Teachers Receive Grant to Enhance Innovative Classrooms in HSE

Jenifer Young, an English Language Learners teacher at Hamilton Southeastern High School, has received the City of Fishers Educator Innovation Grant. The $15,100 grant will help her create a safe environment and enhance language acquisition by providing a classroom set of ukuleles to use music for learning and 45 Pocketalks designed to translate.

"It’s going to provide a classroom set of ukuleles to use music to help my students learn to speak English better, and also it’s going to get us Pocketalks, which are designed to translate," Young said.

Across the building, Jeremiah Follis, creator of HSE's film club Olio Road Productions, has also received the grant. He'll use the $16,200 funding to purchase equipment like cameras, LED lights, and boom mics for his students' original films.

“I was thinking we were gonna be on our iPhones, but having the grant allows us to really step out of the gate with professional-looking films," Follis said.

The program aims to empower educators within HSE schools with financial resources to bring innovation to the classroom and inspire students. Since its launch last year, the City of Fishers has awarded nearly $350,000 in grants to 22 educators across 12 schools.

“Definitely teamwork. It’s so hard being on a film set. There’s nothing else like this. You’re working with 25 other people in 25 different positions doing 25 different things," senior Matthew Krohn said.

"It teaches you responsibility with being on time to shoots and being able to follow the rules and work with other people,” freshman Ellia Becker said.