CUSF Mission: We invest in educators and students by supporting creativity, innovation, and excellence in Champaign and Urban public schools.

On October 22 and 23, the Champaign Urbana Schools Foundation (CUSF) Board of Directors delivered souvenir checks totaling more than $83,000 in Champaign Unit 4 and Urbana School District #116 schools. A record 250 teachers applied for CUSF grants this fall. They will distribute more souvenir checks next semester as they add another grant cycle to the spring semester. The grant awards, supporting 132 new projects, are part of CUSF’s ongoing efforts to invest in educators and motivate students for success in our local public schools. Every first-year teacher across both districts (76 total), received a $100 grant from CUSF for use in setting up their new classrooms. Here are a few of the exciting and innovative projects we will see this upcoming year:

Tara Starling, Centennial High School’s art teacher, will be partnering with Central High School’s art teacher, Carol Lynn Comparetto, and Sholem Aquatic Center on a Beautification Project for the Lazy River. Ceramics students, National Art Honor Society, Art Club, AP Art students, & some others will be receiving a group of tiles to glaze and paint various underwater & water related creatures/plant life. They will then have to collaborate with students that have neighboring tiles to make sure it is consistent and flows well. In April of 2025 all of the tiles will be given to Sholem and half will be installed. The other half will be installed in April of 2026. The goal is for this project to stay up for 8 years.

Heather Payne and Corrine Herges, School Social Workers at Urbana Early Childhood School, are establishing a developmentally appropriate Social Academic Instructional Group (SAIG) curriculum that fits the needs of their district’s youngest learners. SAIGs are created to help specific students learn appropriate behaviors in a small group setting with their peers. They will be using their grant funding to purchase books, manipulatives, games, and other items needed to access instruction that will help them succeed in school and life.

“History in the Making through Music” is a grant submitted by Tamra Gingold, Strings Teacher at Urbana High School. The grant will partially cover the cost of guest composers/artists, Zach Mayer, Jessie and Brian Stark, who will work with students on creating arrangements of the musical pieces for her group. This activity will prepare them to perform the repertoire on their trip to New Orleans in March 2025.

Nicole Owens and Elodia (Maria) Guerrero, multi-language learning teachers at BTW, will be purchasing Pocketalk Voice Translators so that newcomers can interact with their peers, teachers and more fully participate in their education. These translators will not only help the students, but can also help with communication with parents and families at conferences and will help the whole school.