Recent Local Ideas Festivals

To date, the foundation has offered seed grants to 54 first-time festivals and 23 continuation festivals. Sustainable festivals that have continued on into multiple years are noted as Continuation Festivals, below.

2011 FESTIVALS

  • Entrepreneurial Leadership: Empowering the Youth: Kenza Bouhaj, Abdramane Diabate, Esther Soma, Julius Kakwenzire, Tafadzwa Matika, and Segun Olagunju, African Leadership Academy, Johannesburg South Africa
  • Gen2Gens: Jennifer Tu & Jane Maher, Benjamin Franklin High School, New Orleans, LA
  • Women and Girls: Here and There, Then and Now: Valerie Quirk & Alisa Boyd, Central High School, Springfield, MO
  • Teens for Tolerance!: Sarah Sinclair & Davan Dodrill, Columbus Alternative High School, Columbus, OH
  • YELL: Youth Empowerment and Leadership Learning: Miguel Goncalves & Linda Shaddix, Cypress Creek High School, Orlando, FL
  • Helena High Five: Andrew Mitchell & Linda Safty Unsworth, Helena High School, Helena, MT
  • Bridging Borders with P.E.A.C.E.: Nikki Santiago & Steve Magadance, International High School of the Americas, San Antonio, TX
  • College Festival: Evelyn Torres & Caroline Gifford, KIPP San Jose Collegiate, San Jose, CA
  • School Greens: Sundoes Elbery & Kim Frankel, North Star Preparatory High School, Newark, NJ
  • Noteworthy Festival: Locher Grove & Nicole Doherty, Patrick Henry High School, Roanoke, VA
  • Kinder College: Kent Smith & Mary Warren, Presque Isle High School, Presque Isle, ME
  • S.T.E.A.M. Through Education: Nicholas Okafor & Erika Ellis, School for the Talented and Gifted, Dallas, TX

2011 CONTINUATION FESTIVALS

  • World Water Week: Chief Sealth International High School, Seattle, WA
  • April Pool's Day: Freedom High School, Tampa, FL
  • E=MC2: Lafayette High School, Lexington, KY
  • CREATEfest: Lawrence North High School, Indianapolis, IN
  • What the World Needs Now: Preuss School UCSD, La Jolla, CA
  • Darwin Day: South Salem High School, Salem, OR
  • Build Your Brand: City Honors School, Buffalo, NY
  • I Feel the Need to Read: Freedom High School, Tampa, FL
  • EthnicFest: Greeley West High School, Greeley, CO
  • Be The Change: James Madison Memorial High School, Madison, WI
  • Earth Festival: Milford Central School, Milford, NY

2010 FESTIVALS

  • Multicultural Festival:  Mica Pacheco Ceballos & J.P. Caruso (Social Studies Chair), Lincoln High School, Lincoln, NE
  • E=MC2 (Equality = Multicultural Collaboration): Jonathan Karp & Zach Matson (Chemistry Teacher), Lafayette Senior High School, Lexington, KY
  • Greenovation Youth Summit: Jonathon O'Leary & Gail Heninger (Gifted & Talented Facilitator), Davenport Central High School, Davenport, IA
  • Georgia on My Mind: Katherine Key & Mark Wilson (Principal), Morgan County High School, Madison, GA
  • CREATEfest (Creatively Revealing Everyone's Aspirations, Talents and Energies): Rosemary Pritchett-Montavon & Heather Stockdell (Journalism & Spanish), Lawrence North High School, Indianapolis, IN
  • Chicago Education Summit: Honghe Li & Tim Devine (Social Science Chair), Northside College Preparatory High School, Chicago, IL
  • World Water Week: Molly Freed & Noah Zeichner (Social Studies Teacher), Chief Sealth International High School, Seattle, WA
  • What Our World Needs Now: Miriam Million & Anne Atrz (Science Chair/ASB Advisor), Preuss School UCSD, La Jolla CA
  • Safe Kids Splash into Summer: April Pools Day 2011: Elisa Berson & Vivian Fiallo (College and Career Counselor), Freedom High School, Tampa, FL
  • Darwin's Discovery Day: Andy Zhang & Jason Niedermeyer (Biology), South Salem High School, Salem, OR
  • Impactathon: Paul Elish & Jennifer Bourassa (English & Psychology), Presque Isle High School, Presque Isle, ME

2010 CONTINUATION FESTIVALS

  • I Feel the Need to Read: Freedom High School, Tampa, FL
  • EthnicFest: Greeley West High School, Greeley, CO
  • Passion in Progress: City Honors School, Buffalo, NY
  • Everglades Symposium: Miami Palmetto Senior High School, Pinecrest, FL
  • The Student Artist's Festival of St. Augustine, FL: St. Augustine High School, St. Augustine, FL
  • Earth Festival: Milford Central School, Milford, NY
  • Go Green - A Local Ideas Festival Promoting Environmental Awareness and Conservation: James Madison Memorial High School, Madison, WI

2009 FESTIVALS

  • Ethnicfest:  Lanna Giauque & Edie Reynolds (Chair, Social Studies), Greeley West High School, Greeley, Co
  • I Feel the Need to Read Literacy Fest:  Blake O’Connor and Rosemary Owens (Assistant Principal), Freedom High School, Tampa, FL
  • Never Doubt Festival:  Sean Ashburn & Jen England (Reading Workshop), Noble High School, North Berwick, ME
  • Learning Through Living:  Caroline Mills & John Belcaster (Economics Teacher), Northside College Preparatory High School, Chicago, IL
  • “Cracks in the Glass Conference”: Paul Tran & Scott Barton (Principal), The Preuss School at UCSD, La Jolla, CA
  • Art for Science: Bobby Esnard, Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, NY
  • Passion in Progress: Jimmitti Teysir & Frank DiLeo (English Department Chair), City Honors School at Fosdick Masten Park, Buffalo, NY
  • Youth Leadership Network: Simon Boehme & Christopher Bullmer (English and Debate Teacher), Kalamazoo Central High School, Kalamazoo, MI
  • Lend A Hand: A Local Ideas Festival to Promote Volunteerism: Valerie Shen & Troy Arneson (Chair, Student Services), James Madison Memorial High School, Madison, WI
  • Student Artist Festival of Saint Augustine, Florida:  Yannick Trapman-O’Brien & Brian Braddock (Science Department Chair), Saint Augustine High School, Saint Augustine, FL
  • Earth Festival: Jane O’Bryan & Bea Webb (English Department Chair), Milford Central School, Milford, NY

2009 CONTINUATION FESTIVALS

  • MLC Third Annual Global Ideas Festival: Haiti – Expression, Memories, Rebirth: Metropolitan Learning Center, Bloomfield, CT
  • Positive Behavior Festival: Biloxi High School, Biloxi, MS
  • Eastern’s Big Ideas Festival: Eastern High School, Louisville, KY
  • Green Ideas Student Leadership Conference: Lawrence North High School, Indianapolis, IN
  • Lee’s Alternative Answers Festival: Lee High School, Houston, TX
  • Fairchild’s Everglades Symposium: Miami Palmetto Senior High School, Pinecrest, FL
  • Overland Unity Festival: Overland High School, Aurora, CO
  • Fair Trade Festival: Thomas Jefferson High School, Auburn, WA

2008 FESTIVALS

  • SustaIN: David Langdon & Melody Coryell (IB Coordinator/Language Teacher), Lawrence North High School, Indianapolis, IN
  • Lee’s Alternative Answers Festival: Rigoberto Soto & Steve Amstutz (Principal), Lee High School, Houston, TX
  • Overland Unity Festival: Luke Niforatos & Jana Frieler (Principal), Overland High School, Aurora, CO
  • The Whirling Rainbow: Jazmin Graves & Ralph Vigliotti (Principal), Yonkers International Baccalaureate High School, Yonkers, NY
  • Empowering the Illiterate: An Initiative of the Global Women’s Rights Advocates: Sahdia Khan & Jennifer Fry (English Teacher), Wichita High School East, Wichita, KS
  • The Bittersweet Story of Chocolate: Patrick Clay & Mark Marshall (Principal), Thomas Jefferson High School, Auburn, WA
  • Palmetto’s Environmental Symposium: Lucy Li & Patricia Valois (Special Projects), Miami Palmetto Senior High School, Pinecrest, FL
  • Apathy and ACTION: Hannah Postel & Kara Glaaser (English Teacher), Madison Memorial High School, Madison, WI

2008 CONTINUATION FESTIVALS

  • Flight 93 Todd Beamer Memorial: A Call To Action: Todd Beamer High School, Federal Way, WA
  • Eastern’s Big Ideas Festival: Eastern High School, Louisville, KY
  • MLC Second Annual Global Ideas Festival: Children In Crisis: Metropolitan Learning Center, Bloomfield, CT
  • Words of Art: Community Art, Ideas and Open Mic Festival: City Honors School at Fosdick Masten Park, Buffalo, NY
  • Missoula Ideas Festival: Hellgate High School, Missoula, MT
  • Bezos World Issues Competition: Grand County High School, Moab, UT