in France and Spain, and celebrated theater and literacy through a shared theater performance and book celebration at all three elementary buildings, and more.

Great Lakes Theatre Festival Artist in Residence
Spring 2023 ($11,600)
Using an interactive, hands-on approach, specially trained actor-teachers visited for five consecutive days. The actors brought various tools including: scripts, props, costumes, –even stage blood– to turn students into an acting troupe, exploring classic literature from an actor’s point of view.
Laura Numeroff Author Visit
Spring 2023 ($3,389)
If You Give a Mouse a Coookie author, Laura Numeroff, visited Granger Elementary, and shared her journey to becoming a published author, which included lessons on the creative writing process, working with illustrators, perseverance, and how a student’s impact can create massive change for others.
The Highland Buzz Network
Spring 2022 ($5,252)
This grant enhanced the high school’s Digital Media Production class and its capabilities to efficiently produce quality video/audio media projects that highlight achievements of Highland students and staff. (Watch the video)
Highland Buzz Junior
Spring 2022 ($1,500)
Beginning with Mrs. Yu’s third grade class, Sharon Elementary students learned to plan, write, and produce a weekly recorded announcement to highlight students, staff, and events in their school.
HHS Art Gallery
Spring 2023 ($1,977.50)
This grant will create a permanent art gallery in the vestibule between the hallway and the auditorium, bringing exceptional artwork down into the public areas of the building. There is an inherent educational value for the students to be able to display their work and admire and critique their pieces as well as those of others.
Sanyuka Children's Choir with Highland Choirs
Spring 2023 ($5,919)
A 3-day intensive workshop with the Sanyuka Children’s Choir in October 2023 will increase cultural awareness and allow Highland students to discover firsthand the diversity of world music through the eyes of peer performers. Beyond the music, the interaction among the children will deepen their understanding of culture, poverty/need, perseverance, and joy of the Ugandan children.
Sound for Theater
Spring 2023 ($9,445.18)
Updated equipment for Highland auditorium’s microphones to match the technology of our sound board to benefit district-wide fine arts performances, including musicals, theater performances, concerts, community and staff meetings, and other events held in the auditorium.
Island Sounds with The University of Akron
Spring 2022 ($3,525)
Fourth, fifth and K-5 intensive needs students at Granger Elementary are submerged in the diverse culture of island music, learning instruments and playing techniques with the University if Akron Steel Drum Alumni Ensemble.
Art As Therapy
Spring 2022 ($1,614)
This grant provided students Social Emotional Learning opportunities through small group art projects, an A.L.L. small group speaker series, and two, whole-school, interactive art installations, the first one titled “I Matter Because.”
Highland Steel Drum Band
Spring 2022 ($10,000)
Assisted the music program with the development of a steel drum band at Highland. Students continue to learn a different range of rhythms and music literacy, increase hand-to-eye coordination and memorization skills.
Steel Drum Expansion
Fall 2022 ($6,750)
A new set of bass pans and another cello were commissioned to provide more opportunities for kids to play in the popular new Highland High School Steel Drum Band.
College Now Greater Cleveland
Spring 2023 ($7,500)
The Baker Family funded this initiative, now in its tenth year, of increasing college attainment through college access and success advising, financial aid counseling and scholarship services with appointments at the high school for students and parents.
A Hole in One: Bringing Golf to Hinckley Students
Spring 2023 ($1,892)
A unique opportunity brought an otherwise non-traditional PE classroom activity to Hinckley Elementary students, exposing them to the game of golf and its lifelong health benefits. Students learned grip, swing, proper putting stance, golf etiquette, and about local golfing opportunities available to them. Also, students had a “Family Fitness Night” where families played mini-golf with their student.
CPR/AED Certification for all 7th Grade Students
Spring 2023 ($8,750)
This project provided CPR and AED certification for all 7th grade students at Highland Middle School in May 2023.
"Who Gets In and Why"
Spring 2022 ($12,000)
Highland High School welcomed New York Times bestselling author Jeff Selingo for a free parent session offering insights into the college admissions process from his latest book. Selingo also spoke to HHS Counselors and to students on assessing their strengths and matching with their best schools.
Where Everyone Belongs (WEB) Program
2021 Implementation ($9,500)
With WEB, students help students succeed. Members of the 8th grade class are extensively trained as WEB Leaders to be positive role models and motivators who guide 6th graders to discover what it takes to be successful in middle school.
Nanoparticles & Light Energy Experiment
Spring 2023 ($800)
Through in-depth exploration of the colors of rainbows as light energy in the form of waves, students gained an understanding of how nanoparticles interact with absorbing photons to produce colors across the spectrum from blue to red.
Swerve Wheel Modules for Robotics Program
Spring 2022 ($4,700)
These wheels provide cutting edge technology and mechanisms for our robotics members to use in STEM-oriented tasks and include modern sensors which will allow our team to sense position and travel, program automatic movements without human input, and will provide a complex and limitless source of projects, experience, and creative outlets in engineering tasks.
STEM Club
Spring 2022 ($1,400)
Useful and effective tools like Arduino electronic development boards, their parts and sensors as well as the 3D printer and its parts cover all the basics needed for a new STEM Club to helps expand students’ interests by building projects that start with the basics and end with complex builds.
Putting the “A” in STEAM
2021 Implementation ($915)
Adding copper tape, mini motors and other specialty markers and materials to the art room challenged students to design and construct their very own art-creating machines.
Highland Intercultural Program
Spring 2023 ($6,000)
In its tenth year, the Intercultural Program has become an integral part of Highland’s World Language curriculum, and our greater school district and community. The program is centered around homestay exchanges both abroad and here in Northeast Ohio. The details and curriculum of the program are adapted each year to reflect the mutual goals of each sister school and the World Language Program at Highland High School.
Need-Based Travel Assistance
Spring 2022 ($7,600)
Funding is provided to Highland students who need financial assistance with travel expenses. To date, more than 200 Highland students and staff have had the opportunity to travel abroad through the Intercultural Program.
Due to Highland’s Inclusive Special Education program, grant funding allocated for this area was through the arts and literacy.