BFEPE Awards More Than $20,000 in Grants to Support Innovation in Bardstown Classrooms

Bardstown City Schools (BCS) educators were met with cheers, applause, and a few happy tears as the Bardstown Foundation for Excellence in Public Education (BFEPE) Prize Patrol made surprise visits on Thursday, May 8, awarding more than $20,000 in classroom and school-based grants across the district.

Founded in 1985, BFEPE was the first private foundation in Kentucky created solely to support a public school system. Since then, it has served as the financial spark behind many of the district’s most innovative programs—including the strings and orchestra program, the STEAM Academy, and the launch of early childhood education.

Each year, BFEPE invites teachers and administrators to apply for $1,000 mini-grants to support creative, student-centered learning. All applications are evaluated for creativity, student impact, and alignment with the foundation’s mission to support excellence in education. This year’s recipients include six mini-grants and one major grant award:

𝗞𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗙𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗹 & 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱, 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗻 & 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝘁 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆:Awarded a mini-grant to bring learning to life through three hands-on, curriculum-based events—Nursery Rhyme Olympics, Five Senses Carnival, and a Royal Ball—designed to create joyful, unforgettable experiences for kindergartners.

𝗔𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿, 𝗠𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀, 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗹 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗸𝘀 & 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴, 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗮𝘁 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆: Will use Snap Circuits kits to help fourth graders explore the concepts of electricity and circuitry in a more interactive, student-led way.

𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗯𝘆 𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿, 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝘁 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗠𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲:Will launch the BMS Book Buffet, a school-wide reading initiative where students sample different genres and write Yelp-style reviews to build a student-driven culture of reading.

𝗔𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮 𝗦𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗵, 𝗔𝗣 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘁 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵:Awarded a mini-grant to fund full-spectrum grow lights so students can construct and maintain indoor microecosystems, gaining hands-on experience in ecological system design and plant growth.

𝗥𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗰𝗖𝗼𝘆 & 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗮 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗸, 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝗹 & 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘁 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵:Awarded a $17,626 major grant to support the implementation of Bardstown High School’s new, standards-aligned science curriculum. The project will ensure that more than 500 students in grades 9–11 continue to receive high-quality science instruction during upcoming lab renovations.

For more information or to support the Foundation’s mission, visit bardstownfoundation.org.