Robbinsdale District Teachers See Surprise Gifts for Classrooms
Some teachers in the Robbinsdale School District got a pleasant surprise on Monday. It came in the form of learning grants from a nonprofit that raises and distributes funds to give across the district.
That nonprofit is the Seven Dreams Education Foundation. Educators across the district applied for grants, and 15 recipients were selected. Members of the foundation paraded through the schools on Monday to drop off a check and celebrate the winners.
Two of those grants went to the School of Engineering and Arts in Golden Valley, and will provide hands-on learning opportunities for its elementary students.
Hands-On Readers
The first teacher, Emily Spanjers, was awarded a $3,500 grant for “Hands-On Book Bins for Hands-On Readers.” Spanjers applied for the grant with the help of Library Media Assistant Megan Fritz. Fritz said this will pay for cases that allow readers to peruse picture books, organized by cover rather than binding.
The school already has one, purchased from Facebook Marketplace. This grant will fund more cases like it.
More organizers like this will soon display picture books in SEA’s media center. That’s thanks to grant money from Seven Dreams.
“I know that being able to have multiple bins to put all of our genres in, they are going to be so excited. And it opens the library up to them more,” Fritz said.
Outdoor Learning
The other grant at SEA was awarded to Liz Kinville’s class, which visits an outdoor classroom on school property every day.
Her class was awarded $2,800 for “Loose Parts for the Big Rock Woods.” The grant will be used to buy hands-on items for kids to play with outside. Kinville said her students love to use their imagination when outside, and thinks the toys will help them learn.
“When we are out there, they have more time for innovation and creativity, so we can kind of take the outdoors and learning and put them together,” Kinville said.
Seven Dreams representatives presented each teacher with a giant check. According to Seven Dreams’ website, Hands-On Learning Grants are funded through the Staff Charitable Giving Campaign. This year, money from the Bird Bash 2025 also helped fund the grants.
Kinville’s class smiles with their check. She said this money will be used to buy items to enhance creativity for outside learning.
