Half a dozen schools in the St. Joseph School District were awarded funding Friday to help with innovative classroom experiences.

Bobbie Cronk, School District Foundation Board Member took part in the 2015 Apple Seed Grant Prize Patrol.

“It’s a lot of fun being able to go into the buildings and award the grants,” Cronk said. “We arrive on a bus with noise makers and members of the community join us, this morning we had school district board members, members of the city council, community leaders, school supporters, it was a great way for us to show support for our teachers.”

First on the list this morning was Bode Middle School was awarded a grant for a ‘What Cooking?’ program.  Next, the Apple Seed Grant Prize Patrol headed over to the Alternative Resource Center to award ‘Boomwhachers Rhythem Band’, Pickett Elementary received funding for ‘Down with Dyslexia,” Benton High School was the fourth stop with its ‘Writing Marathon & Tools of the Historian’ program, Humboldt Elementary took home some funding also for its ‘Take Home Books’ program, and Lindbergh Elementary was the last stop earning funding for ‘Using Expanding Expression.’

“We gave out grants to fund writing marathons, to fund instruments in school, to fund special programs that will help children who have difficulty reading, really a variety of different programs,” Cronk said.

She said the community helps to fund the Apple Seed Grants to help innovative projects to aid in student learning.

“We are giving about $15,000 this year,” Cronk said. “It will fund six projects out of about 30 applicants.”

The winners are chosen by a committee formed from school district officials, business leaders, community members and the district’s teacher of the year that evaluates the projects.