Ten Irvine Teachers Awarded Cox Communications “Innovation in Education” Grants

January 14, 2020

Cox Communications Awards $50,000 in “Innovation in Education” Grants

20 Orange County Schools Received Funding

Our partners at Cox Communications have awarded $50,000 in “Innovation in Education” grants to 20 schools throughout its Orange County, CA service area to fund innovative programs from students in grades K-12. The annual grant program invited applications from educators at eligible schools for projects that provide creative, technology-based curriculum and enhance the traditional classroom experience by supporting one of the following areas:

• Skills Based Learning
• STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art/Design and Mathematics)
• Digital Literacy
• Cyber Citizenship

“The Innovation in Education program is part of the investment commitment Cox has had to education since our founding.  The program provides us the opportunity to bring innovative technology and skills development into many classrooms throughout Orange County,” said Sam Attisha, Senior Vice President and Region Manager for Cox Communications. “These grants allow students to be introduced to new technology, innovative teachings and critical thinking skills which better prepare them for careers of the future.”

Community leaders from throughout Orange County review applications, provide scores and reach a consensus on the applications which will receive funding.

“Every year, Orange County Business Council releases our Workforce Indicators Report, and every year, the report shows Orange County outperforming the state of California in higher high school graduation rates, UC/CSU Eligibility rates, Advanced Placement Scores, SAT Scores and college going rates,” said Jesse Ben-Ron, Director, Workforce and Economic Development for Orange County Business Council. “The commitment and passion of Orange County’s education professionals is a major reason for this, but it is also because of private sector leaders such as Cox, who make that extra investment that allow our classrooms to flourish. By funding STEAM programs throughout our K-12 system, Cox is giving Orange County the extra edge it needs to have a world class workforce.”

The 2020 Innovation in Education grant recipients are:

Capistrano Unified School District

• Avery Arman, San Juan Hills High School, “Ipad Art Lab: Increasing Digital Literacy for Our Future Designers”

Irvine Unified School District

• Kaitlynn Cooper, Cypress Village Elementary, “Osmo For the Classroom”
• Kelley Hedstrom, Loma Ridge Elementary, “Podcasts in the Classroom InnovationOC”
• Gina Bowlen, Turtle Rock Elementary, “Help Build a Social-Emotional Learning Library”
• Frances Hernandez, Portola Springs Elementary, “InnovationOC-Give Our Students a Voice Through Technology”
• Karen Sposato, Cadence Park School, “Let’s Jam!”
• Ruthy Fong Loi, Cadence Park School, “InnovationOC-Fostering Big Imaginations, One Cubelet at a Time”
• Kathie Wilhelm, Santiago Hills Elementary School, “Creating Thinkers and Tinkerers”
• Korinne Kornmann, Loma Ridge Elementary, “First Grade Wants to See in 3D!”
• Kathryn Scholl, Brywood Elementary School, “InnovationOC Jump Into a Good Book”
• Lorelei Fabro, Woodbury Elementary, “InnovationOC-Lights, Cmaera, Action! Empowering Students with Video Production”

Laguna Beach Unified School District

• Michelle Martinez, Thurston Middle School, “Forensics at Ford’s Theatre-#InnovationOC”

Saddleback Valley Unified School District

• Darin Petzold, Serrano Intermediate School, “Exploring The World Through Data Acquisition!”
• Sean Fletcher, Serrano Intermediate School, “Making Waves and Electricity in the Classroom”
• Mrs. Healy, Foothill Ranch Elementary, “Easy Access to Computer Programming on Raspberry Pi”
• Tammy Strand, Melinda Heights Elementary, School “Rolling into InnovationOC”

Tustin Unified School District

• Erin D’Arcy, Hicks Canyon Elementary School, “Digital Storytelling for Newcomers!”
• Cooper, Foothill High School, “Workshop Tools”
• Laura Trudeau, Clarence Lobo Elementary School, “InnovationOC for STEAM”
• Liz Holcomb, Heritage STEAM Magnet School, “InnovationOC Growing as Coders”

About Cox Communications

Cox Communications is committed to creating meaningful moments of human connection through broadband applications and services. The largest private telecom company in America, we proudly serve six million homes and businesses across 18 states. We’re dedicated to empowering others to build a better future and celebrate diverse products, people, suppliers, communities and the characteristics that makes each one unique. Cox Communications is the largest division of Cox Enterprises, a family-owned business founded in1898 by Governor James M. Cox.