Education Grant WinnerKaren Wilcox

As a kid, who didn’t love going to gym class? With a chance to step away from the books for a minute, there’s nothing better than lacing up your sneakers and getting to burn off some energy. Plus, you get to have fun—which is what gym class is all about!

Karen Wilcox, educator at Northwood Elementary, saw that her students absolutely loved playing this game called “9 Square in the Air,” yet didn’t have one dedicated to her P.E. class. Thanks to Power of the Dollar® members, she was awarded a $1,000 grant in December 2025 for her “Throw Your Hands in the Air for 9 Square” project idea, which she then used the grant funds to purchase a brand new 9 Square set and will be ready to use anytime!

“For this project, the kids have done this exercise before but have very few opportunities to get it in the school because it’s such a popular item,” said Wilcox. “They enjoy it. They learn so much from it. Whether it’s the skills or the social part of it, they light up every time they see it”

Aside from owning one and being able to utilize it whenever, Ms. Wilcox wanted to encourage her students to build an active lifestyle. Now more than ever, it’s important to instill a daily routine that helps students combat childhood obesity, hones their hand-eye coordination, all while learning to work well with others—that’s where 9 Square comes into “play.” By incorporating a game they enjoy, it not only develops good physical and social skills, but it increases their level of engagement. They can’t get enough of it!

“They ask me all the time: ‘Are we playing 9 Square today?’” she said. “It takes a while to set it up, but it really is totally worth it because when they walk in the next day, they’re like ‘Yeah! 9 Square!’ So, it’s so worth it.”