Tomball Education Foundation Awards a Record $159,812 in Grants to Tomball ISD Staff

TOMBALL –  The Tomball Education Foundation (TEF) is proud to announce the awarding of a record-breaking $159,812 in educator grants to Tomball ISD teachers and staff, marking the largest single-year grant distribution in the Foundation’s history.

The grant total will fund 45 grants, honoring 90 staff members, across 19 campuses and one department, focusing on innovative classroom and campus-based projects across the District, impacting students from pre-kindergarten through high school. From outdoor learning environments and robotics to literacy initiatives, assistive technology, mental health supports, and career-ready STEM experiences, these grants empower educators to bring creative, meaningful, and inclusive learning opportunities to life.

The Foundation’s investment spans nearly every Tomball ISD campus, reinforcing TEF’s mission to enhance educational opportunities through community support and innovation. Since TEF’s inception in 2018, the Foundation has awarded nearly $680,000 in grants to Tomball ISD educators.

VIEW FULL PHOTO GALLERY

Congratulations to the 2025-2026 Grant Recipients: 

Canyon Pointe Elementary

• Anne Hidalgo — Experiencing Dyslexia ($334*) | Builds understanding and instructional capacity for learning differences.

Creekside Park Junior High

• Brittney Huggins & Brynn Kujath — Cougar Café ($3,373) | Supports vocational skill development through a student café.
• Jennifer Kulis — Enhancing Learning Outcomes Through Adapted Curriculum ($4,994) | Transforms special education classrooms with adapted materials.

Early Excellence Academy

• Mireya Ibonne Lozano & Kathy Standefer — Puppets, Principles & Positive Peers ($2,283) | Uses puppetry and storytelling to teach SEL and character education.
• Mireya Ibonne Lozano — A Cup of Connection ($889) | Strengthens family engagement through counseling and education programs.
• Noemi Cabrera Tabibian — Learning Library ($4,982) | Creates a shared resource library for teachers and students.

Grand Lakes Junior High

• Melissa O’Brien, Jill Moreno, Eloise Traw, Kaitlyn Gallardo, Lisa Stoyak — Kami for Kids ($4,320) | Provides campus-wide access to digital annotation and accessibility tools.

Lakewood Elementary

• Tiffany Davila — Empowering Student Growth Through VR ($4,632) | Uses virtual reality to build social and problem-solving skills.
• Betsy Castille — Culturally Inclusive Classroom Library ($1,216) | Expands culturally responsive literacy resources.
• Amber Smith — Experiencing Dyslexia ($334*) | Provides empathy-building simulations for educators and families. ** on team with CPES’ Anne Hidalgo

Northpointe Intermediate

• Nathan Henze, Heather Oliver, Clayton Smith, Michelle Wilson, Laura Gabelsberg — Storyworks Literacy ($4,030) | Strengthens reading, writing, and critical thinking with high-interest texts.

Oakcrest Intermediate

• JoAnne Newcomb & Mandy Coleman — The Sensory Exploration Lab ($3,912) | Establishes an inclusive sensory space to support learning readiness.

Rosehill Elementary

• Christie Eubanks, Celina Anzaldua, Carla Felici, Anaid Flores, Ruby Ramirez, Elsa Rivera, Vivian Sobotik, Emily Waters — Take-Home Reader Instructional Library ($4,782) | Provides decodable books to strengthen home-school literacy connections.

Timber Creek Elementary

• Gayla Coward, Hali House, Rachel Woods — Bee the Coder ($4,991) | Introduces robotics and coding with Bee-Bots for early learners.
• Kelly Moore & Jessica Bradle — Readers in the Making ($3,828) | Builds literacy skills for emergent bilingual students with leveled readers.
• Heather Ling — Growing Great Writers ($4,989) | Launches student publishing and podcasting to boost literacy and confidence.

Tomball Intermediate

• Megan Nichols — Chomp Saws! ($2,900) | Adds safe cardboard cutting tools to elevate STEAM art projects.

Tomball Junior High

• Tara Towler, Brea Timmons, Christina Cardwell, Jennifer Bourne, Andrea Ward — Empowering Learning for Neurodivergent & Low Vision Students ($1,005) | Supports independent living skills through inclusive cooking instruction.

Tomball High School

• Riane Gammill — Passport to Perspective (VR) ($4,466) | Uses virtual reality to deepen literacy and global understanding.
• Madison Mills — Ready, Set, Work! ($1,993) | Launches student-led enterprises for work-based learning.

Tomball Memorial High School

• Luis Escalante — Network Cable Builder ($1,370) | Gives students hands-on experience building and testing Ethernet cables.
• Robert Hunnicutt & Nora Pacha — Hands-On, Minds-On: 3D Printing ($4,854) | Brings 3D printing into science instruction for hands-on STEM learning.
• Jennifer Bourgeois — Engineering the Future: 3D Modeling Makerspace ($4,578) | Expands engineering design, prototyping, and portfolio development.
• Amy Dillon — 3D Resin Printer ($4,806) | Adds professional-grade manufacturing tools to advanced STEM programs.

Tomball Star Academy

• Kelly Riley & Brandy Baldwin — Capturing Creativity: Media Arts Equipment ($4,647) | Provides cameras and equipment for multimedia learning projects.

West Elementary

• Cynthia Lestage, Melissa Barton, Debbie Lauersdorf — Unlocking Language Through Listening ($1,149) | Provides Toniebox listening stations to support early language development.
• Melissa Dupuis — 3D Printing ($4,649) | Introduces 3D printing across grade levels for creative problem-solving.
• Beverliann Schaffer — Innovative Learning Through Ozobots in the Library ($3,251) | Integrates lessons in a fun, engaging way through literacy, math, and STEM activities. 
• Samantha Stratton, Molly Sendt, Riley Wagner — Ready to Learn: Sensory & Motor Development ($4,890) | Establishes a sensory motor lab supporting academic and emotional growth.
• Jennie Tannehill, Kate Peterson, Ashton Zbranek, Sierra McMorrow, Stephanie Reily — Upper Elementary Readers on the Rise ($4,563) | Implements structured literacy intervention using the Wilson Reading System.
• Melissa Dupuis, Samantha Stratton, Jennie Tannehill, Jessie Hess, Beverliann Schaffer, Carol Petrich — Robotics at West Elementary ($5,000) | Expands LEGO Robotics for hands-on STEM learning and enrichment.

West Intermediate

• Cynthia Hamilton — Every Voice Matters ($400) | Provides real-time translation headphones for multilingual families.
• Taylar Wall, Angela Hebrink, Danielle Gentry — Changing Lives Through Classroom Transformations ($4,996) | Creates immersive literacy-based learning environments.
• Tiffany Munoz — The Ultimate Tool for Kids ($4,160) | Adds Chomp Saws to support hands-on STEAM art projects.

Wildwood Elementary

• Halley Palmer — A World Outside: Equipping Young Explorers ($3,565) | Transforms the pre-K playground into an outdoor classroom with hands-on learning tools.
• Alison Love — The Pen of the Future in Tomball Students’ Today! ($4,999) | Provides text-to-speech pens to increase student independence and access to print.
• Trisha Hacker — Phonics in Motion ($4,634) | Supports multisensory, Science of Reading-based phonics instruction.
• Barbara Hurst — The Reset Retreat ($1,737) | Creates a calming sensory space for special education students.
• Ashley Karr — Expanding Raising Readers Through Math ($1,840) | Enhances family engagement by adding interactive math experiences.
• Kayla Vittori — Sensory Lab ($2,667) | Builds a schoolwide sensory regulation space to support emotional readiness.
• Kayla Vittori & Meghan Janecek — Motor Lab ($3,893) | Updates early childhood motor lab to strengthen gross and fine motor skills.

Willow Creek Elementary

• Jillian Downs — iPad Collaboration with UFLI ($2,171) | Integrates technology into structured literacy instruction.
• Lauren Briley — TouchMath for Students with Disabilities ($2,171) | Supports inclusive math instruction using multisensory strategies.

Willow Wood Junior High

• Ricky Kindley — Hope Squad ($2,462) | Expands peer-to-peer mental health support and suicide prevention.

Student Support Services (Districtwide)

• Nancy Newton & Kathryn Bonds — TISD Adapted Materials Lab – Year 2 Expansion ($4,844) | Expands districtwide access to adaptive instructional materials.

ABOUT THE TOMBALL EDUCATION FOUNDATION 
The Tomball Education Foundation, founded in 2017, is an independent, non-profit corporation established by parents, local businesses, civic organizations, alumni and community leaders to make a positive impact on public education. The Foundation is governed by a board of directors who represent a cross-section of the community and have a sincere interest in the Tomball Independent School District's students and their success. 

ABOUT TOMBALL INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
Tomball ISD educates students to become responsible, productive citizens by providing innovative, individually rigorous, and personally valuable educational experiences. Founded in 1908, Tomball ISD now encompasses 83 square miles in northwest Harris County and southwest Montgomery County, and is located approximately 30 miles from downtown Houston. The district currently educates over 23,000 students across 25 campuses.