Sharing an idea, asking a question or joining a conversation can be a meaningful step for a young learner.
At Lion Lane School (LLS), two projects receiving 2026 J. Landon Short Mini Grants for Educators put language and communication at the heart of early learning.
Congratulations to the following grant recipients:
Grant recipient(s) | Project |
|---|---|
Kristen Nehring, with Kyra Collins | Language Takes Flight in the OWL Lab (Oral and Written Language Laboratory) |
Delyar Pace | Everyone Can Talk |
Nehring and Collins’ Language Takes Flight in the OWL Lab focuses on oral and written language development. These connected skills help children express their thinking, understand others and build a foundation for reading and writing. The project highlights the possibilities that open when young learners have opportunities to explore and use language.
Pace’s Everyone Can Talk centers on the importance of communication and participation. Helping children communicate supports their ability to share needs, express ideas and connect with classmates and adults. For young learners, those connections are an important part of belonging to a classroom community.
Together, these projects reflect a shared purpose: helping children develop the communication skills and confidence to take an active role in learning.
Made possible through generous community support, the J. Landon Short Mini Grants for Educators help turn creative ideas into meaningful classroom experiences. It’s #CollectiveGreatness in action.
You can help make great things happen for kids, too. Visit SBISD’s Engage page to learn how to support students, classrooms and schools.