Vashon Partners in Education — a 30-year-old island organization that raises money for Vashon schools — last Thursday announced it had awarded nearly $37,000 in grants to fund island teachers’ projects.

In total, 35 grants have been funded, including $1,765 for a multi-cultural education unit for Chautauqua Elementary School’s multi-age program, $200 for an edible plant portion of McMurray Middle School’s outdoor survival class and $1,885 for a hands-on science program for high school science students. The teachers associated with the three programs mentioned — PIE’s favorite for the grant cycle — attended the Dec. 8 school board meeting to speak about their projects and thank PIE.

Chautauqua teachers Glenda Berliner and Aristy Gill said that their students will work with native storytellers and longtime islanders to learn about native populations, space and Vashon and what other culture’s stories and beliefs about the subjects are.

“They will interview Vashon elders and record the interviews so they can be broadcast on Voice of Vashon,” Gill said.

McMurray’s Lea Heffernan teaches outdoor survival, but said she needed an edible foods expert. Cedarsong Nature School’s Erin Kenny stepped up to the challenge and will guide students through the identification and preparation of native, edible plants.

“We’re going to get three full days with her, make a book and eat a native-foraged salad,” she said.

At the high school, Jordan Browning is partnering with the Vashon Nature Center to allow his students to do hands-on science with the center’s sea star, coyote and owl scat projects. The students will then present their findings at the EdTalks symposium in the spring.

“It’s an experience to show what science is like outside of the classroom,” he said.

— Anneli Fogt