Chele Behrens, Chad Mickey and Jennifer Potochnik from Brooks Technology/Arts Magnet School will receive $4,998 for their Math, Music and Movies mini-grant.  Through the use of computers with the software GarageBand and USB musical keyboards, approximately 300 students will have the opportunity to individualize their own music and math instruction.  This technology will facilitate exploring rhythm, musical vocabulary and theory; and the technology will support math instruction through music composition.  Rhythms are the division of time into fractions.  Teaching students to divide musical notes and label proportions and percentages will help them relate and bridge the gap between the subjects of music and math.  

Carrie Penka, Angela Dye, Tina Rodd, Karla McGinnis, Jeannean Wolf, Lori Orth, Joleigh Leffew from Colvin Elementary School will receive $4,550 for their ELMO Digital Projectors for Vocabulary Development mini-grant.  This project will integrate the ELMO Document Camera into the daily instruction of approximately 150 second grade students.  The ELMOs will be used to enhance daily instruction of reading, writing, and math by increasing student engagement, creating exciting visual displays and utilizing trade books from the school library. Pictured from left to right:  Ron Holt, Carrie Penka, Ross Hollandar, Laura Fischer, Bill Hanna

Laura Jelinek, Bill Coffman, Marcia Uhls, Ginger Baerg, Michelle Fields, Autumn Miller, Connie Hampel, Drew Bivens, Cristina Ignacio, Shelby Griffith, and Molly Easley from East High School will receive $4,400 for their Project CALCULATE mini-grant.  This project will target approximately 330 Algebra students, giving them access to calculators and integrating their use into lessons on a frequent basis.  Understanding the operation and effective use of a calculator is a life skill in today’s society.  

Terri Guthrie, Bonnetta Franklin, Crystal Holub, and Kim Cabodie from Greiffenstein Special Education Center will receive $1,682 for their Surviving Sitting mini-grant.  The purpose of this project is to improve reading and writing skill in 69 students diagnosed with severe attention and anxiety disorders while still having average and above average IQ scores.  The students targeted for the “surviving sitting” project will benefit by an increased amount of time on task, better attitude about sitting in the classroom and consequently increased test scores in reading and writing.  Pictured from left to right: Bonnetta Franklin, Ron Holt, Ross Hollander, Rosie Mills, Bill Hanna, Terri Guthrie, Crystal Holub Meagan Higgins, Mark Peavey, Tracy Callard, Kathy Peavey, Scott Pittman, and Cindy Carmichael from Hadley Middle School will receive $4,930 for their 21st Century Global Learning mini-grant.   The purpose of this project is to create a Global Learning Academy which will serve 135 at risk students in the areas of social studies, language arts, science, and technology.  Students will develop an appreciation and understanding of important global issues as well as different cultures, as they collaborate with other students around the world through video conferences and technology based presentation projects. Pictured from left to right: Ron Holt, Jennifer Engelmann, Ross Hollander, Michelle Sinnes, Bill Hanna. Michelle Sinnes and Jennifer Engelmann from Horace Mann Dual Language Magnet School will receive $4,963 for their Leap Into Reading mini-grant. The purpose of this project is to meet the academic needs of approximately 40 kindergarten English Language Learner (ELL) students by using The Essentials in Spanish and English, The Literacy Center, and the ELL Family Involvement programs by Leap Frog School House. The program combines multisensory, interactive technology, with engaging hands-on instruction and practice in phonemic awaremenss and other key early literacy skills. Pictured from left to right: Ron Holt, Jennifer Engelmann, Ross Hollander, Michelle Sinnes, Bill Hanna. Tracy Koppenhaver at Irving Elementary School will receive $1,500 for the Summer Book Buddies mini-grant. Summer book Buddies is a two fold program. First and formost, it is a peer tutoring porgram to strengthn 20 at-risk first grade student's literacy skills while reaching out to 20 fifth grade students who show leadership potential to tutor the first grade students. The second goal is to keep the library open through the summer to reach out to approximately 500 additional students who make up the entire school community. Pictured from left to right: Ron Holt, Ross Hollander, Tracy Koppenhaver, Bill Hanna. Bonnie Farris at Minneha Core Knowledge Magnet School will receive $1,061 for the Strengthening Kindergarten Vocabulary Skills with the iPod Nano mini-grant. Because students learn in many different ways, technology is useful in differentiating instruction in the classroom and motivating children to learn. Delivering books with iPod technology provides a portable and exciting way for studetns to listen and learn. In addition, students will have opportunities to view other media resouces on an iPod made to enhance the curriculum and strengthen vocabulary skills. Pictured from left to right: Ron Holt, Ross Hollander, Bonni Farris, Bill Hanna. Brenda Kuhns, Teresa Wasinger, Jonathan Georing, Bruce Bolan, and Ted Blincoe from Truesdell Middle School will receive $4,999 for the Project PHYSICS mini-grant. This project brings connections to the real world as students explore things such as air bags, auto collisions and rockerty, while building skills in the areas of Physics, Mathematics, reading comprehension, and vocabulary. For approximately 100 eighth grade students, this will provide opportunities for hands-on learning for engaging, high-order thinking activities, and integrated projects that show students how learning connects to how the world works. Pictures from left to right: Ron Holt, Brenda Kuhns, Ross Hollander, Bill Hanna. Shannon Starkey and Dianna Fisher from Wilbur Middle School will recieve $4,487 for the Innovative and Creative Lessons - Helping Our Students Meet and Exceed State Standards mini-grant. This project will utilize SMART board technology and projectors in sixth and seventh grade language arts classrooms serving over 150 students. This project will encompass short stories, learning and applying plot structure, character analysis, and each student creating their own short story. By using technology in innovative and creative ways, this project will tap into a variey of learning styles and interest levels to help hold student's attention. From left to right: Ron Holt, Dianna Fisher, Ross Hollander, Shannon Starkey, Bill Hanna.