With the help of funds raised at the Beach Ball, the Schools Foundation provides classroom enrichment grants to district teachers to foster creative, innovative teaching. Projects funded in the 2014-2015 school year include:

 

Zoo-Ometry. Kathy Auble, Central. Using informational text describing various biomes and ecosystems on display at the Zoo, students will practice reading for comprehension, identifying naturally occurring geometrical shapes, and pinpointing individual biomes in geographical context.

Monarch Way Station. Jeff Marlowe, Central.  Incorporating into Central School’s garden, a Monarch butterfly friendly habitat with plants and landscape suitable to Monarchs from egg to larva to adult that will attract Monarchs and create an opportunity for students to learn about the relationship between ecosystems and organisms.

Going to the Dogs. Alyson Robertson, High School. Sponsoring school visits by Golden Retrievers Breezy and Sully to students with mild to moderate to severe learning disabilities in reading, supporting fluent and competent reading, and to medical handicap students teaching them to care for other living things and teaching responsibility, and assisting two students in ultimately passing the Ohio Graduation Test in all subject areas.

Active Bodies / Active Minds. Jacquelyn Berchtold, Highland. Increasing attention and alertness during instruction by creating opportunities for movement using individualized and strategically applied tools, such as standing desks, bouncy bands, stability balls, noise reduction ear muffs, and hand held tools that accommodate and encourage intentional fidgeting.

iIntegrate, iEnrich. Corey Shingleton, Intervention Specialist, Highland. Using unique opportunities available through technology, Ms. Shingleton will use iPad applications specifically designed to reach autistic students.

Tag Readers Make Great Readers. Laura Travers, Hilton. Using Tag Reader devices and books developed by Leap Frog to develop critical thinking, problem solving, communication, collaboration, creativity and innovation with the unique multi-sensory approach of Tag Readers that engages the sensory motor system and increases the reading fluency of these brains of wonder called kindergarteners.

“Daily 5.” Michelle Gagne, Hilton; Kristy Janko & Cathy McKelvey, Chippewa; and Shawna Lastoria, Susan Mulac & Corinne Chilcott et al, Highland.  Each uniquely incorporating into their classrooms the “Daily 5” program, a “structure that will help students develop the daily habits of reading, writing and working with peers that will lead to a lifetime of independent literacy” developed by nationally recognized educators Gail Boushey and Joan Moser.

All Kids are Stronger When They Play Together. Claudine Kirschner, Hilton. By adding a Fly Wheel Spinner to the Hilton playground project, the Hilton PSO aims to ensure that all children, including those with special needs, reap the cognitive, social, emotional and physical benefits of outdoor play.

Chinese Enrichment. Jane-Na Chang, Middle School. Exposing students to Chinese language and culture using a coterie of activities throughout the school year, including the Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s “Silk Road” Exhibit, learning Chinese painting, celebrating Chinese New Year, Chinese martial arts, and kite making.

Bee Solar Car Sprint. Kelly Kroesen, Middle School. Collaborating as teams, students will compete in the U.S. Army’s Educational Outreach Program solar powered car races that challenges students to design, build, and race solar electric vehicles using hands-on engineering skills and principles of science and math as 7th grade science explore electrical, light, and mechanical energy.

Electrify Your Strings. Jennifer O’Neal, Middle School. Assist Ms. O’Neal in drawing and organizing a large venue, district & community-outreach strings event with nationally known artists Mark Wood and Brigid Bibbens to jump start an electric strings program in the District.

Where There’s a Wind, There’s a Way. Melissa Postma, Middle School. Using fans and turbines, students experiment with wind and corresponding energy transfer and practice evaluating their own experiments by calculating statistical probabilities of various results.

Bee Outside. Vanessa Russell, Middle School. Partnering with the Cleveland Metroparks, the Emerald Garden Club, and the school’s special needs students to create a student-designed and student-maintained outdoor classroom for a study of biodiversity and the environment that will incorporate the study of statistical probability, life science, environmental literacy, geometry, physical science, and more.

Getting Raz-zed Up About Reading (Sarka Grant). Caryn Cody, Chippewa. Using strategies and headphone technology developed by the Raz Kids program to engage students in independent reading, practice and assessment to increase reading comprehension and oral fluency.