Inspire IMPACT Grants

DLI Podcast: Las Voces Que Importan/The Voices That Matter

Fifth-grade students at Weddington Hills Elementary will become podcast creators, producing bilingual episodes in Spanish and English that connect math concepts to real-world experiences. Through scripting, recording, and collaboration, students strengthen Spanish language skills, deepen academic understanding, and build confidence as communicators. This student-driven project celebrates cultural pride, encourages critical thinking, and empowers learners to share their voices with their school and family communities.

Sponsored by the Bert Thomas Family

STEM Builds the Future: 1CAN at a Time

Nearly 1,000 students across the district will participate in a hands-on STEM and service-learning initiative in partnership with local nonprofit 1CAN Inc. Students will collect food and hygiene items, then work in grade-level teams to design and build large-scale “can sculptures” that blend engineering, creativity, and collaboration. Following a community judging event, all donated items will be used to stock Blessing Boxes across Cabarrus County—connecting STEM learning to real-world problem solving and meaningful community impact.

Ready, Set, Gold! Olympic Learning Adventures in Encore

Every student at Hickory Ridge Elementary will take part in a schoolwide, cross-curricular celebration inspired by the 2026 Winter Olympics. Through rotations in Encore classes including Media, STEAM, Art, Music, Physical Education, Digital Learning, and HEART, students will explore Olympic history, culture, and values through hands-on experiences. From designing team flags and engineering miniature events to composing anthems and completing fitness challenges, this immersive project promotes creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking while celebrating perseverance, teamwork, and global unity.

Building Communication Skills in Preschool - Lindsay Alpaugh

This project will provide a dedicated classroom Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) device for nonverbal and minimally verbal preschool students with developmental delays. Used during instruction, daily routines, and play-based learning, the device will support language modeling and consistent access to core vocabulary. By increasing opportunities for communication, this project helps students participate more fully, reduce frustration, and express their wants, needs, and ideas—creating a more inclusive, language-rich classroom environment.

Immersive Literacy Experiences in the Adapted Curriculum Classroom - Ashley Becker

Students in a separate-setting preschool classroom will experience immersive, play-based literacy centered on beloved stories including Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and We All Go Traveling By. Using themed materials and hands-on manipulatives, each story will come to life across classroom centers, supporting vocabulary development, communication, and engagement. Designed for students with IEPs, this project creates dynamic, multi-sensory learning environments that connect language, movement, and meaning in ways that support early literacy and diverse learning needs.

The Comfort Kits for Crisis: Supporting Children Entering Foster Care

The Comfort Kits for Crisis initiative will assemble and provide essential and comforting items for children entering foster care in Cabarrus County. Students in Health Science classes and HOSA will organize, prepare, and deliver kits containing hygiene items, blankets, journals, sensory toys, and personalized notes of encouragement. The project aims to offer emotional support and personal dignity to children during a traumatic transition. 

Growing for Good: Garden Club for Service, Leadership & Learning

Fourth- and fifth-grade students will take learning outdoors through a hands-on garden club using raised beds near the school library. Students will plan, plant, and care for a school garden while exploring science and math concepts through real-world application. As part of a service-learning focus, students will share what they grow with a local food pantry or families in need, building leadership skills, collaboration, and a sense of community responsibility.

Coltrane-Webb: From Historical to Sustainable

Fifth-grade students will lead a schoolwide effort to reduce food waste through hands-on environmental learning. Beginning with a food waste audit, students will collect, measure, and analyze discarded food while exploring how waste impacts landfills and methane emissions in Cabarrus County. Using their findings, students will design and implement a solution by establishing indoor vermicomposting bins and an outdoor composting system—turning data, problem-solving, and environmental stewardship into lasting action.

Titans Tackle Training Thrusts to Terminate Choking

Middle school students will gain essential life-saving skills through experiential learning aligned with North Carolina’s Healthy Living Curriculum. This project focuses on teaching the Heimlich Maneuver through demonstration, guided practice, and real-life scenarios. As students rotate between rescuer and victim roles, they receive immediate feedback and learn to adapt techniques for different situations—building confidence, competence, and readiness to respond in an emergency.

Exploring Our World: Interactive Globes and Global STEM Storytelling

Kindergarten and first-grade students will explore geography, ecosystems, and cultures through interactive, augmented reality globes. By pairing read-aloud stories from each continent with hands-on STEM exploration, students will virtually “travel” the world while building early literacy and science skills. This technology-rich project transforms global awareness into meaningful, inquiry-based learning that connects STEM to real-world discovery.