YOUR AD HERE »

Public education foundation shows appreciation to Carbondale schools

Carrie Click

Carbondale’s public schools got a financial boost on Oct. 17 when the Carbondale Public Education Foundation handed out its Teacher Appreciation grants at River Valley Ranch.

The grants were awarded to 58 teachers who had applied for extra funding for their classes.

“Our teacher appreciation event went very smoothly,” said Annie Worley, co-chair of the foundation’s board of directors. “The speeches were short and heartfelt. We got good feedback about ideas for next year’s grants, and the teachers and principals were very appreciative.”



The grants are awarded to teachers who submit requests for funding that benefit the students in their classrooms. Carbondale’s five public schools receive an average of $5,000 apiece. Two other Carbondale organizations – the Family Resource Center and the Science Outreach Center – also received approximately $1,000 each for service and education projects they provide in the schools.

The Carbondale Public Education Fund was founded six years ago by River Valley Ranch developer Gerald Hines and his corporation, Hines Inc. Besides teacher appreciation grants, the foundation also awards scholarships to Roaring Fork High School graduates pursuing teaching degrees, and funds an endowment to support future grants.



This year’s teacher grants cover a wide range.

Some of the teacher grants awarded at Carbondale Community School include funding for Spanish language resources and instruction materials, and a visiting-artist program.

At Carbondale Elementary School, teachers received grants to participate in Aspen Center for Environmental Studies field work, and literature and tuition for Math Solutions Teacher Training.

At Crystal River Elementary, teacher grants include funding for a boom box, headphones, and science curriculum materials.

At Carbondale Middle School, grant money was awarded for software programs and books on tape, among other materials.

At Roaring Fork High School, funding for a seminar to teach teachers how to improve thinking skills through reading classics, and funds to purchase 20 yoga mats for yoga instruction were among the projects awarded grants.

Since its start, Carbondale Public Education Foundation has received over $100,000 from Hines Inc. The foundation has raised a total of approximately $235,000 from Carbondale businesses and community members for Carbondale’s public schools.


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

Readers around Glenwood Springs and Garfield County make the Post Independent’s work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.