Educators from across Round Rock ISD campuses and departments were selected to receive $125,000 in Excellence in Education Grants from the Round Rock ISD Partners in Education (PIE) Foundation.

The Excellence in Education Grants provides resources for educators to execute innovative ideas, programs, materials, equipment, field trips, and various other needs that enhance student learning. All Round Rock ISD students are impacted by the grants in some capacity.

“It is so important to support our innovative teachers and department leads who only want the best education for all of our students,” said Marianne Reap, PIE Foundation executive director. “Through the excellence in education grant process, the Foundation has the opportunity to see first-hand just how creative and innovative our teachers are, including requests to start robotics clubs, book groups, seek out upgraded learning materials and asking for the most up-to-date curriculum for their students. Through fundraising events and generous donations from the community, we are able to answer their financial needs for the upcoming school year. These new programs and others offered to our students are what make Round Rock ISD one of the top Districts in Texas.”

To award the grants this year, the PIE Foundation created a video with a celebrity guest from each of the District’s five learning communities. The video was shared with staff prior to the first day of school.

View the list of campuses and Round Rock ISD department grant recipients:

Westwood Learning Community

  • Canyon Creek Elementary School Library, Julianne Bamford, A VIRTUAL Who’s Who of Popular and Diverse Movers and Shakers, $2,598
  • Laurel Mountain Elementary School, Tracy Defendorf, “We like good books and we cannot lie,” $1,600
  • Purple Sage Elementary School, Alayna Stoll, Makerspace Glow-Up, $4,921
  • Round Rock Opportunity Center, Gwendolyn Thomas, Leader in Me-Stephen Covey, $5,000
  • Spicewood Elementary School, Ana Hoang, 1st Grade Innovation, $1,000
  • Westwood High School, Tim Bray, Voices from Austin’s Country Music Scene and Beyond, $900

Stony Point Learning Community

  • Hernandez Middle School, Teri Flores, PE equipment, $1,500.00
  • Herrington Elementary School, Kimberley Miller, Pathway to outdoor exploration, $1,420.00
  • Herrington Elementary School, Kristen Castillo, As a Matter of Fact, I Can Subtract! (And multiply too!), $700.00
  • Herrington Elementary School, Talitha Dixon, Pollinator Power, $515.00
  • Redbud Elementary School, Shannon Houston, Representation Matters! Helping Teachers Build Culturally Relevant Classroom Libraries, $1,650.00
  • Robertson Elementary School, Clover Bolton, Equity in Early Literacy, $4,000
  • Stony Point High School, Kathrine Lopez, Forensic Pathology, $2,355
  • Teravista Elementary School, Danielle Doeckel, The Vend is Near: A Book Vending Machine to Engage and Excite Readers, $5,000
  • Union Hill Elementary School, Roxanne Canamar, Picture Frames: From Waste to Decor Galore!, $500

Round Rock Learning Community

  • Bluebonnet Elementary School, Tara Schnell, Meeting the Sensory needs of students, $618.00
  • Bluebonnet Elementary School, Katie Elder, Learning Through Outdoor Play!, $941
  • Cactus Ranch Elementary School, Rachel Walker, Music Play For All, $175
  • Cactus Ranch Elementary School, Crystal Bridge, Read Naturally Live Readers Rock!, $690
  • Chisholm Trail Middle School, Kirby Williams, Diversity Rocks, $3,000
  • Deep Wood Elementary School, Tina Risinger, Ready, Set, Middle School!, $920
  • Great Oaks Elementary School, Lindsay Brazell, Third-grade book study, $1,872
  • Great Oaks Elementary School, Kristie Campo, Reading or Not— Here We Come!, $2,500
  • Great Oaks Elementary School, Staci Linson, Fidget to Focus, $570

McNeil Learning Community

  • Brushy Creek Elementary School, Shelbi Roohms, Brushy Creek Campus Vegetable Garden, $4,900
  • Elementary DAEP, Amanda Sickert, Planting Seeds To Be Mindful, $2,771
  • England Elementary School/Forest North Elementary School, Susanne West/Angie Bell, 5th grade Art Collaboration Project, $700
  • Forest North Elementary School, Richard Raney, Movie Making at Forest North Elementary, $216
  • Joe Lee Johnson Elementary Arts Integration Academy, Jamie Wright, Young Voices – Encouraging Readers Through Community Engagement, $646
  • Joe Lee Johnson Elementary STEAM Academy, Kimberly Sotello, Supporting the Sensational Brains of JLJ, $1,015
  • Joe Lee Johnson Elementary STEAM Academy, Rebecca Litovsky, Elementary Engineers: Weekly STEM Challenges, $1,500
  • Pearson Ranch Middle School, Amanda Bindel, Reading Rhumba: A Schoolwide Read-aloud, $840
  • Wells Branch Elementary Arts Integration Academy, Kari Maurer, Building Lifelong Readers, $2,500

Cedar Ridge Learning Community

  • Berkman Elementary Arts Integration Academy, Briana Malia, Shoes That Fit, $1,000
  • Berkman Elementary Arts Integration Academy, Jen Holsinger-Raybourn, Not All Classrooms Have Four Walls, $4,000
  • Blackland Prairie Elementary School, Stephanie Inzana, Mobile Story Walk – Connecting with students through stories, $1,092
  • Callison Elementary School, Kathy Potral, The Mensa for Kids Reading Project, $633
  • C.D. Fulkes Middle School Counselor, Vicki Gardiner, Counseling Program Resources, $295
  • Cedar Ridge High School, Jennifer Kaszuba, The intersection of life and art, $2,445
  • Cedar Ridge High School, Claire Jones, 2021 Global Read Aloud, $760
  • Forest Creek Elementary School Library, Ella Elliott, Building connections and community with enrichment clubs, $882
  • Gattis Elementary School, 5th Grade, DL Aissa, Fletcher, STEAM SEL Community Garden & Outdoor Learning Area, $1,200
  • Ridgeview Middle School, Jennifer Bingham, WEB leader fund for incoming 6th graders, $500
  • Ridgeview Middle School, Maryadele Troxler, Principal Grant, $840
  • Success High School, Alberto Perez, Phoenix Rising Young Men’s Mentoring/Life Coaching Group, $2,000
  • Success High School, Ellen Lukasik, Let’s Move Forward, $1,500
  • Voigt Elementary Arts Integration Academy, Hillel Davis, All Abilities Sensory Room, $2,027

Departments

  • Behavioral Health Services, Larissa Gomez, Coping Tools, $5,000
  • Brushy Creek Complex/Maintenance, David Hoedebeck, Safety Awareness, $1,000
  • Custodial Services, Ruben Dominguez, Motivational Tools, $1,000
  • Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Department, DeWayne Street, Support of campus projects, $5,000
  • Fine Arts Department, Marla Valk, Dress a Dancer, $1,000
  • Future Readiness, Rebekah Van Ryn, AVID Senior Success, $2,000
  • Health Services Department, Brandy Hafner, Making Hearing Tests More Accessible, $2,040
  • Professional Development, Edie Binns, Round Rock ISD Virtual SummeRR Camp, $1,000