The MiniGrants Review Committee reviewed 25 applications from 10 different departments and 16 applicants. Several of the applicants had never submitted a MiniGrant before. All applicants were PTSA members at the time of the committee review. All of the proposals were for interesting and worthy projects. The total amount requested was $10,10.50. The committee recommended funding for $8,970.50. The review committee evaluated each grant application on its merit and recommended funding appropriate to our evaluation.
| Project Title | Group Name | Brief Project Description | Benefits whom? |
| Academy Ambassador Program | Academies | Purchase T-Shirts for Academy Ambassadors to wear during events where they represent the school. | Academy Ambassadors |
| Academy Events | Academies | Prizes for Student of the Month, food and awards for Academy Capstone Showcases and Award Ceremony, and to offset field trip costs (transportation and substitutes). | 10th, 11th & 12th grade Career Academy students |
| Academic Achievement Initiative to Inspire Academic Excellence | Academy - 9th Grade | Certificates & awards for 9th grade academy students recognizing student & athlete of the month, those with significant improvement & outstanding effort and quarterly GPA's. Also food and drink for quarterly celebrations. | 9th Grade Academy |
| Meet Laura Resau - Author of The Lightening Queen | Media Center | Speaker's fees and purchase books for library. | Selected English and ESOL classes |
| Help the Hungry Students | Media Center | Purchase nutritious snacks to have available when students ask staff members for snacks during the day. | Needy students |
| Culture Seminar @ Howard University | W.E.B. DuBois Honor Society | Offset costs (transportation and lunch) for day-long field trip to Howard University sponsored by African Studies department | Students in the W.E.B. Honor Society. |
| Anti-defamation League / Holocaust Museum field trips | No Labels Diversity Workshop | Offset costs (transportation and substitutes) for field trip to Anti-defamation League and Holocaust Museum to explore the parallels between the Holocaust and current regimes of hatred and bias. | Students at Blair who have completed World of Difference training, along with members of No Labels Diversity Club, and possibly another classes which will benefit from classroom training |
| Science Olympiad (STEM club) | Science Olympiad | Supplies to build electronic vehicle, robotic arm and an air trajectory device. | Students in the STEM club competing in Science Olympiad |
| Cultural Activities | BLISS/ESOL Buddy Program | The BLISS Buddy Program matches ESOL students with a non-ESOL buddy. Each will learn valuable skills in cross-cultural communication, teamwork and goal-setting. The grant will provide food for 3-4 lunch gatherings of ESOL/BLISS buddies. | BLISS and ESOL students |
| Green Team hiking/writing trip | Green Team / Environmental Writers | Partner with Conservation Montgomery to take students hiking in area parks and then write about the experience. Previous year's writing samples published at http://www.conservationmontgomery.org/YEWW%20published%20work.htm | Green Team and other like-minded students in the school |
| Chemathon Team | Chemathon team | Purchase lab supplies for Chemathon competition at University of MD. | Chemathon students |
| A Conversation with Kevin Powell | English Department | Invite author to come to Blair for a town hall discussion on race and the quest for equality. Unable to secure author for this year on MLK day. in lieu of having speaker come to Blair, purchase books for library as a companion for 10th and 11th grade reading curriculum. | 10th and 11th grade students |
| Rental Graphing Calculator Program | Math Department | Purchase refurbished graphing calculators to add to existing rental program supply. | All students of Montgomery Blair High School |
| AP Statistics and Calculus Mock Exam | Mathematics | In cooperation with the Washington Statistical Society, offer mock AP Statistics and AP Calculus exam at Blair. Funds will be used to pay proctor stipends. | AP Statistics, AP Calculus students at Blair and other students |
| iPod and projector for Dance and Fitness classes | Health and PE Department | Purchase iPod touch and LED projector for use in dance and fitness classes. | Blair students in dance and fitness class |
| Weighted Vests | Health and PE department | Purchase five weighted vests (3-ten pound, 2-twenty pound) for PE and Athletics use. | PE and Athletics |
| PE. Track and Field Project | Physical Education | Purchase practice foam javelins, practice shot puts and relay batons to support new track and field unit for general PE. | All General Physical Education Students and Blair Athletics |
| Blair Environment Lego Project | AP Environ. Science and Environ. Chem | Purchase Lego (kits, bulk and bases) for new AP environmental science and AP environmental chemistry 3D science fair on Earth Day. | Students in science and math classes |
| Bio Field Day | Biology | Prizes for Bio Field Day. Program helps prepare students for the HSA in Biology. | Biology students |
| Bio Food Labs | Biology | Purchase fresh produce (cheaper than or not available from county warehouse) for labs. | Biology students |
| ESOL Field Trips | ESOL Science | Support for ESOL science field trips (transportation and substitutes) to National Aquarium, Natural History Museum, Franklin Institute, and National Zoo. | ESOL Science Students |
| Arson lab | Forensics | Purchase trash cans to be burned and then investigated for forensics lab. Trash cans will be burned at firehouse with firefighters, not with students. | Forensic science students |
| Mini PCR | Magnet / Science | Purchase PCR (polymerase chain reaction) apparatus -- 1/10 cost and 1/4 size as existing thermal cyclers. Will be used by Genetics, AP Bio, Bio classes, and STEM clubs. | All Blair students who do PCR experiments. |
| Melting Point Apparatus | Magnet / Science | Purchase melting pot apparatus for use in organic and other chemistry classes. | Organic chemistry students |