Now entering its 22nd year, we’re excited to announce the class of awardees of our four annual awards—Inspire, Innovate, Achieve, and Impact—that will be celebrated at CFF’s 22nd Annual “Innovation in Education Awards” at SeaWorld San Diego on Thursday, May 15, 2025, from 4:00 to 8:00 PM. In 2004, the Classroom of the Future Foundation (CFF) created the “Innovation in Education Awards” program to recognize achievements by San Diego County’s innovative districts, schools, charters, educators and their programs.
Each year, we award $25,000 from the annual CFF “Innovation in Education” STEAM Grant Program to four exceptional classroom or district programs in San Diego County. Here are the annual award categories:
The INSPIRE Award ($5,000) is given to a program that inspires, excites, motivates, sparks and/or influences students to learn and teachers to teach through exceptional, unprecedented or extraordinary programs.
The INNOVATE Award ($5,000) showcases the creativity of a program that facilitates enhanced teaching and learning.
The ACHIEVE Award ($5,000) showcases an innovative program that is able to quantify program results/achievements that drive student learning.
The IMPACT Award ($10,000) is the most prestigious award given to a program that embodies all of the first three attributes: inspire, innovate, and achieve which culminate to realize the fourth… IMPACT on teachers, students and your community.
After our panel of esteemed and experienced judges read, analyzed, and scored the grant applications, they participated in a discussion about the top programs based on their application responses, data provided, and evidence submitted. The result was the 2025 Class of Awardees for the “Innovation in Education Awards” STEAM Grants, which are presented below.
IMPACT AWARD ($10,000)
Program: Full STEAM Ahead | Adelante STEAM
Organization: National City STEAM Collaborative
Description: Full STEAM Ahead | Adelante STEAM is a collaborative effort by six organizations to wrap multigenerational learners in the arms of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM). The Collaborative provides a connected web of support for students, teachers, parents and families in National City, a community in San Diego County with over 80% socioeconomically disadvantaged students. Project partners have provided STEAM learning opportunities in National City for students, parents, and teachers in classrooms, out-of-school time learning spaces, and at community STEAM events. The program supports efforts to create a connected, collaborative STEAM pathway.
ACHIEVE AWARD ($5,000)
Program: Beyond Boundaries: Charting New Paths with Early College
School: Bonsall High School
School District: Bonsall Union School District
Description: In BUSD’s diverse socioeconomic community, a majority of our students begin high school not seeing themselves as college students or ever having the chance to attain a high wage career. The Bonsall High School Early College (BHSEC) program provides students from all backgrounds with the opportunity to take college courses at Palomar College while in high school. BHSEC strives to ensure all students have equitable access to an elevated level of learning and choices by offering courses on the nearby college campus, online, and/or at the high school with a college instructor. As an achievement, 78.6% received a “B” or higher in their Early College course.
INNOVATE AWARD ($5,000)
Program: STEAM to Careers
School: Escondido High School
School District: Escondido Union High School District
Description: STEAM-to-Careers [STC] develops the next generation of leaders by preparing low-income students at Escondido High School to become connected and engaged in STEAM curriculum and workforce opportunities. With partnerships from local organizations and professionals, the program delivers a valuable opportunity for students to develop not only technical skills but also professional competencies such as resume building and networking. The program provides hands-on, real-world experiences through partnerships with industry leaders like Rady Children’s Hospital, SDG&E, and The Fleet Science Center plus collaboration with United Way of San Diego. Students gain marketable skills, including industry certifications in CPR, First Aid, QPR, and Arts publication, enhancing their job prospects.
INSPIRE AWARD ($5,000)
Program: Moderate/Severe Special Education STEAM Program
School District: San Ysidro Elementary School District
Description: San Ysidro School District provided STEAM education to general and mild/moderate special education classrooms but lacked programs for moderate to severe special education students. To address this, the district launched the Mod/Severe STEAM Program, ensuring all students access hands-on STEAM learning. The program at Smythe Elementary fosters inclusivity and hands-on learning for TK-6th grade students. Since 2022, it provides weekly sessions in robotics, coding, science, and art. Two teachers create interactive, sensory-friendly experiences that promote creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. This initiative empowers students, engages families, and fosters inclusivity by integrating robotics, coding, science, and art, making STEAM education accessible to all learners.
HONORABLE MENTION AWARDEES
Each year, our panel of judges has the option to designate an application as an “Honorable Mention” awardee when the program has exceptional qualities that were strongly considered as a finalist in an award category. In 2025, two programs impressed the judges in the highly-competitive Inspire category. As such, they will be recognized on stage at our annual awards event in May to raise awareness about the program and celebrate their accomplishments.
INSPIRE AWARD – HONORABLE MENTION #1
Program: Gizmos and Gadgets STEAM Lab
School: Monterey Heights STEAM Academy
School District: Lemon Grove School District
Description: The Gizmos and Gadgets STEAM Lab has propelled student performance in science to record heights. Since the Lab was established three years ago as part of Monterey Heights’ transition to a schoolwide STEAM curriculum, K-6 students are now the district’s top performers on the science portion of the CAASPP standardized exam – 39.54% of all students met or exceeded the grade-level science standard in 2023-24, up from just 19.15% in 2021-22 before the Gizmos and Gadgets Lab was established. The Lab’s hands-on learning experiences bring greater relevance to curriculum and expose students to in-demand careers.
INSPIRE AWARD – HONORABLE MENTION #2
Program: Play It By Ear
School: High Tech Middle Mesa – High Tech High
Description: In the Play It By Ear project, sixth graders reimagined sports and games to ensure accessibility for all, exploring the essential question: “How do we engineer for inclusion?” Inspired by and in partnership with the SoCal Beep Baseball Association, they created a functional prototype ball and adapted games for the visually impaired. Students studied the science of sound and light, explored stories of individuals with disabilities, and developed skills in soldering, CAD design, and 3D printing.
TICKETS TO THE AWARDS CEREMONY
Each grant awardee will be recognized with an award and check presentation on stage at SeaWorld San Diego’s Nautilus Pavilion on Thursday, May 15, 2025 from 4:00 to 8:00 PM. If you would like to support one of the programs and their school, district, or organization, tickets are available on our Eventbrite ticketing system—$50 for educators and $200 for general admission by businesses and the public, plus fees. Limited seating is available so we encourage you to buy tickets today.