At the start of each academic year, the Hempfield Foundation unveils a new batch of grants to support educational enrichment opportunities throughout Hempfield School District. The foundation's grants enable teachers to offer unique projects and field trips to students at every grade level. This year, the Hempfield Foundation awarded 13 grants totaling nearly $27,000.

At Hempfield High School, the Tom Albright Grant is providing $1,000 to entrepreneurship teachers Chris Hanusa and Andy Wise. Hanusa and Wise use the grant funds each year to provide groups of students in the Entrepreneurship II course with the resources necessary to create business plans and product pitches. At the end of the semester, each group in the class receives $100 to buy materials for a competitive project based on the show "Shark Tank." This is the fourth consecutive year the high school has been able to offer the project due to grant funding from the Hempfield Foundation. "Entrepreneurship is really just an idea. The big challenge is taking it from an idea to an innovative reality," Hanusa said. "That's the big advantage here; students can take risks they didn't think they could take, buy stuff, put it together and have a prototype by the time they get to Shark Tank."

Last year, a separate grant from the Hempfield Foundation allowed Hanusa to establish the "maker space," a multipurpose workshop at the high school that is equipped with a 3D printer, a label maker, a heat press and other equipment students can use for marketing projects. "(The Hempfield Foundation) has been an absolutely phenomenal partner in helping us educate our students and provide the best opportunities possible," said Hanusa. "They've been the biggest player in expanding our entrepreneurship opportunities at the school. We really couldn't do what we do without them."

The foundation's 2024-25 academic year grants will also fund a workshop at the high school titled "Creative Things for Classical Strings" offered by guest musician Tracy Silverman.

At Landisville Education Center, educator Sue Allen received grant funding to introduce technology integration lessons to enhance class materials via robotics. The foundation also awarded several grants to teachers at Landisville Intermediate Center (LIC) and Landisville Primary Center (LPC). Courtney Harding, a math teacher at LIC, will use grant funding to purchase a series of educational problem-solving games. Additional grants will support initiatives from Katie Brenner and Kristi Miller at LPC, including access to a phonics and science of reading website as well as a visit from children's picture book author Kim Kluxen Meredith.

For more information about the Hempfield Foundation, visit http://www.hempfieldfoundation.org.