Norman Public Schools Class Room Grant

Norman Public School Foundation and The Byrd Family,

Thank you for the honor of being a 2025 NPSF Classroom Grant recipient and for receiving the

Braxton Byrd Grant of the Year Award. Holding these titles is something I do not take lightly, and

I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity.

I wanted to share how the grant has already made an impact in our classroom. After receiving

the grant and coordinating the details, the microscopes were ordered and arrived just in

time—on the day we left for winter break. The teacher workday on January 5th became a day of

unboxing, organizing, and preparing for our very first microscope experience.

On January 13th, every 5th grade student at Monroe walked into the STEAM Lab ready to

explore. In 5th grade science, we are currently studying a Modeling Matter unit with a focus on

being food scientists, so food felt like the perfect place to begin. Examining lemons, limes, and

cherries up close was fascinating for the students and offered an entirely new perspective.

Using microscope observation and data worksheets, students carefully recorded and shared

their discoveries.

As a departmentalized math and science teacher, I was able to share the microscopes with over

80 5th grade students that day. Additionally, my planning time aligns with 3rd grade science,

which allowed me to collaborate with one of our 3rd grade classes in the STEAM Lab. Together

with their teacher, we explored the microscopes, and she shared that her students were

incredibly excited and left with lasting memories.

By the end of the day, more than 100 students had used the microscopes in one day. My 5th

grade classes were so engaged that we returned to the STEAM Lab the very next day to

explore prepared slides. Seeing a honeybee’s mouth and dragonfly wings up close was truly

fascinating and unforgettable for the students. I have also included photos from our time in the

STEAM Lab to help capture the excitement and learning these microscopes have brought to our

students.

As a first-year teacher, this grant has been especially meaningful and affirming, allowing me to

provide rich, hands-on science experiences for my students early in my career.

At the end of it all, I felt incredibly thankful—thankful to be an NPS teacher, thankful for

opportunities like this within our community, and deeply thankful to the Norman Public School

Foundation and the entire Byrd family. Grants like this create meaningful, hands-on learning

experiences that students will remember for years to come.

Thank you for your commitment to making opportunities like these possible, for the time and

care you put into grant selection, and for investing in the students of Monroe. Here’s to making

this the best 5th grade year ever!

With sincere gratitude,

Candice Hyde