Eight Charlottesville City Schools teachers are the recipients of grants from the Public Education Foundation Charlottesville-Albemarle (PEFCA) for Winter 2026. Congratulations to the following: 

• Jennifer Ryan, Charlottesville High School, “The Language Lab: Gamified English Learning for Emerging Multilinguals”
• Kevin Paquette, Charlottesville Middle School, "Future Cville: A STEM Career Pathway Pilot"
• Lucy Spencer, Charlottesville Middle School, “Table Talk with Teens”
• Cianna Washburg, Charlottesville Middle School, “SOL Game Ready Day”
• Melanie Johnson, Greenbrier Elementary School, “STEM in the Wild: Building Curiosity through Real-World Exploration”
• Jessica Cao, Jackson-Via Elementary School, “From Pencils to Print: Our Journey to Becoming Published Authors”
• Sabra Timmins, Jackson-Via Elementary School, “Crossing the Line: An After-School Soccer Club for Building Inclusive Communities”
• Amy Wissekerke, Walker Upper Elementary School, “Classroom Economics for 6th Grade”

These projects, which provide hands-on learning experiences in STEM, reading, financial literacy, and field research, are tied to the school division’s strategic plan. Several projects aim to provide resources to high-needs students, such as English language learners.

“Our goal for the Teacher Innovation Grants is to inspire teachers to create and try new ideas and engage students,” noted PEFCA Executive Director Penny Harrison. “PEFCA offers funds outside the scope of current public school resources.”

To apply for a grant, teachers had to demonstrate how the proposed project propelled innovative goals, methods, and outcomes, and what students would take away from the experience. All applicants agreed to share the project with other teachers in our region in an e-book created by PEFCA.

Details about CCS PEFCA Grant-Winning Projects
Jennifer Ryan, Charlottesville High School, “The Language Lab: Gamified English Learning for Emerging Multilinguals”
This project will create a “Language Lab” in our ESL classroom where multilingual learners build English skills through gamified literacy and language practice. Students will participate in vocabulary challenges, speaking tasks, reading activities, and collaborative grammar games. Students will benefit by gaining confidence, motivation, and meaningful practice using English in authentic, low-pressure ways. Gamified learning increases participation and lowers language anxiety, giving multilingual learners frequent opportunities to speak, read, write, and build vocabulary. Collaborative games strengthen peer relationships and support social-emotional learning, while manipulatives and structured challenges build foundational grammar and academic language skills aligned to WIDA standards. This project creates joyful, hands-on learning that helps English learners feel successful, engaged, and proud of their progress in school.
Students directly impacted: 74

Cianna Washburg, Charlottesville Middle School, “SOL Game Ready Day”
SOL Carnival Game Day is a school-wide activity entering its third year in our newly renovated building, at Charlottesville Middle School. We are excited to utilize our new facilities to engage and inspire students through innovative, hands-on learning experiences. SOL Carnival: Game Day 3.0 will bring together all core content areas — English Language Arts, Math, Science, Writing, and History — in a full-day celebration of creativity, collaboration, and academic rigor. What began as an ELA-only project has now evolved into a schoolwide, interdisciplinary event designed to help students prepare for their upcoming SOL assessments. Using our outdoor spaces, full gym, and state-of-the-art cafeteria, students will explore academic concepts in active, fun, and meaningful ways.
Students directly impacted: 550 plus 40 teachers

Kevin Paquette, Charlottesville Middle School, Future Cville: A STEM Career Pathway Pilot
FutureCville would serve as Phase 1 of a broader STEM career-connected learning pathway. This fall, we will conduct a one-week, in-school STEM experience for 7th-grade math classes (and possibly 8th), co-developed and led by Kevin Paquette, our Instructional Coach for Math and Science. The experience would focus on real-world STEM applications through project-based learning and conclude with a visit from the Go TEC Mobile Lab, providing students with direct exposure to regional career pathways. This project started in the Fall of 2025.
Students directly impacted: 60

Lucy Spencer, Charlottesville Middle School, “Table Talk with Teens”
This project aims to support students' oral language development and social-emotional growth by providing a curated selection of books on manners and conversation starters, specifically designed for middle school students. These resources will be available at each table in the brand-new school lunchroom, encouraging positive peer interactions and respectful dialogue during unstructured time. Students directly impacted: 550

Amy Wissekerke, Walker Upper Elementary School, “Classroom Economics for 6th Grade”
This is a third-year project funded by PEFCA. More than 90 students have participated in the past. This class teaches fiscal responsibility, saving and budgeting, and applying math skills to real-world decision-making, such as mortgage payments, borrowing, paying interest, analyzing and investing in the stock market, and forming cooperatives. Students earn "class cash" for completing classroom jobs and meeting and/or exceeding school classroom expectations. They pay "rent" for their desks and save money for goods during class auctions. This project has become popular among students. It's fun and engaging while educational.
Students directly impacted: 60

Melanie Johnson, Greenbrier Elementary School, “STEM in the Wild: Building Curiosity through Real-World Exploration”
STEM in the Wild invites young learners to step outside and explore like real scientists and engineers. In this outdoor classroom, kindergarten through second-grade students investigate the natural world, observing patterns, testing ideas, and designing simple solutions to real-world problems. Each experience connects classroom learning to the outdoors, sparking curiosity about how things move, grow, and change. Through play, teamwork, and hands-on discovery, children begin to imagine themselves in STEM careers that shape the future, while nurturing a lifelong love of learning and connection to the natural world.
Students directly impacted: 140

Jessica Cao, Jackson-Via Elementary School 
“From Pencils to Print: Our Journey to Becoming Published Authors”
This project provides students with an opportunity to apply the writing process they’ve learned throughout the year to a personal writing project. As part of a larger, collective class book, each student will create their own page, showcasing their individual work. This initiative not only reinforces their writing skills but also fosters a sense of pride and accomplishment in their work. The class book serves as a memorable keepsake for students and their parents, allowing them to look back on their achievements and growth in years to come. It is a celebration of their hard work, creativity, and the classroom community they have built over the school year. The project’s innovation lies in its dual focus: individual expression and collective achievement. Students engage deeply with the writing process to craft personal pieces, fostering creativity and critical thinking.
Students directly impacted: 26

Sabra Timmins, Jackson-Via Elementary School, “Crossing the Line: An After-School Soccer Club for Building Inclusive Communities”
This project uses soccer as a social and emotional learning experience for students from all backgrounds, nationalities, and cultures. Team sports help children develop physical skills, get exercise, make friends, have fun, learn to play fair, spark curiosity, and improve self-esteem. Children gain character-building through teamwork. Bridging diverse backgrounds, the program intentionally caters to low-income and multilingual families, promoting inclusivity.
Students directly impacted: 25

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story listed Ida Cummings among the winners. However it was in fact last year not this year that Ms. Cummings won a grant for her project “Writing Together: Strengthening Home-School Connections.”