Positive Impact Grantees 2025

We once again witnessed an impressive amount of applications, with numerous compelling and pivotal proposals vying for recognition. SCEF takes great pride in honoring initiatives that have left a lasting imprint on vital fronts such as student wellness, early development, and the pursuit of racial and socioeconomic equity. This year, we wanted to recognize innovative projects aligned with these initiatives. Additionally, SCEF has continued in our tradition to recognize library proposals dedicated to fostering literacy across the district. Join us in celebrating the dedicated educators whose projects are propelling positive change within our educational community.

 

  • Bri Rudolph, $1,000 Soquel High School - College Tours and UC Berkeley Trips for AVID/ First Generation and Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Students. Funding will support 9-11th grade students who have shown academic success, yet who still experience barriers to higher education, with the opportunity to attend extensive college tours. 

 

  • Tracy Thomas, $1,000 Bay View Elementary, Mission Hill Middle School, Harbor High School- Funding will support a high number of students in therapeutic and behavioral programs experiencing mental health and behavioral challenges who require additional instruction on learning social skills, self-management, and executive functions. Supports will be used for Tier 2/3 small groups and individual interventions that targeting critical Social Emotional Learning needs.

 

  • Jackie Olin, $650 Gault Elementary - Inclusive STEM Curriculum enhancements that will tremendously increase accessibility and include parent engagement activities for Title I students and families.

 

  • Joe Hedgecock, $600 Branciforte Middle School - Guided Trips and Hikes to local State Parks, Mountains and Beaches for Title I students. Many students and their families, despite living in Santa Cruz, experience barriers to spending time in natural environments. These excursions will increase physical activity, access to nature, provide local history and natural science knowledge, and empower some of SCCS' most vulnerable students.

 

  • Kat Burke, $600 Bay View, Gault Elementary - Learning Experiences for SCCS' Newcomer Immigrant Families and Students from countries including Mexico, Honduras, Afghanistan, Philippines, El Salvador, Brazil. Parents will lead cultural experiences, such as cooking classes, or crafts while the Newcomer teacher delivers the English-Language instructional component. These projects are a positive way for students to have their culture honored and celebrated at school, but also a way to foster family engagement, empowerment, and build community.

 

  • Katrina Del Carlo, $500 Soquel High - The Multicultural Graduation opens the door for our underrepresented students to take center stage and express their parting sentiments and gratitude before they embark on the next phase of their lives. Additionally, students who completed their Seal of Biliteracy and those in the AVID program receive special recognition. Funds will help continue to provide the ceremony, which will impact many of our first-generation Latino families.

 

  • Jessica Brooks, $500 Branciforte Middle - Funding to support Project LIT Book Club, promoting and protecting access to BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and neurodiverse authors and stories. Alongside the goal of providing opportunities for students to read diverse, relevant literature, Project LIT works to eradicate “book deserts,” and to make quality, relevant literature accessible and available in Title I student’s homes.

 

  • Todd Kramer, $500 Harbor High School - Funding to support the newly established eSports Team at Harbor High (Title I) that competes in the Pacific Coast League (California, Oregon, Washington). This new team is a part of an expanding industry, and encompasses STEM, Digital Arts and Literacy, competition, communication, teamwork, and inclusivity. The eSports Team and students have already demonstrated dedication and achievements in their current season have plans to implement teams at the middle schools, continuing to empower other students and be trailblazers.

 

  • High School Activities Directors Katie Rowe-Kairys, Layla Dawson, Ellie Gomez $1500 Santa Cruz High, Soquel High, Harbor High School - SCEF will fund each high school $500 toward ENVOLVE students leadership training. Students will learn better ways to plan more inclusive events and activities for their school communities. They will be provided tools and instruction to feel empowered to go beyond traditions and work collaboratively to create new solutions.

 

  • Melissa Menser, $500 Bay View- Funding will help secure structured gross and fine motor materials and activities for the Special Day Class children which will help them be able to write, reducing frustration and developmental disparities and improving academic outcomes.

 

  • Dillion Baiocchi, $500 Harbor High School - Funding will eliminate costs for the Title I students participating in the Music Program. This includes musical instrument repairs or replacements, reeds, sheet music, travel expenses for performances, competitions. Over 64% of music program students are BIPOC, over 50% Socioeconomically disadvantaged, many newcomer immigrant English Language Learner students.

 

  • Mandy Rubin, $500 Gault Elementary - Social Emotion Learning STEAM curriculum for Transitional Kindergarten at Title I School as a means to increase preventative measures against mental health challenges, and to be an intervention tool to identify and address early emotional and mental health issues at an early stage in a child's development. By integrating Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math into a TK classroom, students have early exposure to rich, hands-on experiences that foster both academic and emotional growth.

 

  • Nadine Said, $500 Mission Hill Middle School - Funding will grow the non-fiction collection in the areas of World History, American History, U.S. History, California History, and Local History. By expanding the historical content, students will have increased access to accurate, inclusive, and representative materials that help combat misinformation and disinformation while making history more engaging and relatable. The new collection will include a broader range of voices, perspectives, and experiences, ensuring that students see themselves reflected in history while also learning about diverse cultures and viewpoints.

 

  • Larissa Adams, $500 Soquel High School - Funding support will allow Soquel High to expand its Spanish language collection to better serve their increasingly diverse student body to meet the growing needs of our newcomer students, multilingual learners, and those enrolled in advanced world language courses.

 

  • Barbara Lawrence $500 Gault Elementary - Funding will go towards the purchase of high-quality, recently published Spanish-language books and materials (published within the last five years) that directly correspond with the English titles in the Gault Library collection. Not only will this provide parity within the collection, this will also support Spanish-speaking students and families in the Gault Title I community, ensuring they have access to engaging, culturally relevant literature that reflects their experiences and language.

 

  • Katy Scowcroft $400, Gault Elementary - Funding will offset the increased costs of field trip for Title I school to the Seymour Discovery Lab. This hands-on learning experience immerses students in lab investigations, giving them the unique opportunity to interact with live animals and real-world marine exhibits. As they explore the diverse and fascinating Monterey Bay ecosystem, students will gain a deeper understanding of the interdependent relationships that sustain ocean life in their very own backyard.

 

  • Josh Toback, $300 Delaveaga Elementary, Branciforte Middle School, Mission Hill Middle School, Soquel High School - Funding will improve the quality of the individual and group counseling. Resources include art supplies for art therapy interventions and therapeutic games to help younger students more actively participate in their counseling interventions.

 

  • Laura Gibson $300 Mission Hill Middle School, Harbor High- Occupational Therapy tools, resources, and a new Zones of Regulation Program materials. These tools help students with self emotional regulation, sensory processing organization, and improvement of focus and executive functioning skills.

 

  • Morgan Moyer, $250 Gault Elementary - Funding will support an interdisciplinary Climate Justice Project. Students will begin with Opinion Writing component and research on environmental topics of choice, which will next introduce hands-on art woodblock printing into their projects. This project aims to inspire Title I students to take action and become stewards for the environment and share knowledge with their community.

 

  • Meg Finn, $250 Gault Elementary - Support the TK/Kinder Round-Up Event which will help teachers do early screenings of students, help Title I families in the registration process, and foster a connection to the school for an easier transition for school entry. All families are also all provided a free backpack with books, crayons, and magnetic letters, ensuring equitable access to educational tools.

 

  • Shannon Tracy, $200 Harbor High School - Funding will go towards the purchase of Historical Fiction novel, set during the Mexican Revolution for a school-wide read. This will be hosted by a new Book Club at Harbor High School. The novel was chosen by students who found the novel to have personal family relevance and believe that many other students and families in the Harbor High community will also connect.