Innovative Learning Grants 2025-26

The Mountain View Los Altos High School Foundation awarded over $100,000 toward Innovative Learning Grants for the 2025-26 school year.

The Innovative Learning Grants are a competitive application process, and grant recipients are required to submit a written evaluation of their project’s outcome within two weeks of completion of the project. “These grants are intended to foster innovation while cultivating exciting new collaborations among students. The projects may also serve as pilot programs which, if successful, could become part of the curriculum in the future,” said Brigitte Sarraf, retired Assistant Superintendent of Education Services, who oversees the grant selection and evaluation process. Congratulations to the following grant recipients and projects approved in Phases 1 and 2 for the 2025-26 school year.

Awards were based on:

• scaling potential, such as incorporation into the curriculum, shared future use by others in the course team, and potential for replication across the district
• impact on student learning, such as enhancing depth of knowledge, applicability to addressing real-world problems, and  interdisciplinary approaches to problem-solving
• effectiveness in challenging students to make connections and discover alternative problem-solving.

Alta Vista Grant Recipients and Projects

Round 1 approved May 2025

• Gabriela Estrada, Alcatraz Fieldtrip
• Brandi Filbert, Nature Journaling

District Recipients and Project

Round 1 approved May 2025

Yoli Gavaldon, Jose Roosario, Nicole Higley, Adriana Sanchez, Jessica Hill, Shannon Porfilio, Taica Hsu: Project-based Learning for ELD Students

Freestyle Grant Recipients and Projects

Round 1 approved May 2025

• Leo Florendo, Digital Design: Student-produced website hosting

Los Altos High Grant Recipients and Projects

Round 1 approved May 2025

• Susana Herrera, Film Analysis: Drones and Film Making
• Connie Chen, Bernice Wei, Antonio Murillo, Dayana Swank, Stephanie Fullen-Safian, Krista Greksouk, Robyn Hughes, Shannon Porfilio, Gabrielle Tabor, Mohamed Chakmakchi, Language Department: East Meets West, cross-departmental cultural and hands-on activities
• Tory Johnson, Krista Schramm, AP Biology and Human Bio: Neurobiology 3-D models
• Benjamin Walker, Agroecology: Promoting Sustainability from Seed Germination to Transplanting
• Elizabeth Pyle, James Mok, Trina Mattson, Chemistry: Investigating Nuclear Decay Reactions
• Jenny Dumas, Makenzie Gallego, Peer2Peer Counseling: training

Round 2 approved October 2025

• Bianca Aguirre, Susana Herrera, Positive Psych: Creating Happier Lives through Collaboration and Children’s Books
• Heather Laederich, Michael Moul, David Dawson Bowman, Jacob Russo, Ap Environmental Science & Culinary: Monitoring Biodiversity with Biotechnology
• Archana Venugopal & Lisa Bolton, Bio & Bio Honors: Primate Skulls for Evolution
• Linda Hambrick & Benjamin Walker, Agroecology: Garden Shed and Chicken Coop for boosting health and life skills

Mountain View High Grant Recipients and Projects

Round 1 approved May 2025

• Michelle Campusano, Josune Sullivan: Peer2Peer Counseling: training
• Pancho Morris, Mike Gunari, Theater: Theater History Art installation
• Jolene Kemos, Esther Wu, Library & English Collaboration: 9th Grade whole course read and speaker project
• Lori Nock, Visual Art: Portfolio Project

Round 2 approved October 2025

• Lyudmila Shemyakina, Pre-Environmental Science, AP Environmental Science, Bio, & Bio Honors: Exploring Electricity
• Jonathan Bower, Ann Nguyen, Sukhraj Sohal, Bio Honors: Exploring Cutting Edge Gene Therapies using CRISPR
• Stephen Widmark, AP Physics: X-Ray Detection and Measurement for Nobel Prize Project
• Kip Glazer, Tech Interns
• Minako Walther, Japanese: Japanese Yearbook project