Creating a school garden for special education students, launching a plant-based culinary training program, building sensory break spaces, supporting a cultural arts and poetry event, and giving high schoolers the chance to analyze DNA from a simulated crime scene are just some of the classroom projects now moving forward thanks to North Island Credit Union Foundation.
The Foundation awarded 10 grants this fall—each totaling $5,000—to teachers across San Diego and Riverside counties as part of its Fall 2025 Teacher Grant program. The funding is designed to help educators create hands-on, experience-based learning opportunities that strengthen student engagement and open doors to future academic and career pathways.
“As part of its commitment to help educators create innovative learning opportunities for their students, the Foundation provided 10 grants to underwrite class projects in San Diego and Riverside counties,” the organization said in its program announcement. “These grants celebrate the educators who go above and beyond to engage their students and spark a love of learning. We’re proud to support their work and the positive impact it has across our schools.”
Foundation president Marvel Ford said this year’s applicants reflected one of the widest ranges of ideas the program has seen. “What makes this round unique is the breadth of ideas, with everything from school gardens designed for special education students to a biotechnology crime-scene analysis project to creating theater productions to designing inclusive playgrounds,” Ford said. “It shows how deeply teachers understand the holistic needs of their students and school communities, and how committed they are to expanding what learning can look like.”
Ford said the Foundation evaluates applications based on clear learning objectives, creativity, and student impact. Many proposals, she added, addressed current trends the Foundation is seeing across districts, including experiential learning, student wellness, culturally relevant arts programming, and growing demand for STEM and biotechnology instruction.
“We hope these grants give students access to learning moments they may not otherwise have, with experiences that spark passion or give them a sense of belonging,” she said.
One of this year’s grant recipients is Abraham Hanono, Ph.D., a science teacher who teaches Accelerated Biology and Biotechnology at Eastlake High School in Chula Vista. His classroom will use the funding to support a biotech crime scene project that gives students hands-on experience with DNA analysis.
“Biotechnology provides students with real laboratory skills that they can use in the future. One important skill is being able to analyze DNA via gel electrophoresis; a technique commonly used in modern biology labs,” Hanono said. “The kits funded with this North Island Credit Union Foundation grant give my students more practice with DNA analysis by allowing them to simulate analyzing DNA from a crime scene. The nature of biotechnology equipment and consumables is that their cost can sometimes make a course like this difficult to run in a high school. I want to give students the most enriching experiences possible, and without this grant, those opportunities would be more limited.”
Ford said that the Teacher Grant program is rooted in a simple idea: strong communities begin with strong schools. The Foundation’s long-term goal, she said, is to give educators resources that contribute to student confidence, academic readiness, and future opportunities.
“Great communities start with great classrooms, and our teachers are building the next generation of thinkers, creators, and leaders,” she said.
This fall’s grant recipients include:
Shannon Alcorta, Mt. Carmel High School, San Diego
Brian Freeman, San Jacinto Valley Academy, San Jacinto
Abraham Hanono, Eastlake High School, Chula Vista
Latrisha Hernandez, Logan Memorial Education Campus, San Diego
Cynthia Hurley, Summit Academy, Winchester
Vanessa Medellin, High Tech Middle School, Chula Vista
Zeinab Mohamed, Iftin Charter School, San Diego
Katherine Quinly, Coronado High School, Coronado
Erin Savage, Morning Creek Elementary School, San Diego Shawn L. Thomas, San Diego Academy, National City.
Since launching the program in 2012, North Island Credit Union Foundation has been awarded $225,000 in teacher grants. The next grant cycle opens Jan. 5 through March 6 for full-time educators in San Diego and Riverside counties.
