Student teaching is a critical part of every future educator’s journey as they move from learning about teaching to actually doing it. When College of Education students step into the classroom for the first time, they’re eager to make an impact and bring creative lesson ideas to their students.

But there’s often a price tag on those ideas. And student teaching doesn’t come with a paycheck, so aspiring teachers have to cover classroom supply costs out of their own pockets.

To help bridge that gap, the College of Education created a donor-funded mini-grant program that awards student teachers up to $200 for the supplies and materials they need. Removing that financial barrier helps them bring their ideas into the classroom and provide the meaningful learning experiences their students need.

Learn how five NC State students used their mini-grants in spring 2026 and help support future educators today:

Abbi Roof
Science Education

With her mini-grant, Abbi Roof made it possible for her Honors Biology students to experience one of biology’s most fundamental concepts. With everyday materials like dish soap, salt, coffee filters and ethyl alcohol, students extracted DNA from strawberries.

The lab gave students a chance to apply their classroom knowledge, using detergent to break down cell membranes, salt to draw DNA strands together and alcohol to make them visible. Strawberries are octoploids and carry eight sets of genes, which enabled the students to see the DNA without a microscope.

Until then, students had only encountered DNA as a diagram or as a concept described in books and lectures. Because of how Abbi used the mini-grant, they were able to turn the abstract into something they could see with their own eyes.

Trinity Moriggia-Snyder
Elementary Education

To celebrate her final day before transitioning to her new, special education placement, Trinity Moriggia-Snyder used her mini-grant to turn her classroom into a Starbucks-inspired learning experience. 

She incorporated academic skills the students had learned into every activity. They used descriptive language to invent their own Starbucks drinks, writing a name, ingredients and a full recipe. They identified nouns and sorted words into groups like people, places and things. They put their math skills to use by counting coins and working through money-related word problems. They also designed custom cup art for their drink creations.

The highlight was when the students used a Starbucks Barista card to “buy” their own treats, including pastries and a frappuccino, and practice real-world money skills in a situation that felt real and fun.

Thomas Pelcher
Mathematics Education

Thomas Pelcher used his mini-grant to bring two practical tools into his high school math classroom and solve instructional challenges he had encountered.

The first was an electronic pen that was compatible with his laptop and enabled him to write notes and model problems directly on the electronic whiteboard. The pen helped him walk students through multi-step math problems more effectively and gave him a dynamic alternative to standard slides.

The second tool was a set of handheld whiteboards, which became essential on review days. Students used them to work through practice problems before assessments and gave them a simple space to try problems (and try them again).

These two tools, made possible by the mini-grant, helped Pelcher create a more interactive classroom experience, and enabled students to engage actively with math processes and concepts in ways that stuck.

Kendall Mick
Elementary Education

Kendall Mick’s mini-grant funded a multi-part, nature-based learning experience that brought together science, art and daily routines.

Her students watched caterpillars transform into butterflies and recorded daily observations that built science knowledge alongside reading, math, fine-motor skills and expressive language abilities. The unit ended with a butterfly release, which was an exciting moment for the students.

Students also painted their own pots and planted lavender seeds, taking ownership of their plants through daily waterings. The routine helped students take responsibility and build patience while introducing the idea of lavender as a calming presence in the classroom.

Finally, students painted bird feeders that they placed outside, giving them a firsthand look at nature and presenting opportunities for observation and classroom discussions.

Emma Ogden
Mathematics Education

Emma Ogden taught high school math students who entered her classroom with varying levels of confidence and gaps in foundational skills. Her mini-grant funded tools to help her meet their different needs.

A magnetic graph whiteboard gave her a precise way to model graphing linear equations, step by step. Mini whiteboards lowered the stakes for those hesitant to make mistakes, giving each student a reusable, low-pressure surface to work through problems and show their thinking.

Career-based math posters helped students make connections between their classwork and the real world. And “invisible math” reference posters illustrated implied operations, helping students work through problems with greater independence.

The tools were such a success that Emma plans to bring them into her own classroom next school year. 

“Supporting my students is what this job is all about, and these grants helped to make that possible!”