The Eleanor Venture Travel Grant honors the foundation’s founder and longtime president Eleanor Flanders. This grant provides a teacher with an educational travel experience. Such an experience is expected to enhance the teacher’s classroom skills, expand curriculum options and ultimately benefit future students.
This annual grant provides the perfect tribute to Eleanor Flanders. Beginning in early WWII, Eleanor began putting away a little money here … and a little money there for her investments. She called the fund “The Eleanor Venture.” As time passed Eleanor used this money to travel … from her state college in Kansas to places all over the world. With each trip she felt renewed and energized, and her world view expanded. When asked how she might be honored upon her retirement, Eleanor looked back over her years and decided that the directors could best honor her by investing in a teacher – giving that teacher the funds for a once in a lifetime travel experience.
While such an experience can be given to only a few teachers over time, it is intended to honor all teachers and to tell them how important they are. It is expected that the trip would not only renew, energize and educate the teacher involved but that the teacher’s experience would be brought home to their classroom and to fellow teachers and students. It would provide broad-based benefits for a long time to come.
To fund a once in a lifetime educational travel experience that will enhance the teacher’s classroom skills and/or curriculum and benefit the teacher’s students, school and district.
All K-12 teachers employed at a St. Vrain Valley School District campus for the current school year.
Up to $5,000
This grant is for a once in a lifetime educational travel experience. Please consider the criteria below when writing your proposal.
The application must be submitted electronically no later than Thursday, April 6, 2023 at 11:45 pm. In addition, at least 1 letter of recommendation from your school administration supporting your application is required.
The Education Foundation staff and Eleanor Venture Travel Grant committee will host an application Q&A meeting on Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 4:00 pm via Zoom. Applicants are encouraged to attend if they have any questions about the application process, want to discuss possible travel experiences or have any other questions about the grant. If you are interested in attending please email admin@stvrainfoundation.org to request the Zoom meeting details.
All grant applications are reviewed by the Education Foundation’s selection committee. If selected, the finalists will be invited for an in-person interview and asked to make a short presentation about his/her proposed educational travel experience. The selection committee will then ask the finalist any questions that they have about the application and presentation.
Finalists will be interviewed on Thursday, April 13, 2023 between 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm. The finalists will be contacted with an interview time if selected.
The awardee will be notified no later than Tuesday, April 18, 2023.
If you have questions or need assistance, contact us at admin@stvrainfoundation.org or 720.652.8208.
Each spring the Foundation’s Board of Directors gladly awards the Eleanor Venture Travel Grant to one deserving St. Vrain Valley School District teacher to use for a once in a lifetime travel experience which ultimately enriches the classroom experience.
Beginning in 2004, district teachers have used the travel grants to travel to many exciting destinations.
Award Year | Grant Recipient(s) | Destination |
---|---|---|
2022 | Benjamin Prylinski | Alaska – Denali and Kenai Fjords National Parks |
2021 | No grant awarded due to COVID-19 pandemic. | |
2020 | No grant awarded due to COVID-19 pandemic. | |
2019 | Shannon Brennan and Shelia Freehill | Costa Rica |
2018 | Colin Rickman | Cape Town, South Africa |
2017 | Janet Benter | Rwanda |
2016 | Kaarina Demers | Cuba |
2015 | Karie Cooper and Hillari Hansen | Kitengela, Kenya |
2014 | David Merrill | Japan |
2013 | Brigitte Toucheque | Ecuador |
2012 | Stephanie Busby | France |
2011 | Scott Brungardt | Central America |
2010 | Kristie Boman | Morocco |
2009 | Jason Gage | Australia |
2008 | Kenneth Benson | Northeastern United States |
2007 | Christina Smedley | Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands |
2006 | Susan Hartman & Jennifer Shopland | Peru |
2005 | Bridget Shaughnessy | Mexico |
2005 | Ruth Schrichte | Costa Rica |
2004 | Wendy Durst | Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia |