Harlan Community Education Foundation

09/28/2026

09/15/2026

✨️ 2026-2027 Teacher Grant Spotlight: Mrs. Kurtz's Room ✨️

Each year, teachers apply for the Spring Education Foundation Teacher Grant. This year, Mrs. Kurtz's classroom is adding fun with new kitchen gadgets to teach life skills. Mrs. Kurtz said, "Our first cooking project in Independent Living was to focus on "flipping". We made pancakes and used our new spatulas. The pancakes were a hit!"

Opportunities like this are made possible by the Educational Foundation Expendable Fund.

Donations can be placed with the Community Foundation for Western Iowa: https://pccf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=6071&fbclid=IwY2xjawUM9bhwZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMVV5Y3ZrcDNpT1RGSVdjdUNzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeBsWYL3cWHEn8hVFwYqiV18dETnmMwY8v82lMBsLP6tEZBUDicQTgG4qgAxY_aem_BwpxtsQiBOEBmDHI_PyDwQ

09/10/2026

Congratulations to Dean Mosher and James Cairney for receiving Teacher Grants! Both educators received OVR timing systems to use in their classrooms.

Shoutout to our incredible educators for creating such inspiring learning spaces! 👏

Opportunities like this are made possible by the Educational Foundation Expendable Fund. Donations can be placed with the Community Foundation for Western Iowa: https://pccf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=6071

09/03/2026

Congratulations to our high school English teachers, Randi Daniels and Kim Noethe, who received Turnitin as a classroom tool through the Teacher Grants this year! They were excited to provide this opportunity to our high school students.

Randi said, "Turnitin benefits student learning by providing feedback that improves writing skills, teaching proper citation and academic integrity, encouraging revision, and promoting independent thinking."

Shoutout to our incredible educators for creating such inspiring learning spaces! 👏

Opportunities like this are made possible by the Educational Foundation Expendable Fund. Donations can be placed with the Community Foundation for Western Iowa: https://pccf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=6071

09/01/2026

Congratulations to our 1st grade team on receiving Teacher Grants from the Harlan Community Education Foundation. This team received a variety of teaching tools and classroom supplies to provide a fun classroom space conducive to high-level learning!

Shoutout to our incredible educators for creating such inspiring learning spaces! 👏

Opportunities like this are made possible by the Educational Foundation Expendable Fund. Donations can be placed with the Community Foundation for Western Iowa: https://pccf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=6071

08/26/2026

Susan Wedemeyer, Thomas Fink, and Cara Ferry were all recipients of Teacher Grants at the middle school.

These teachers had diverse request lists to meet the needs of their students in each of their classrooms.

Shoutout to our incredible educators for creating such inspiring learning spaces! 👏

Opportunities like this are made possible by the Educational Foundation Expendable Fund. Donations can be placed with the Community Foundation for Western Iowa: https://pccf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=6071

08/19/2026

Congratulations to our TAG and Elementary Reading Specialists who received Teacher Grants:

🎒Kate Applegate - Elementary Reading
🎒Tara Lansman - TAG
🎒 Molly Bruns - Elementary Reading

Through the teacher grants, the district will have new decodable resources to increase student fluency and phonics skills as well as their reading confidence. A wide variety of literature titles for the Battle of the Books in the middle school were secured for this year!

Shoutout to our incredible educators for creating such inspiring learning spaces! 👏

Opportunities like this are made possible by the Educational Foundation Expendable Fund. Donations can be placed with the Community Foundation for Western Iowa: https://pccf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=6071

08/17/2026

Congratulations to our high school teachers who received Teacher Grants:

🎒Carmen Nelson - Spanish
🎒Kayla Weis - Spanish/English
🎒Lindsey Kaufmann - Ag
🎒Erin Goddard - Math

Through the teacher grants, these high school teachers upgraded classroom materials, expanded curriculum offerings, and provided dynamic learning spaces through upgraded classroom furnishings.

Shoutout to our incredible educators for creating such inspiring learning spaces! 👏

Opportunities like this are made possible by the Educational Foundation Expendable Fund. Donations can be placed with the Community Foundation for Western Iowa: https://pccf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=6071

08/13/2026

Congratulations to Lori Tarney and Angela Breyfogle for receiving Spring Teacher Grants! These teachers will be building literacy, independence, and providing differentiation.

Shoutout to our incredible educators for creating such inspiring learning spaces! 👏

Opportunities like this are made possible by the Educational Foundation Expendable Fund. Donations can be placed with the Community Foundation for Western Iowa: https://pccf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=6071

08/11/2026

Congratulations to our PK Teachers, Cady Thygesen, Bonnie Cairney, and Alison McElroy, for receiving Teacher Grants to use in their PK classrooms. Between their three classrooms, students will benefit from new sensory toys, and classroom items to build fine motor skills, oral language, and vocabulary. All of these items provide high engagement and establish the path for well-balanced learning!

Shoutout to our incredible educators for creating such inspiring learning spaces! 👏

Opportunities like this are made possible by the Educational Foundation Expendable Fund. Donations can be placed with the Community Foundation for Western Iowa: https://pccf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=6071