Announcing the 2025 Creative Educator Grant Recipients

Across Oregon, teachers are turning fresh ideas into meaningful learning experiences.

With more than $80,000 awarded to K-12 educators, the 2025 cycle highlights the creativity and dedication shaping classrooms in every corner of the state. 

Creative Educator Grants provide up to $2,500 for classroom projects that spark curiosity among students, build confidence, and make learning engaging and relevant. The increased value of the grant, introduced when the SELCO Steps Up program launched in 2024, has opened the door for more educators to have an opportunity to bring their ideas to life. This year, SELCO received nearly 300 applications, and for the first time in the program’s history, recipients represent 14 different Oregon counties. 

The projects funded this year span a remarkable range of subjects and grade levels. Each project reflects the heart educators bring into the classroom—ideas grounded in relevance, creativity, and a belief that learning should be fun and memorable. 

“As a credit union founded by educators, supporting this work will always be central to who we are,” said Craig Carpenter, SELCO’s Senior Vice President of Lending and Business Banking. “Year after year, we see teachers finding new ways to reach students. These grants help make that possible.” 

This year’s recipients continue that tradition of impact, demonstrating how far a single idea can go when it receives the funding and support it needs. 

The 2025 Creative Educator Grant recipients 

Check out the full list of our 2025 recipients below: 

Academy for Character Education (Cottage Grove) 

• Enya Combs, "Edison Robots" — Introducing K-8 students to robotics, coding, and computer science using fun and engaging block-based coding centered on Edison robots. 

Academy of Arts and Academics (Springfield) 

• Andrew Hunt, "Metal Arts and Blacksmithing" — Metal arts and blacksmithing focusing on sculpting and science, creating a range of hot and cold forge metal artworks. 

Ashland High School (Ashland) 

• Keri Green, “Flex & Tech” — Combining sensory-friendly seating and touchscreen Chromebooks to support the unique sensory, motor, and learning needs of high school students with disabilities. 

Awbrey Park Elementary School (Eugene) 

• Stacie Yarbro, “Drumming Up Learning” — Combining music, movement, and rhythm, to support students’ social-emotional well-being by reducing stress, boosting mood, and creating a sense of community in the music classroom with a drumming program. 

Bethel School District (Eugene) 

• Jennifer Jones, “Communication Builds Community” — Giving students a voice and opportunities to practice using them with their peers to overcome challenges and build communities wherever they go. 

Centennial Elementary School (Springfield) 

• Ashley Drago, “Math Manipulatives” — Using engaging and motivational math tools to inspire "math talk," curious questions and inventive exploration of third-grade math standards. 

Centennial Middle School (Portland) 

• Leslie Guthrie, “The Pollinator Project” — Supporting native pollinators by transforming a weed-filled courtyard into a pollinator haven. 

Cheldelin Middle School (Corvallis) 

• Jeremy Adams, “STEM 3D Printing” — Revitalizing STEM to make it accessible to all students. 

Cottage Grove High School (Cottage Grove) 

• Brian Vollmer-Buhl, “Legos to Wood, The Race to be Fastest Down the Track" — Producing the fastest Lego race car prototype and then transforming the design into a wooden race car through collaboration with physics and wood shop students. 

Creswell High School (Creswell) 

• Mandy Hoggard, “MAC to the Future” — Enhancing yearbook production and marketing projects while equipping students with industry-standard technology and career-ready skills. 

Elmira Elementary (Elmira) 

• Jennie Herbert, “EES Running Club” — Promoting physical activity, goal setting, student engagement, and lifelong healthy habits. 

• Kailee Nienhaus, "Wax Museum" — Empowering students to embody notable figures of the past. 

Geneva Academy (Roseburg) 

• Kevin Figueroa, “Gathering Water from Thin Air” — Learning to appreciate the water in our lives through the lens of water availability by building and using water-trapping devices that positively impact other parts of our world. 

Gilham Elementary School (Eugene) 

• Alison Bumstead, “Cubes for Kids” — Fostering critical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, and perseverance in students, while sparking interest in STEM subjects in a fun, hands-on environment with Rubik's cubes. 

Hamlin Middle School (Springfield) 

• John Sperry, “Loggers Live Part II” — Clarifying the sound of Hamlin Middle School with new microphones for Loggers Live, a student-run multimedia channel. 

• Kim Hanson, "Literacy Lounge" — Empowering ELD (English Language Development) students to read, write, and amplify their voices. 

High Desert Middle School (Bend) 

• Brettney Bryant, “Equitable Student Government & Live Student Podcast” — Empowering students to lead culture change through live podcasting.  

Junction City High School (Junction City) 

• Christine Mcdevitt, “Water Quality with Citizen Scientists” — Becoming citizen scientists by testing our community's water quality and uncovering locations where pollution exists and deciding what our responsibility to the community is with our data. 

Lacomb School (Lebanon) 

• Kim Coleman, “Lettuce Grow” — Bringing the outdoors into the classroom and growing produce to teach science and nutrition. 

Lincoln Middle School (Cottage Grove) 

• Ryan Merchant, “Lexia Learning Language and Reading” — Building reading confidence that opens the door to creativity, leadership, and success in general education. 

Newport Middle School (Newport) 

• Marty Perez, “Wheels of Opportunity” — Blending physical activity, creativity, and personal growth, giving students a positive outlet to stay active, build confidence, and engage in a unique middle school learning experience through carver skateboarding. 

Oaklea Middle School (Junction City) 

• Sammi Ratliff, “Art Meets Tech” — Writing original short stories, illustrating them using digital tools, and publishing their work as multimedia eBooks or narrated slideshows. 

O'Hara Catholic School (Eugene) 

• Maryanne Obersinner, “Dream, Design, Do” — Providing all students with the opportunity to use innovative technology and kid-safe tools to design and bring to life the expressions of their unique creativity. 

Pacific Crest Middle School (Bend) 

• Christina Holler, “Golden Eagle Kitchen to Career” — Launching an entrepreneurial dog treat project that will teach functional routines, real-world math, communication, and career skills while funding adaptive cooking projects for Pacific Crest. 

Pine Eagle Charter School (Halfway) 

• Bodean Tayer, “A Robotics Center for Little Engineers” — Bringing coding, storytelling, and problem-solving to life for second-graders through hands-on, cross-curricular activities designed to spark curiosity and build essential skills. 

Powell Butte Community Charter School (Powell Butte) 

• Michelle Holliday, “Cardio Drumming” — Combining rhythm, movement, and fun to boost cardiovascular fitness through cardio drumming.  

Rainier Jr/Sr High School (Rainier) 

• Carrie Merino, “Outdoor Education & Environmental Service ” — Increasing access to science and outdoor education, as well as environmental stewardship, with high school students leading curriculum for elementary students.  

Riverview School (Lebanon) 

• Tabitha Ramirez, “Class Community Apparel” — Creating a sense of belonging through personalized class team apparel. 

Rosland Elementary School (La Pine) 

• Marnie Freilinger, “Adaptive Play Equipment ” — Immersing students in learning and wellness goals through adaptive play in a school setting.  

Sage Elementary School (Redmond) 

• Aurora Smith, “First Grade CKLA Curriculum Enrichment” — Providing hands-on materials and engagement tools to enrich first-grade Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) curriculum, bringing multiple subjects to life through authentic experiences that inspire curiosity and a love of learning. 

Sam Case Elementary School (Newport) 

• William Anderson, “Sam Case Innovation Lab” — Identifying plastics for use in injection molding and other recycling. 

Sauvie Island School (Portland) 

• Amanda Allquist, “Sauvie Island Cookbook” — Connecting with the traditions and history of the people of Sauvie Island through recipe experimentation and development using the foods of the island, ultimately creating and publishing a cookbook.  

Sublimity Middle School (Sublimity) 

• Katelyn Thomson, “Sew and Grow ” — Expanding middle school sewing elective by adding more machines and introducing hand embroidery, giving students the opportunity to build practical life skills and express their creativity. 

The Village School (Eugene) 

• Emily Swenson, “Water, Foods, Traditional Kalapuya Lifeways” — Engaging in hands-on activities to better understand traditional Kalapuya foodways, sources of watershed pollution, and local river ecosystems. 

Thurston High School (Springfield) 

• Conor Egan, “Setting Up for Stability” — Setting students up for consistent longitudinal learning opportunities by ensuring they are provided with quality instruments and music material at all levels of their development. 

Tom McCall Elementary School (Redmond) 

• Natalie Richards, “Create in 3D” — ​​3D printing for all K-5 students with hands-on, cross-curricular design experiences that foster creativity, critical thinking, and lasting learning memories. 

Troutdale Elementary School (Troutdale) 

• Nicole Walker, “Keyboards for All” — ​​Encouraging students to learn, create, and grow in ways that reach far beyond the music room with access to piano keyboards and lessons. 

Union Elementary School (Lakeview) 

• Challis Young, “Rural Roots, STEM Futures” — Empowering learners with hands-on STEM experiences that merge critical thinking, creativity, and our agricultural heritage. 

Willamette High School (Eugene) 

• Alex Larsen, “Dressed for Success” — Creating a closet of formal wear for students attending speech and debate tournaments, providing confidence and sense of belonging for years to come.  

Willamina High School (Willamina) 

• Kathleen Coffey, “Yearbook Photo Lenses” — Equipping the yearbook program with camera lenses and action cameras that enable students to capture high-quality photos, from new angles, of school events for years to come. 

Published November 17, 2025