LHS Educational Foundation Sets Record Giving 15 Grants

LEMONT, IL — The Lemont High School Educational Foundation has committed supporting 15 Dr. Mary Ticknor Educational Foundation Grants for more than $44,000, the high school shared in a news release.

Grant proposals were submitted by Lemont High School faculty and staff, with the goal of enhancing educational opportunities for the school’s enrollment of approximately 1,300 students.

The LHSEF is fully funding a record 15 grants for a total of $44,101, with a stipulation that the funds provided for the projects must be used by the end of the 2026-27 school year, the school said. These grants are named in honor of former Superintendent Dr. Mary Ticknor, who served Lemont High School District 210 from 2012-25.

The high school provided some information on each grant below:

“An Evening Out”
Funded at $750 — proposal by Kelsey Eisele, Krissy Bergles & Meagan Drummond
The “Evening Out” program provides Lemont High School special education students with structured, supervised opportunities to participate in after-school and evening activities. These events allow students to build social skills while connecting with their peers, their school community, and the broader local community. This grant will fund the costs associated with these activities, which could include attending sporting events or musicals, going to the movies, or other engaging outings.

“AP Yard of Fame”
Funded at $5,000 — proposal by Erin Horan, Brittany Zettergren & Angie Duensing
Each year, hundreds of Lemont High School students earn college credit by earning a score of 3 or above on their Advanced Placement exams. The AP Yard of Fame initiative is intended to publicly celebrate these students for their academic achievement, promoting a culture that values academic excellence while strengthening school pride. This grant will cover the cost of yard signs that will be distributed to returning sophomores, juniors and seniors who have earned college credit through the AP program.

“ARC Art Therapy”
Funded at $2,000 — proposal by Krissy Bergles, Annmarie Dorgan, Alexis Kelley & Dylan Mack
Lemont High School’s ARC Program (Academics, Resilience, Character) provides a learning environment for special education students that features extra emotional and academic support. Students receive services to help address internalizing behaviors (school anxiety, withdrawal, emotional dysregulation) that impact their ability to thrive in a traditional classroom setting. This grant will fund evidence-based art therapies, giving students a safe, creative outlet to develop healthy coping strategies.

“Breakfast Buddies”
Funded at $2,200 — proposal by Kelsey Eisele, Meagan Drummond & Meredith Galos
Since 2006, Breakfast Buddies has helped with socializing for both students with varying ability levels and students who wish to be mentors. Breakfast Buddies is held before school twice a month and attracts dozens of students. Special education students gain confidence and acceptance, while peer mentors gain expertise in working with individuals with diverse abilities. This program promotes inclusivity, acceptance, respect, social interaction and kindness for all students.

“Building Readers Through Partnership”
Funded at $750 — proposal by Jeana Parry
Library visits strengthen students’ community connections and give them access to a wider range of contemporary texts and guidance from certified librarians through book talks and reading recommendations. Students have their choice of materials to read, encouraging them to select novels that interest them and expanding their access to a variety of titles. This grant will fund transportation for six sections of Modern Literature classes to visit the Lemont Public Library three times per semester.

“Calculating Success”
Funded at $4,500 — proposal by Angela Marshall
Lemont High School’s Mathletes team performs well both locally and at the state level, and has brought home several conference championships. While the school has successfully transitioned to utilizing a web-based calculator on student Chromebooks, regional and state Mathletes competitions prohibit such devices in testing rooms. This grant will fund a set of 30 TI-84 Plus CE graphing calculators that will help bridge the technology gap for students in their competitions.

“Eco-Friendly Educational Pollinator Gardens”
Funded at $800 — proposal by Karen Aleman
Students in Lemont High School’s Biology, Field Ecology, and AP Environmental Science classes research native plants and pollinators of Illinois. With previous projects, they have worked in local forest preserves to remove invasive species and collect and plant native seeds, and installed a garden, tallgrasses, and prairie plants on campus. This grant will allow students to continue their environmental stewardship through a colorful garden along the parking lot in front of the school’s main entrance.

“Enhancing Language Proficiency Phase 2”
Funded at $3,500 — proposal by Daniel Zmarzlinski & Christie Entler
Integrating more reading into World Languages classrooms has proven to increase students’ language acquisition, particularly with comprehension, fluency and vocabulary. After a previous grant purchased classroom readers for all Spanish I and French I classrooms, this grant will be used to supply upper level Spanish and French classes with shorter novels in order to provide choices for students that are developmentally, linguistically, and level appropriate during designated reading time in class.

“Junior Association of the Deaf”
Funded at $7,000 — proposal by Justin Marrier
The Junior Illinois Association of the Deaf (JrIAD) is a student-led Lemont High School club serving Deaf & Hard of Hearing (DHH) and American Sign Language (ASL) students. It provides leadership opportunities, social-emotional support, and cultural engagement. Over the next five years, JrIAD’s goal is to establish a sustainable, high-impact program that fosters confidence, identity and community connection. This grant will fund foundational needs, including materials, transportation, and more.

“LHS Swag Bags”
Funded at $1,700 — proposal by Marek Dron & Trisha Weber
Each year, Lemont High School sees an influx of approximately 30 transfer students. Studies show that school mobility can lead to feelings of social isolation and decreased social mobility. To boost a sense of school spirit and community, student leadership organizations (Link Crew, Student Council, National Honor Society) will greet each transfer student with a “swag bag” to welcome them to Lemont High School. This grant will fund clothing, Common Grounds tokens, and other swag bag items.

“Live-Learn-Lemont”
Funded at $700 — proposal by Meredith Galos, Margie Pilarski & Amy Slawson
Lemont High School’s self-contained LIFE Program focuses on Learning for Independence, Friendship, and Employment/Training. Thanks to previous LHSEF grants, the Live-Learn-Lemont program now is embedded in the LIFE program. Live-Learn-Lemont allows students enrolled in the Life Skills class to expand their independence, as well as vocational and community skill options, by creating and selling “Lemont swag” that is sold throughout the year. This grant will expand those opportunities.

“Respect Week”
Funded at $1,200 — proposal by Meagan Drummond & Kelsey Eisele
Lemont High School’s “Respect Week” is a spirit week focusing on inclusion for all students, regardless of differences. The goal of the week is to promote acceptance, tolerance, and empathy for all, while eliminating derogatory language and bullying. Various activities help students build relationships and facilitate new conversations and new friendships, promoting a positive school climate. This grant will be used to cover the cost of some of the “Respect Week” activities for the upcoming year.

“Senior Class Resale Store”
Funded at $1,366 — proposal by Meghan Wilcoxen & Stephanie Krolo
Lemont High School’s Senior Class sponsors are revitalizing their fundraising strategy to support the annual Senior Gift that is announced at Graduation. The Lemont Resale Shop is a student-led initiative where sports teams, clubs, and graduating seniors can donate gently used school apparel. Reselling items at affordable prices will foster school spirit and a sustainable revenue stream, and keep items out of landfills. This grant will fund essential equipment such as clothing racks, storage bins and more.

“Sports Science”
Funded at $10,135 — proposal by Scott Collins
Lemont High School’s new Sports Science course will debut during the 2026-27 school year and explore the dynamic intersection of athletics and scientific principles such as biology, physics, psychology, and nutrition. Students and athletes will apply scientific concepts practically to understand human movement, energy systems, and data-driven training methods. This grant will fund technology needed to collect data, including velocity-based training sensors, broad jump sensors, iPads, and more.

“UpLifting Lemont”
Funded at $2,500 — proposal by Trisha Weber
With support from previous LHSEF grants, the “UpLifting Lemont” program sees faculty and staff catching students doing good things. This initiative positively impacts students, improves the school’s community, culture and climate, and recognizes students for their hard work and growth. Faculty and staff identify students who deserve recognition, and honored students receive a note on why they stood out. This grant will fund Common Grounds tokens, as well as year-end raffle prizes.

The LHSEF’s previous record for grants funded in one year was 13, which it did on three occasions (2012-13, 2016-17, 2025-26). The most money granted by the LHSEF in one year came during the 2015-16 grants cycle ($65,340), according to LHS.

Since 2007, the LHSEF has supported nearly $670,000 in grants to benefit Lemont High School. In addition to funding grants, the LHSEF proudly pledged multi-year support for the transformation of the school’s Learning Resource Center into the CITGO Innovation Academy, which opened in 2018.

A primary reason the LHSEF has been able to provide such significant support to Lemont High School is the success of its “Taste of Lemont” series, according to a news release. The LHSEF already is gearing up for this fall’s “Taste of Lemont,” which will take place in downtown Lemont on Sept. 12. Ticket information will be available this summer.