Mountain America Credit Union Grants $50,000 to Outstanding Educators

Innovative projects come to life as 36 educators receive funding for hands-on learning initiatives fostering creativity, STEM exploration, and student engagement across multistate region

/EIN News/ -- SANDY, Utah, Jan. 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mountain America Credit Union, through the Mountain America Foundation, has announced the winners of their annual Educator Grants program for the 2024–25 school year, totaling $50,000. These grants are designed to fund K–12 classroom learning initiatives and will support a wide range of projects, such as an in-classroom escape room, an outdoor garden, a cake decorating class, and more.

A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link.

Since 2016, Mountain America has awarded over 80 grants to teachers and school leaders, supporting classroom learning and educational development. Educators are invited to apply for grants to fund projects that enrich the educational experience. Eligible schools and educators must be within the credit union’s multistate service footprint.

“For the past nine years, we have proudly supported the incredible work of educators through our Educator Grants program,” said Sharlene Wells, senior vice president of public relations and organizational communications at Mountain America. “This program exemplifies our commitment to supporting teachers and education, and we are excited to see the positive impact these grants will have on students and classrooms.”

Read below for some examples of the recent recipients.

Elevating culinary arts

Leilani Neiner, from Campo Verde High School in Gilbert, Arizona, is enhancing her cake decorating class by incorporating airbrushing techniques, allowing students to explore advanced decorating methods that boost their creativity and craftsmanship. Additionally, she plans to host district-wide cake decorating contests each semester, engaging students from the four other high schools in the district.

Empowering future engineers

Bria Erickson, an engineering teacher at Tigert Middle School in Soda Springs, Idaho, plans to purchase reusable project-based learning materials in civil, aerodynamic, and software engineering. She loves teaching these concepts, even though standardized tests don’t cover them. Erickson believes hands-on projects like calculating gear ratios and building pneumatic arms and electromagnetic cranes help students apply abstract mathematical concepts such as exponents, negative velocities, and ratios.

Hands-on cyber security education

Mark Ogden from Jordan Academy for Technology in West Jordan, Utah, is organizing a series of Cybersecurity Capture the Flag (CTF) events over the next 12 months to boost cybersecurity awareness among students in a fun and engaging way. Interactive and competitive, CTF’s make learning about complex subjects enjoyable, promoting deeper engagement, and retention. By participating, students will gain a better understanding of cybersecurity concepts and the importance of online safety, which they can share with their families and peers.

For this school year, Mountain America awarded 36 grants, up to $2,000 each. To see a complete list of these recipients, visit macu.com/grants.

To learn more about Mountain America, visit macu.com.

About Mountain America Credit Union
With more than 1 million members and $20 billion in assets, Mountain America Credit Union helps its members define and achieve their financial dreams. Mountain America provides consumers and businesses with a variety of convenient, flexible products and services, as well as sound, timely advice. Members enjoy access to secure, cutting-edge mobile banking technology, over 100 branches across multiple states; and more than 50,000 surcharge-free ATMs. Mountain America—guiding you forward. Learn more at macu.com.

Contact: publicrelations@macu.com, macu.com/newsroom